KARACHI: Hydration is not something which just comes to mind in this heatwave from hell that the city is experiencing nowadays, it is what the body and soul yearns for in order to survive.

With lots of cool and chilled drinking options available at home, one finds oneself reaching for other options when outside.

There is a huge variety of aerated waters but it is a common complaint that cold drinks don’t quench thirst like water does. Of course there is also bottled water though slightly on the expensive side. Then what is better than water? The solution lies with all those carts and kiosks by the roadside offering sherbet, squashes and juices that besides quenching thirst also happen to be a healthy option, provided attention is paid to hygiene.

Rafaqat Ali, who sells sattu sherbet from his cart at Burnes Road, says that having the beverage is also Sunnat-i-Nabwi. The drink resembles milky tea but that colour comes from gram flour, the main ingredient in the sherbet. The other cart vendors such as the fruit seller, the chaat seller, the shopkeepers all buy sattu sherbet from Rafaqat and are of the view that a glass, costing from Rs50 to Rs70, is amazingly refreshing.

And how does he wash the glasses? The cart vendor just dips the used glasses in a bucket full of water and that’s it! Still, that issue gets resolved when people ask him to pour the sherbet in little disposable plastic bags with a straw to enjoy the drink on the go.

Next you ask about the water used in the sherbet and Rafaqat says that it is water he gets from a tap in a nearby mosque.

The purple falsa sherbet vendor nearby also had the option of mango juice. Asked if he meant mango shake, he quickly shook his head. It was plain old falsa sherbet in one big pot and mango juice in another with lots and lots of floating ice. Both choices were selling for Rs50 and Rs60 depending on the size of the glasses. When asked about the source of water for the beverages, Mohammed Ishaq, the vendor, says it is mineral water of course. “Do you think we would use gutter water?” He asks agitated. We make a hasty exit from there.

Lemonade also has water mixed with lime juice with sugar and a pinch of salt, which is optional. There are lemonade stalls all over the city.

In Clifton, the vendors have innovatively recorded what they are selling and for how much, and are playing it on loop. Prices are about the same as in Saddar and Burnes Road.

At the sugar cane juice vendor, there should be a prize offered for guessing if there are more flies or more customers. Still, there is no water used there. It is pure sugar cane juice.

The same is the case with lassi, which is just yogurt mixed with milk, we are told. If the milk has water mixed in it, we did not ask.

Then the only questionable item in all the beverages is that floating ice!

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2024