This ethnographic film was made in order to portray the reversal role of gender and street food in India.
Food: paani puri- street vs home
Gender: paani puri “wala” and “wali”
Gender: paani puri “wala” and “wali”
During my research I came across several blogs and articles of how paani puri is not only prevalent
on the streets and home but even restaurants, where a few serve it with alcohol or various kind of
stuffing. Post more research that I found out about a female running a paani puri stall in Ahmedabad,
which came to me as a surprise as it appears as a visual anomaly. A female running a paani puri lahri
(cart) which is something unusual, as most of the lahri’s are run by men who’ve migrated from
UP/Bihar (perhaps paani puri originates from around that region). What we identify here is the
“reverse role” of gender, as the generalized notion suggests that outside the house men can be
portrayed as chef’s and inside the house women are, although there are several woman
hawkers/vendors who run tea-stalls and other food joints.
on the streets and home but even restaurants, where a few serve it with alcohol or various kind of
stuffing. Post more research that I found out about a female running a paani puri stall in Ahmedabad,
which came to me as a surprise as it appears as a visual anomaly. A female running a paani puri lahri
(cart) which is something unusual, as most of the lahri’s are run by men who’ve migrated from
UP/Bihar (perhaps paani puri originates from around that region). What we identify here is the
“reverse role” of gender, as the generalized notion suggests that outside the house men can be
portrayed as chef’s and inside the house women are, although there are several woman
hawkers/vendors who run tea-stalls and other food joints.
(shot on iPhone)
