The beauty of Kashmir and the missing fast food

My sister and I recently had the opportunity to visit Srinagar and Pahalgam in Kashmir.  It was a God sent vacation that the two of us decided to go on. We visited Kashmir after a good many years. We had last been there as children, on a family vacation. It was a ‘Going back down memory lane’ trip.

The scenic beauty of Pehalgam is unparalleled. No other hill station that I have visited in the hill state of Himachal can compare to the beauty of Kashmir, largely because of its untampered beauty. It retains its natural beauty and has not been converted into a concrete jungle by greedy developers. 

What caught me by surprise was the fact that I did not come across a single fast food joint. There was no KFC or Dominoes or Pizza Hut outlet to be seen. Unlike Chandigarh, and other places in India I am sure, these outlets thrive and are a great favourite among youngsters.  Fast food has become an integral part of our lifestyles.

I inquired from the taxi driver if there were any fast food outlets in Srinagar or Pehalgam. He gave me an amazed look as though  he thought I was craving for them.  I assured him that I was not dying without fast food and that I was just curious.

I then started looking for overweight Kashmiris, and not surprisingly, I hardly saw any! They were all slim and trim and physically fit. I could give the credit to the amount of walking people there do and the healthy food they eat. On reaching back home, I goggled for outlets of  fast food joints in Srinagar and Pehalgam. I found two outlets of Cafe Coffee Day in Srinagar and none in Pehalgam. Apart from these, there were no other fast food joints that I could locate.

I don’t want to delve into the reason for the missing Fast Food, but the effects were quite visible. “What would I have done if I lived here?” I thought to myself.  I would have landed up making my favourite pizzas and pastas at home. It is easier said than done!!!