Aswal Jhatka Meat Shop

We open up the shop early every morning over at Trilokpuri Shiv Market. Being at 17, 18, and 20 means we have a bit of a corner. It is a lot of work getting the meat ready before the sun even gets high. My father started this place way back and I just kind of took over as I got older. We don’t have fancy signs or anything. The board is a bit faded but everyone knows who we are. Some days it’s so quiet you can hear the birds, and other days it’s just people shouting across the market. We have to wash the floors down two or three times because of the nature of the work. It gets cold in the winter and the water feels like ice. My hands are always calloused from the knives. We drink a lot of tea while we wait for the regulars to show up. Most of the people around here have been coming to us for years. I know their names and how they like their cuts. It’s not a glamorous job but it’s what we do. The market is full of stray dogs waiting for a scrap. I usually throw them something at the end of the day. We just try to keep things honest and get the work done so we can go home to our families. Every day is the same routine but it keeps us going and provides for the kids.