Written by Avani Khare
With the mercury hovering around the 40-degree Celsius mark, Pune appears to have taken a break from vada pav and other staples, such as cutting chai, and opted for more lassi and buttermilk.
Nagesh, a tea seller who owns Balaji Tea Coffee Centre on Shirole Road, said, “I usually purchase 50 litres of milk every day. Since the past 4-5 days, I have been purchasing only 20 litres. Nobody wants to drink tea or coffee in this hot weather. I have been running this business for the last five years but I have never experienced anything like this.”
Sandeep Keshawanta Bhaiya, a vada pav seller on JM Road, said, “I have been doing this business for the past 32 years. I have observed a sharp decrease in sales every summer, especially because schools and colleges are closed. This time, my business has been badly hit… 60 per cent of my regular customers do not want food that is high on spice, especially in this heat. I have to wait till the sun sets to get customers”.
Apart from street-food sellers, restaurants serving spicy food, such as different varieties of biryani, are also facing the summer heat in more ways than one. Shivaji Patil, owner of PK Biryani House, said, “My customers are mainly those who work in corporate offices. The summer heat is at its peak from 10 am to 4 pm. This is also peak time for our business. During this time, most people now do not prefer to eat non-veg items. Our business is getting affected by the weather conditions.”
The NRH-Badshahi, located on Tilak Road, is known for its Maharashtrian Thali. Continuing a 70-year tradition, its owner Medha Sahastrabuddhe said she has had to make changes to combat the seasonal downside.
“I have realised that in summers, most people prefer to eat food that cools down the body. Apart from providing our customers with buttermilk, aam-panna, lassi, and so on, we have also come up with some unique Thali options, Konkani, Misal, Upas, all preparations that do not have groundnut. I believe that if we do not use groundnut in our food, the heat levels in the food are significantly reduced,” she said.
