How good is your Cutting Chai?

Cutting chai is irresistible if you are from Mumbai. Be it a chai tapri near our offices or a tea stall at a railway station, we do observe but love to ignore the unclean glasses, the houseflies and all that I need not mention. After all, nothing beats the magic of cutting chai.

Now the big news is that the tea stalls at railway stations have come under a scanner. As per today’s TOI report, railway staff has collected samples of tea, tealeaves, tea powder and milk from stalls at several railway stations. Hopefully in a week’s time, we’ll come to know how adulterated (or clean) the tea we drink is. But what if the report says that it’s all unadulterated. What about the way the glasses in which tea is served are cleaned?

All said and done, one thing’s for clear – if we are used to having the chai ki chuski at the railway / roadside tea stalls, we will never be able to resist the urge. It’s like telling cigarette smokers that smoking is injurious to health!

Time for my tea break! Do let me know if you have / will continue to have tea from the stalls no matter what.

Read More

Food stalls at WR, CR stations get a makeover!

The new (alright, not so new now) purple and while super-ventilated Mumbai local trains are a treat to the eyes, aren't they? Don't tell me when you first saw this train pass by, you didn't yearn to board it. I remember I was traveling with my mom and mom-in-law in the traditional local train and how they saw the purple beauty pass and exclaimed "We never traveled by this new train"! I only wished I could do something about it. But then, since they travel by train only once in a few months, it's a tough task. I'd have to wait for all the trains to be revamped or have to be really lucky.

Anyways, while we still bask in the relief of these new rakes, there's yet another surprise by the railways. Check out the Yellow-Green modular food stall at CST station! Trust me, even if you are not among those who buy  snacks from railway stalls, these stalls will definitely tempt you. Now whether you'll be pleased with what they have to offer is a different question ;) And relax, the new food stalls will be installed at both Western (25 stalls) and Central (19 stalls) line stations. Thankfully, cooking would not be allowed at the stalls. I just hope that people respect the beautification move by the railways and do not litter.

Read More