Swami Snacks Centre

Over in Sadashiv Peth on the 4th A Cross, you will find our snack center. It is a very busy part of town. Tucked away near 9th Main in the K N Extension, the shop is quite small. Lighting the stove is the first thing I do every single morning. It takes a while for the oil to get hot enough for frying. Once it starts, you can smell the snacks from way down the street. Most of the people stopping by are office workers or students looking for something quick to eat. Because of the size, there isn't much room to sit, so people mostly stand. Around the 791 area, things get really crowded during the lunch hour. Between bagging snacks and making change, I stay pretty busy. Our wooden counter is worn down from years of use. We keep the napkins in a simple plastic box nearby. If the wind blows hard during a rainstorm, water comes right in the front. I have to move all the food back so it stays dry. Keeping everything fresh takes a lot of effort. All the ingredients come from the local market just a few blocks away. After doing this for a while, you learn exactly how much spice different people like. The whistling tea kettle is a constant sound in the background. Even though it is a noisy corner, it feels like home to me. I usually lock the door around eight and head back to my own house.