Flavor inside pollution

When we think about the Patan area of Lalitpur, we often think of temples, jatras, culture, and rich traditional values.

However, sometimes long-standing traditions can also bring environmental and health challenges that are often overlooked.

This was evident during a conversation I had with a sekuwa shop owner in Tapahiti, near Patan Dhoka.

As shown in the picture, the air around the cooking area was heavily polluted with smoke.

Yet the shopkeeper was comfortably spending time there with his family. When I asked whether he was aware of the health risks associated with breathing such polluted air, I pointed to the black residue that had accumulated on nearby steel surfaces.

I suggested that it could be a sign of the smoke and pollutants being released into the air.

However, he disagreed.

According to him, the black coating came from the oil and smoke produced during cooking, not from harmful air pollution. He also told me that this traditional method is what gives sekuwa its distinctive flavor.

With more than 40 years of experience, he believed that he understood the process better than I did.

He added that alternatives such as gas cooking are either not as effective or not easily accessible for small businesses like his.

"Even if they are better," he asked, "who will provide them to us?" His response reminded me that addressing air pollution is not only about awareness.

It is also about tradition, affordability, and access to cleaner alternatives.

For many small business owners, changing long-established practices is not easy, especially when those practices are closely tied to their livelihood and identity. Sometimes, the challenge is not convincing people that pollution exist, it is finding solutions that respect tradition while protecting health.