In the good old childhood days, when we did long journeys by trains, we carried our food for the whole journey. Yes, the food, fruits and chai vendors popped up at every station. If there was Agra petha at Agra station, there was Sweet Milk at Bhopal Station and Mathura Peda at Mathura Junction. Travel food for vegetarians was never a problem.
We used to love observing the size of Bananas going shorter as you move south. Picking up oranges at Nagpur, Jhalmuri at Bengal stations or eating Dosas at Manmad station are some of my fondest travel memories.
While we did eat outside food, we carried our staple food along with us. In my family, dry potato sabji and poori were the favorite travel food. Neatly packed in old cardboard sweet boxes that could be disposed off once used, Poori and aaloo sabzi survived easily for 2-3 days depending upon the weather.
Water was always from the public taps in railway stations. Bottled water was yet to become mainstream and food delivery apps were in the realm of science fiction.
Switch to third decade of 21st century, we are flooded with food options while traveling. There are more outlets than we can explore at airports and railway stations. Add to it the food delivery apps that deliver you anything you wish to eat. But, the quality of food is deteriorating so fast that I have again started carrying my own food. I discovered that I am not alone, many people have started doing it again – going back to childhood ways.
Best Travel Food For Vegetarians
As usual, I asked my Twitter family, what is their favorite food to carry along. Here is a list that came up:
Theplas and Khakharas
Bless the vegetarian Gujjus for inventing these absolutely travel friendly dishes. I knew Theplas but discovered them as travel food when I was based in Goa. Gujarati ladies in our neighbourhood used to sell a pack of 5-6 Theplas with a bite of pickle inside them. It was perfect to pack one such pack per person. Theplas easily last for 4-5 days. Just pull out one, roll it and eat it. Complete food that reuires no paraphernalia.
Khakharas are the even easier to find now. Every supermarket has them. Earlier they used to be large in size, breaking easily. Now, you find them in small shapes that are easy to consume on the move. They are dry when compared to Theplas, but if you are a vegetarian traveling to primarily non-vegetarian countries, they are a must pack in your luggage.
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