The politics of street food: contested governance and vulnerabilities in Dhaka's field of street vending
In: Megastädte und globaler Wandel Band 13
In: Megacities and Global Change / Megastädte und globaler Wandel v.13
In Bangladesh, the sale of food in public space is often contested: Street food is needed, but not wanted. 100,000 street vendors sell dishes, snacks, fruits, and beverages in the megacity of Dhaka. Street food is important for urban food security as mobile labourers and the poor rely on cheap, readily available and nutritious food. The authorities argue that encroachments of streets and footpaths are illegal and disorderly, and that street food is unhygienic. They therefore evict the vendors regularly. But the hawkers are somewhat protected through the informal rules of the street. While some