Gaga for Golgappa: Street Food, Gender and Access to the Public Space in Urbanizing India

The article documents and discusses the special bond between women and one particular street food item: golgappa (also known as pani puri). The study relies on two sets of data collected in Purnea, a small city of North India. First, a survey (n = 530) provides evidence that snacking patterns are highly gendered, as women display a disproportionate penchant for golgappa, while men have more diverse eating preferences. Second, quantified ethnographic observations (n = 120 food stands) confirm that golgappa stalls represent key spaces of socialization for female urban dwellers. The article proposes several hypotheses to explain the popularity of golgappa among women. Moving beyond patriarchally engineered biological explanations, it focuses on issues of access to the public space. In a context of restricted mobility, golgappa serves as a convenient pretext for women to venture onto the streets. Designed for rapid consumption, golgappa allows women to conform to societal norms by minimizing the time spent in public, thereby reducing the disruption of gendered expectations. Additionally, the (imagined) association of golgappa with femininity—particularly in pop culture—increases its social legitimacy for women. The concluding section offers a reflection on the nature and texture of socialization practices among men and women in small Indian cities. Overall, the article contends that eating out represents a critical feminist issue.