After 10 pm, the city eats standing up
Shift workers, students, wedding returnees and one philosophical constable: the late-night food carts feed everyone the day forgot to.
The cart lights up as the restaurants dim. Its clientele is the city's second shift: nurses off duty, call-centre cabs on break, students economising, wedding guests supplementing a buffet that ended too early, and a constable whose beat conveniently includes the tawa.
Night carts run tight menus executed fast — anda pav, roll variants, one biryani pot that sells out by midnight with the certainty of sunset. Prices stay merciful; the night crowd, vendors know, is loyal in exact proportion to how gently it is treated.
The etiquette is distinct from daytime. Strangers share the counter's single bench without negotiation. Phones rest face down beside plates. Conversations start mid-thought and end without ceremony when a cab honks.
By 2 am the cart serves mostly silence and steam. The vendor wipes down unhurried; his last customers — two watchmen and the constable — eat with the concentration of men whose next meal is officially tomorrow. 'Daytime food is fuel,' the constable offers, unprompted. 'Night food is company.'
Reader Comments
Comments are reviewed by our desk before they appear. Sign in with your mobile number to join the discussion.