Heatwave Alters Eating Habits in Calcutta’s Central Business District

The usually bustling roadside eateries near Fairlie Place, in the central business district of Calcutta, have been unusually quiet during lunchtime on weekdays due to the relentless heatwave. On a recent Thursday afternoon, most of these eateries were almost empty, with only a few stalls selling fruit juices and lassi witnessing any activity.

Prabodh Mandal, who owns a bhaat-er hotel on the pavement along Fairlie Place, was seen fidgeting with his phone around 2pm on a working day last week. His eatery, which can accommodate eight to ten people, had only two customers. “Usually, between 1pm and 3.30pm, I don’t have time to breathe because of the constant rush of customers. But people have almost stopped coming out because of this heat,” said Mandal, who has been running the stall for over 30 years.

The temperature outside had soared to 43 degrees Celsius around the same time, marking the hottest April day in 70 years in Calcutta. This excessive heat has altered the eating habits of the office para, where hundreds of eateries usually satiate the hunger of tens of thousands of people every day.

Dalhousie and BBD Bag, part of the central business district of Calcutta, are known for their roadside eateries. These stalls, which sell everything from biryani to idli, chowmein to chhole bhature, provide daily food to tens of thousands of office-goers and people who have to visit the area, as well as livelihood to hundreds who own and work at the stalls.

However, most stall-owners have reported a sharp dip in footfall. The deserted stalls on Dacres Lane, Fairlie Place, Bentinck Street, BB Ganguly Street, and RN Mukherjee Road present a picture that regulars are not familiar with. Many vendors have started procuring a fraction of the raw materials they usually would to offset a dip in the number of customers. Despite this, a portion of what they sourced is being wasted every day.

“We usually need around 18kg of noodles every day. Now, we have reduced it to around 4kg. But a portion of the total stock is getting wasted every day,” said Swapan Patra, who cooks noodles, pasta, fried rice, chilli chicken, and such fare on RN Mukherjee Road.

In response to the changing demands, Jiten Prasad, who sells parathas on GC Avenue, has switched to chire-doi (a mix of flattened rice and curd), one of the few items that is selling briskly in the scorching conditions. “In this heat, this is an ideal combination. I am having curd and fruits alternately. I am totally avoiding spicy food and drinking plenty of water,” said Debanjan Sarkar, who works in the customs office on Strand Road.

Despite the heat, South Indian food, like idli and sada dosa, were still finding some takers. A stall on Dacres Lane, the famed “eat street” at Esplanade, which sells milk, milk-based sweets, and lassi throughout the year, saw at least eight people drinking lassi during a 10-minute period.

As the city grapples with the heatwave, the changing food habits of its residents reflect their resilience and adaptability.