Saini Tea Stall & Santosh Bhojnalya

You’ll find us right at the Nasirabad Balwanta Chouraha. It’s a crossroad, so there’s always someone stopping by. We have the tea stall on one side and the bhojnalya on the other. I start the tea fire very early in the morning, before the sun is even up, because the bus drivers need their first cup. We make a lot of tea throughout the day, boiling it up with plenty of ginger and milk. The food side of things is pretty basic. We serve standard meals, dal and rotis mostly, for the workers and travelers who need something filling. It’s a small place with just a few benches and tables that are a bit wobbly. The walls are darkened from the smoke of the cooking fires over the years. We don't have a printed menu; I just tell people what we’ve cooked for the day. It’s loud because of the intersection and the people shouting to be heard over the engines. We go through a lot of flour and tea leaves every single week. My family helps out with the serving and the washing up. It's hard work and the heat from the stove is tough in June, but we've been here a long time now. It’s just a regular local eating house where you get what’s on the stove and a hot glass of tea to go with it. We don't do anything fancy, just the basics for the road.