CUISINE: SALAD ON THE GO
Away from the sanitised, ordered and air-conditioned salad bars pul kay uss paar (across the bridge), Waseem’s knife slices through the fresh green cucumber to restock the empty plastic strainer on his thela (pushcart). He has been in the business of selling salad for about eight years in the Kharadar area — Karachi’s famed old town.
The bustling and historical locality has seen a mushroom growth in roadside eateries, both for traditional as well as contemporary fastfood. The traditional food is served from 10am onwards while the fast food sale begins by 4pm continuing till 3am.
Waseem is one of four thela owners in Kharadar’s winding and curving lanes. Another vendor, Mohammad Ejaz, has been attached to this trade for more than 20 years. At 4:30pm Ejaz ends his shift and hands over the stall to his son Soofian. “I’m going home to catch up on sleep,” says Ejaz and quickly updates his son on the current orders for plates of salads that need to be processed.
The salad vendors in old city areas offer inexpensive and healthy eating
The thela’s primary sales are from the nearby biryani eateries and restaurants serving Punjabi cuisine. Besides that they get orders for salads at weddings as well as from the area’s residents and the local labour community. “When we had the time, we’d design salads for shaadi events. We don’t do that anymore,” says Waseem hastily. “Now, we slice and dice the vegetables and send them off to the caterers, who design them accordingly.”