No eatery worth its while in Shillong
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Shillong may count itself a major tourist destination there are not enough eateries in the city, said tourists and local residents.
Every day a number of tourist lands here but they are not impressed by the eateries which they say are either too expensive or dirty roadside tea stalls. “There are no eateries for the middle class,” they said. This is also echoed by local residents who wish to spend dine out once in a while.
Some tourists commented that the eateries of Shillong do not cater to the taste of tourists. “You expect good budget family restaurants and fast food joints,” said a tourist from New Delhi. “This is not the age of pani puris and aloo muris. We are now into McDonald’s and KFCs but these are not visible in Shillong said a tourist from Kolkata.
“The food menu in most restaurants is repetitive,” complained one visitor.
A person who came from the UK said he is surprised by the absence of local cuisine.
“Why the Khasis are shy of promoting their cuisine?” he asked. They also said that the price of food items is not worth too, since these foods should cost lesser in comparison to their quality and other characteristics.
“The eateries are literally fooling the public here,” said a tourist from Rajasthan.
Most Indian tourists find the Chinese food joints equal to the best in the country but seem to pine for the typical Indian food (meaning Punjabi menu) at affordable rates. A tourist from Maharashtra moaned that in places like Sohra there are no food joints worth their salt. These tourists who were holidaying here during the New Year wondered why the unemployed youth do not get into the food business which is one business that never fails. “I have seen such food stalls in tourist spots in South India, near Shore Temple in Mahabalipuram, where the locals are doing brisk business since tourists from the country and abroad come in large numbers there,” said a tourist from Mangalore.
Foreign tourists are not attracted by most eating places as they find them unhygienic. “The cutlery and glasses are all oily and have visible signs of not having been washed properly,” said a visitor from the US who is here to visit family. Many Indian tourists also feel the same way. They wonder if there are checks by the authorities about the hygiene and quality of food served.
Meanwhile, the same tourists have also questioned about the eateries along the Shillong Guwahati highway. A tourist from Andhra Pradesh visiting the state for the first time said he preferred to go without food than eat in one of these food joints. Most of the dhabas are badly maintained but the food is highly priced, they say. This tourist has even posted his experiences in his blog and other social networking sites to alert other tourists about the dangers of eating in one of these unhygienic eateries.