No phuchka till the rains ease. Both boys say I'm overreacting

moss_kettle_28029 Jul 2026

Every monsoon I put a stop on pani puri, cut fruit from carts and anything with that open chutney water. The boys are 15 and 12 now, and this year they've decided to fight it properly. The elder one has a list of friends who eat it every day 'and nobody has died'. My partner's position is that I'm being very Bengali about it, which is not an argument 🤷‍♂️ Do you have monsoon food rules for teenagers who are out on their own with pocket money? Or do you give up at this age and hope for the best?

3 comments

bronze_rain_89089 Jul 2026
We tried a rule like that with our 15 year old and found out he was eating it anyway on the way back from tuition. What has held up better is a narrower rule that he agreed to: no pani puri or cut fruit from carts in the rainy months, but dry snacks fried in front of him are fine. He keeps to it more often than not, which is about what I expected.
teal_window_71369 Jul 2026
In our house it's the other way round. My partner stops at every chaat cart on the way home, so I lost the moral high ground years ago. Our 11 year old still asks before he buys anything outside, so we haven't had your fight yet. Give it a year.
saffron_pigeon_92799 Jul 2026
I would separate the things you've grouped together. The items made with water from open containers are the ones I hold the line on with my own son in this season. Something hot, fried in front of you, is a different matter. At 15 he will make his own choice when you aren't there, so explaining why one is worse than the other may get you further than a full ban.