From ‘Wazwaan’ To Combo Meals, How Junk Food Is Taking Over
AN excited staffer, Asif Ahmad (name-changed) at a buzzing eatery in City Mall, Lal Chowk, Srinagar readies himself to promote the latest combination meal offer on their official Instagram page. “If you are planning to visit our restaurant with a group of friends, imagine how much time you need to decide on what each of them wants to eat, if they want to share, how many sides should they get, etc. Why not make it easier for you? Try our supersaver combo meal that includes enough food to feed 3-4 people? This combo has three large pieces of fried chicken, five juicy chicken lollipops, one dip, and two refreshing soft drinks – all at an unbeatable price of just 551 rupees! But wait, there’s more – you can savour this feast at home with our hassle-free online delivery via Swiggy or Zomato,” the phone camera stops recording.
Asif says with a smile, “After all, people want more food at a less price. That’s the secret recipe that keeps them coming back for more.”
Gone are the days when the classic chicken Kanti and flavourful Wazwaan was the most sought-after food for any restaurant goer in Kashmir. With more cafes and online food delivery services, the kind of food people prefer has also changed. These days, the mostly ordered food in Kashmir is Tibetan momos, fried chicken, and pizzas.
Umar Rather, a Kashmir based food-blogger and owner of ‘Kashmirfoodgram’ page with two lakh followers said the most ordered food in the valley nowadays is combo meals that includes fried chicken, pizza, burgers, soft drinks. “It doesn’t have to be a big one, the combo meals can go as low as 300 rupees. It creates a satisfactory menu, such as main + side + dessert,