Indian Delicacies Get Quirky Descriptions Abroad: Harsh Goenka’s Hilarious TakeIndian Delicacies Get Quirky Descriptions Abroad: Harsh Goenka’s Hilarious Take In a recent social media post, business mogul Harsh Goenka shared an amusing screenshot of an Indian restaurant menu from abroad. The menu featured peculiar descriptions of popular Indian dishes like idlis, dosas, and medu vadas. Goenka expressed his amusement at the “fancy” names given to these dishes, which he felt detracted from the joy of savoring them. Idli: “Dunked Rice Cake Delight” The idli, a beloved South Indian breakfast staple, was described as a “dunked rice cake delight.” The description read, “a type of savory rice cake made by steaming a batter of fermented black lentils and rice, dipped in lentil soup.” Dosa: “Naked Crepe” The dosa, a crispy pancake-like dish, was referred to as a “naked crepe.” The description mentioned that the rice batter crepe was served with “lentil soup, a spicy tomato, and the classic coconut relish.” Medu Vada: “Dunked Doughnut Delight” The medu vada, a deep-fried doughnut-shaped dish, was dubbed “dunked doughnut delight.” The description read, “2 deep fried savory doughnuts dipped in lentil soup.” Goenka’s Reaction and User Response Goenka captioned the picture, “Who knew vada, idli and dosa could sound so fancy? With these strange names, khaane ka mazaa khatam (the joy of eating is ruined)! Agree?” While some netizens agreed with Goenka’s sentiments, others were more amused by the exorbitant prices of these dishes. The dosa was priced at $17.59, the idlis at $15.39, and the medu vadas at $16.49. Invited Reversed Treatment Goenka also invited netizens to imagine the whimsical descriptions that could be given to Western dishes when served in India. He suggested terms like “video rotla” for pizzas and “small pav” for burgers. The post sparked a humorous debate among users, highlighting the cultural differences in cuisine and the occasional disconnect that can arise when familiar dishes are presented in unfamiliar contexts.
By Devi Poojari Updated: 04-07-2024
The avid foodie business mogul, who is known for his often-shared views on culinary cultures on social media, shared a screenshot of a menu from an Indian restaurant abroad. What was fascinating about the photo were the descriptions of many popular Indian delicacies.
While desis across the world are passionate about food from their homelands, descriptions of Indian food in foreign restaurants are sure to bring a chuckle to most Indians. In a recent example of this, Harsh Goenka shared a funny tweet expressing his opinion on how bizarre Western descriptions of popular Indian dishes detract from the joy of savouring them. The businessman shared a screenshot of a restaurant menu – where dishes like idlis, dosas and medu vada have been given short descriptions and strange names.
The dosa – which was described as a ‘naked crepe’, mentioned that the rice batter crepe was served with a lentil soup, a spicy tomato and the classic coconut relish. On the other hand, the idli was labelled as ‘dunked rice cake delight’ – the description of which read ‘a type of savoury rice cake made by steaming a batter of fermented black lentils and rice, dipped in lentil soup.’ In the same menu, the medu vada was also called ‘dunked doughnut delight’ and a description underneath read ‘2 deep fried savoury doughnuts dipped in lentil soup.’
Expressing his amusement, Goenka captioned the picture, “Who knew vada, idli and dosa could sound so fancy? With these strange names khaane ka mazaa khatam! Agree?” While some netizens shared his opinion, others were baffled by the prices of these otherwise affordable dishes, with the dosa costing $17.59, idlis $15.39 and medu vada $16.49. The fun facts that the businessman shares from time to time keep users entertained; his most recent post also invites netizens to turn the treatment of western dishes like pizzas and burgers on its head — one of them described them as “video rotla’ And ‘small pav’.
