Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has once again stepped up to defend the humble idli, this time responding to a viral social media post that declared 'chai and idli' to be the 'best combination to ever exist.' In a characteristically witty and detailed critique on X (formerly Twitter), the Thiruvananthapuram MP made it clear that while he enjoys both chai and idli, he prefers to keep them separate.
Tharoor's Critique of the Chai-Idli Pairing
Tharoor began his response by acknowledging the provocation: 'Oh, I see what you're doing here! Aside from provoking me, that is.' He then took issue with the idli pictured in the post, noting that it appeared 'too solid and dense' with an unappetizing discoloration. 'There's something about a perfectly soft, snowy-white, fluffy idli that just can't be beaten. This one looks likely to be chewy and rubbery. Not an A-grade idli,' he added.
Despite describing himself as a 'massive chai fan,' Tharoor argued against mixing the two. 'I've always been a firm believer in the separate but equal policy: I prefer my chai alongside or after eating, rather than dunking anything in it,' he explained. He elaborated that a truly good, soft idli would dissolve in hot chai and ruin it, while a 'dunkable' idli would be too rubbery to be worth eating. Summing up his position, he wrote: 'I say keep the chai in the cup and the idli on the plate, they're both better off that way!'
Social Media Reactions and Tharoor's Responses
The discussion continued in the comments, where users suggested alternative ways to enjoy idli. Tharoor responded to one suggestion by mentioning molagapodi with ghee and Palakkadan ulli-sammandhi. Another user jokingly urged him to use his 'RS powers' to stop such blasphemous acts on idli, dosa, and vada. Tharoor clarified with humor: 'What RS powers? I have always been an elected member of the Lok Sabha. And as a true liberal, I don't believe in blasphemy or in outlawing things I don't like. I can express disagreement without wanting to impose a ban on anyone or anything.'
Tharoor's Previous Defense of Idli
This is not the first time Tharoor has weighed in on idli-related matters. Earlier this year, he responded to a viral post comparing rasgulla to idli, which claimed that 'rasgulla is nothing but an idli dipped in sugar syrup' and called the Bengali sweet the 'most overrated dessert.' Tharoor's reply went viral. He wrote: 'Indeed! To conflate a Rasgulla with an Idli is not just a culinary error; it is a profound cosmological misunderstanding.'
He elaborated on the biological impossibility of the comparison, noting that rasgulla is made from chhena (curd of milk) while idli is made from fermented batter of parboiled rice and urad dal. He praised idli as 'one of the greatest engineering marvels of the culinary world' and 'a masterclass in biotechnology,' emphasizing the delicate balance of wild fermentation. Tharoor called idli a 'savoury monolith of South Indian culinary genius' designed to complement sambar, molaga-podi, and ghee, not sugar syrup. 'To suggest an Idli would even consent to being drowned in sugar syrup is to fundamentally misunderstand its dignity,' he remarked.
