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Why do women love golgappa so much? I know exactly what many readers must be thinking — What kind of rubbish question is this? Why drag gender into snacks? Men love pani puri too! Can’t we please enjoy our pani puri in peace?

As such, there is no doubt that men and women have equal reasons to find golgappe delectable. I myself survive on a solid monthly intake of the snack (with a particular soft corner for Bengali puchka).

However, taste is not only a matter of personal preference. Cultural norms also dictate our food cravings — what we should eat, how, and where. That way, golgappa consumption is not just a culinary issue; it also mirrors larger gender dynamics in society.

I have figures to back my claims. In 2022, I conducted a survey among more than 500 male and female adults in the city of Purnea, Bihar.

My research focused on the transformations of friendship in urbanising India. Food plays a big role here, since it is a powerful medium to connect people. My questionnaire thus included several questions on eating habits.

Unsurprisingly, the survey revealed that men consumed street food more often than women, reflecting a greater propensity and capacity to venture out.

But something else caught my attention. When I asked respondents what snacks they typically savoured in the streets, I found that women displayed a huge penchant for one particular item – you guessed it: golgappa. Seventy-five percent of them identified it as their favourite, compared to only 9% of men.

In contrast, male respondents reported far more varied preferences (litti chokha, samosa, etc.), with their top choice – tea – representing only 30% of the overall volume of answers.

To ensure these results were not a statistical aberration, I conducted an additional survey in Bhatta Bazar, Purnea’s historic marketplace, where I personally mapped the gender of clients from 139 street food stalls. Here again, I found that women were consistently more likely to be spotted at golgappa stalls than anywhere else.

These figures undoubtedly suggest that, in Purnea, women enjoy a special bond with pani puri. Now, of course, I do not have data for the rest of the country. Yet, a quick search on Google, Reddit or Quora reveals that scores of perplexed Indians have already wondered about women’s fondness for pani puri. The trend, therefore, does not seem limited to Purnea.

A screenshot from Google results.

Similarly, I ask: where does women’s passion for pani puri come from? I explore three possible explanations: biological factors, the nature of public spaces in Indian cities, and dominant views on femininity.

A........

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