High on a pass, a day´s walk east of Bhojpur in Nepal, porter Krishna Bahadur Limbu slurps up a bowl of noodles before heaving his doko of grain and heading up the hill, towards market. In Kathmandu, housewife Meera Sharma prepares packaged noodle soup for her three school-going children. "The kids love it and it needs less fuel," she says.
Throughout the hills, pre-cooked noodles in brightly coloured packs, bottled soft drinks and factory made biscuits are bringing sweeping changes in the eating habits of the Himalayans. Taking cue from attractively-packaged and slickly-marketed instant foods in neighbouring India, Nepali manufacturers of noodles are targeting middle class urbanites and rural consumers. Sizzling commercials on Nepal TV depict junk food enthusiasts nibbling noodles, as today´s culinary role models.
Dhindo vs. Fast Food
To be sure, noodles are not yet about to dislodge the staple dal and bhat from the Nepali home and hearth, but nutrition experts warn that junk food has made sufficient inroads to pose risks of widespread malnutrition. Manufacturers and consumers say that packaged foods save time and fuel, which is crucial, during these times of acute kerosene and firewood shortages. Besides, a packet of noodle costs NRs7, while a meal of rice, dal and curry in a modest eatery can cost upwards of NRs l5. The noodles need only two minutes in boiling water to cook, whereas a traditional puri and aloo snack requires ten times as much time and fuel.