Johannesburg named 8th best city for street food globally

South Africa's Johannesburg has been named one of the world's top cities for street food by Time Out magazine, cementing the city's reputation as one of the most exciting places globally to eat on the go.

Johannesburg ranked eighth in the London-based weekly publication's international ranking with a score of 56 percent.

The June ranking, based on a survey of 24,000 urban dwellers worldwide, highlighted a broadening of South Africa's culinary appeal beyond its established reputation for fine dining and wine.

The food at Kwa Mai Mai market in downtown Johannesburg and how it is served reflect a true sense of unfiltered South African street food and Zulu culture.

Since its establishment in the late 1920s, the market has evolved from a migrant worker camp into a vibrant cultural hub famous for its lively flame-grilled meat and community atmosphere.

"We sell all kinds of food here. Meat, steak, wors, pap and sheep head. People love it. This place is very popular with tourists as well. They love it. They love this area. Ask anyone about Mai Mai street food, and they will tell you that it's always worth coming back for, " said Menelisi Buthelezi, a street food vendor at the market.

"I love their food because it's not only good; it's also so affordable. We really love coming to have food here at Mai Mai," said Nonsindiso Nxumalo, a customer.

Beyond the flavors, Johannesburg's bustling food stalls tell a story of migration, entrepreneurship, affordability and South Africa's rich cultural diversity.

Street food has shaped the city's identity for decades, but for the vendors who sell it, it also remains a vital daily struggle for survival.

"This helps us with jobs. This is what's helping us mostly as the unemployed. We make quite some money here," said Buthelezi.

Shaun Masemola, a South African economic analyst, said that in a country that is grappling with high unemployment rates, the informal economy provides much-needed opportunities.

"It's an important part of Johannesburg's informal economy and creates economic activity at the grassroots level. I mean, if you look at it, every transaction between a consumer and a vendor, street vendor, supports a wider value chain. So, from farmers to wholesalers to transport operators to food suppliers and packaging businesses. It is also an important entry point into entrepreneurship as these lower barriers to entry compared to conventional business financing methods," he said.

He said Johannesburg's recognition as one of the world's best street food cities will help boost tourism.

"When we talk about street food, we are really talking about livelihoods, entrepreneurship, local economic activity and increasingly tourism as well, which is what we have to take note of. And Johannesburg's recognition as one of the world's leading street food cities also gives the sector an economic opportunity to become part of the city's broader tourism and economic development strategy," said Masemola.

Johannesburg named 8th best city for street food globally

Thailand's rural tradition of elephant stewardship is rapidly vanishing as livelihoods change and younger people pursue opportunities elsewhere, threatening centuries of irreplaceable elephant-care knowledge.

For generations, mahouts in the region have passed on their tradition of closely bonding with the elephants they care for. Taweesuk Lapsan is one of a dwindling number of mahouts who diligently carry on the practice.

Long before the sun rises over the fields, he was already at work, gathering bundles of food for an animal that had been part of his family for generations.

"We've had elephants since our grandparents' and great-grandparents' generations. We've been around elephants our whole lives, so we have a strong connection and experience in raising them. That's how we've been able to live with them like this," the mahout said.

Caring for his elephant was not merely a job, but an inherited way of life. Years of daily coexistence forged an intimate bond defined by an intuitive understanding of subtle movements, sounds, and hesitations that take a lifetime to master.

"We live together like this. It's like a family. We're like family; we always go through things together. Until we breathe our last, it just depends on who lives longer," said Taweesuk.

Mahouts and elephants have been woven into parts of Thailand's cultural landscape, from rural livelihoods and traditional practices. However, the tradition has been upended by the collapse of the commercial logging industry and the rapid expansion of tourism.

As fewer young people follow in their families' footsteps, conservationists warned that an intricate system of animal care, refined over centuries, faces gradual extinction.

"When a mahout disappears, they are replaced by people who simply come in to take care of the elephants, essentially, elephant keepers. There are differences in terms of the bond between the keeper and the elephant, the cultural aspects, and the passing down of knowledge and traditions from one generation to the next. So we are concerned about the quality," said Parntep Ratanakorn, Secretary General of the Asian Elephant Foundation of Thailand.

Taweesuk said that his daughters may choose paths far removed from the stables, a decision he fully respects. As the practice fades, experts warn the loss extends far beyond a vanishing cultural heritage, threatening the daily welfare safety nets upon which captive elephants rely.

Thailand's centuries-old elephant care tradition face extinction as livelihoods change