Minnesota (USA): India’s tradition of hospitality and love for food has once again crossed borders and earned appreciation across the world. In the US state of Minnesota, an Indian woman not only surprised two American construction workers working on the road outside her house by serving them piping hot medu vadas and coconut chutney, but also won the hearts of millions of online viewers.
The heartwarming moment was captured in a video shared on the official Instagram page of the workers’ company, which is now going viral on social media. In the video, the woman can be seen coming out of her house and serving two plates of traditional South Indian snacks—medu vada and coconut chutney—to the workers working on the road. They are surprised and ask what it is, to which the woman smiles and tells them that it is medu vada, which looks like “a kind of doughnut”, but it is not sweet but spicy.
‘It’s fire!’ — Excited reactions from workers
The video further shows the workers continuing to work, then going to a corner and sitting in their vehicle and tasting the vada-chutney. Upon tasting it, one of them excitedly exclaims, “This is fire!” – indicating that they loved the spicy but delicious flavour of Indian spices. The sound of the crispy vada makes their enjoyment even more evident.
Online reactions praise Indian culture
The video garnered millions of attention on social media and users showered praise in the comments section. Some of the prominent reactions were:
– “This is our Indian culture.”
– “Atithi Devo Bhava — Guest is like God in India.”
– “You send me too, haha.”
– “That crispy sound of the vada! Can guess the taste.”
– “This is a very sweet gesture, common in India. But seeing it outside made my heart happy.”
– “Now I’m craving a vada.”
Food: An integral part of Indian culture
This incident is more than just a snack exchange. It is a symbol of the Indian ideology of food being the best form of charity. Be it a guest or a passerby, it is considered a common tradition in Indian culture to feed, water and show respect to a visitor.
Such incidents have gone viral before
This is not the first time that the food culture of Indians has won hearts abroad. Earlier, a video of a Punjabi couple went viral in which they were seen sharing homemade pakodas with their foreign neighbour. They passed the food over the fence, and that small loving gesture also moved millions of viewers.
This viral video once again proved that food is not just a means of filling the stomach, but also a medium of cultural exchange and intimacy. A simple vada not only satisfied the hunger of the workers but also won the hearts of millions. This incident reminds the world that in Indian culture “Atithi Devo Bhava” is not just a saying but a living tradition.
