Indian food, with its matchless variety and taste, belongs to a league of its own. Its expanse in the culinary arts cannot be found within any one region or culture, with each Indian enjoying access to a great diversity of dishes few other nations can rival. One of its several highlights is Indian street food, which takes pride of place — and it’s increasingly capturing hearts worldwide.
Foreign Students Taste Panipuri
Recently, a funny cultural exchange at a university’s International Day celebration outside India made headlines. Among the numerous stalls, an Indian stall featured a mix of delicacies — bhelpuri to traditional sweets but panipuri (also referred to as golgappa) was the stand-out star. A social media viral video featured international students taking the iconic Indian snack for the first time, and their shocked, amused expressions make for some entertaining watching.
Posted by Tushar Kumar Jain on his Instagram account @quills.and.tails, the video is captioned to a rousing song from the Bollywood movie Badtameez Dil. The clip opens with a fair-skinned girl who has spectacles taking a bite of panipuri, after which others follow suit — their faces moving from wary curiosity to wide-eyed wonder.
Watch here:
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In his caption, Jain had said, “International Day at university was so much fun. Our Indian stall had everything from Bhelpuri to sweets. But Panipuri? It was definitely special. Seeing everyone trying it for the first time was pure gold. Ha ha ha.”
Social Media Reacts
The clip, which has over 5.2 million views, elicited a large number of heartwarming as well as funny reactions. One commenter wrote, “No Indian snack is as yearned for as Panipuri. Once you enjoy it, it’s addictive.” Another simply stated, “Water is life.”
With panipuri reaching international palates, it’s clear that India’s street food culture continues to leave indelible memories far and wide.
