The lesson is indeed a simple one. Should one need to understand a new place, the first place to look is the stomach. And what better to feed the stomach than street food?
The important aspect, what diners ingest, where they do so and why. Literal observation of stomachs remains a practice best left to the trained medical practitioner.
The querulous observer might posit that dining from the street is a bad idea. A wholly unhealthy endeavour. A breeding ground for germs and general dissonance.
This viewpoint may well prove apt in some cases. But broadly, the opposite tends to happen. Eating street food induces in its subjects the kind of excitement and palpable yearning afforded only by some new, hitherto unexplored experience.
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How so? Stimulation and interaction. The eater can relax as they feed away. And as they sit, they can watch the comings and goings of the surrounding vicinity. How people get around; their working hours; the minutiae of their daily existence; the nature of their interplay.
A newcomer to a place, having found a place to eat, can practice language and money. An unrealistically large note, for example, may breed momentary consternation in the proprietor as they search for loose change.
Polyglots, or varying shades thereof, can also rejoice. For now, they have a chance to refine their talents. The speed, depth and practical applications of the local tongue will become so much easier with practical, informal experience. And what better school than a street food cart?
The surrounding hubbub offers a strong indication of the prominent social mores and implicit understandings. Is space respected or shared? Are strangers welcomed, ignored or treated with indifference? In taking the time to comprehend the subtle nuances of life, the diner can learn a simple: should one need to understand a new place, the first place to look is the stomach.
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