yogis were right
1. No outside food. For even until a decade ago, eating out was considered a last resort. The idea is that one must be aware of what exactly goes into ones food, and that usually meant home cooked food.
2. There are a variety of foods and flavors in India, that are recommended for various circumstances and contexts. Pregnant women had a well defined diet regimen.
3. Certain foods were not allowed in summers and certain foods were not allowed in winters.
4. For Yogis, the dietary restrictions are even stricter. No spices, less salt, limited sugar, limited meals, etc.
5. Fresh food was always prioritised. Food cooked more than 4 hours ago was considered poison.
6. Fasting is recommended in winter months and even once or twice weekly.
Indian cuisine and cultural norms are very complex, but well defined.
A balanced diet with all tastes, us always insisted. Up until a few decades ago, most items were made with ghee, rather than vegetable oil. And that ghee was also homemade.
Sure, some castes (like Brahmins) have had stricter rules, while some had laxer ones (for Kshatriyas, Vysyas & Sudras)
But I do know that eating out and eating only freshly cooked food was always the norm.
Also, Dhabas and Street Vendors, are a relatively newer thing, starting up in about 1800's.
tbf, a random dish left under Indian room temperature for hours probably is actually unsafe. Mumbai right now is 32C/90F according to Google, which is about the worst temperature to leave food in.
Meanwhile cooked chicken can be safely left on a countertop in Canton for hours? This model needs more variables.
Salads aren't a thing because they're likely to have bacteria in them and they've been sitting out for god knows how long.
Same goes for proteins, if it's still sizzling hot when it's delivered, it was most likely just cooked and thus safe.
Temperature-growth chart for food pathogens is said to show a bell curve peaking at ~35C/95F. Keeping well-flavored food hot(>122F) works to similar effects as refrigerating, just not energy efficient nor good for maintaining flavors.
Some foods were allowed to be taken upto 8-10 hours after cooking.