[DAWN] WE Paks love our street food.And why not, as it's some of the best in the world?
All too often, though, the price we pay for it can't be measured in rupees, but in the number of times we have to dash to the toilet later. The reality is that our dhabas are among the filthiest anywhere. And it's not just the roadside food stands that are unhygienic, but also our upscale eateries.
These grim culinary facts have recently been placed under the spotlight after a series of raids in Lahore and Rawalpindi by inspectors from the Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....
Food Authority led by its director for operations, the admirable Ayesha Mumtaz. She and her teams say they have visited some 5,500 food outlets in Lahore, shutting down 250, and issuing notices to another 2,500.
Some of the offending establishments include restaurants at some of Lahore's so-called five-star hotels. If you want proof that these expensive hotels in our part of the world can be lethal, just look at what's happened to the South African cricket team currently touring Bangladesh, where 10 players had to be hospitalised with food poisoning.Delhi Belly is the name foreigners give to the diarrhoea many of them pick up while on holiday in India. When foreign friends are visiting, I warn them never to eat uncooked vegetables, or brush their teeth with tap water.
But how many precautions can you reasonably take and still enjoy our wonderful cuisine? Even if restaurants were to maintain spotless kitchens, they will still be using tap water to wash dishes, as well as utensils and ingredients.
And our water can be deadly: some 40pc of deaths occur due to waterborne diseases, with 100 million cases of diarrhoea being reported every year. According to experts, some 250,00 Pak kids die every year due to illnesses caused by polluted water. This is hardly surprising as only 8pc of urban sewage water, and 1pc of our industrial waste water is treated.
When I picked up a nasty dose of hepatitis in Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
over 20 years ago, all I wanted to do was die. I have never been as miserable before or since. Weeks passed before I recovered. Later, on a visit to London, a doctor told me the disease was endemic in South Asia because many people did not wash their hands properly after going to the toilet.
As hepatitis is spread through faecal matter, it literally makes its way through the food chain since all too often, plates at restaurants are washed in cold, dirty water sitting in a bucket or a tin. Either the dishwasher or one of the diners can easily pass on their germs. And unsurprisingly, cooks in overheated kitchens sweat profusely. Guess where this perspiration ends up?
After decades of neglect of the infrastructure, many of our ageing sewage and water pipes are leaking their contents into each other. So the water flowing from your tap -- if you are lucky enough to get it, that is -- is laden with a cocktail of germs.
Many people who boil water do not do so for long enough; I am told it should be boiled for at least 20 minutes before the germs are killed.
Given all these unpleasant facts, the ongoing campaign against filthy eateries in Punjab is to be welcomed. But why isn't Sindh cleaning up its thousands of restaurants and street food joints? Surely they are as unhygienic as any in Punjab where the food authority has the chief minister's full backing.