Just like this image, cheese and mayo are eating up our dishes...😡
I didn’t plan to write this.
But I can’t help myself anymore.
What exactly has happened to our street food culture?
Somewhere along the way, we decided that taste means drowning everything in oil, layering it with processed cheese, squeezing industrial mayonnaise over it, and calling it “fusion.” And if you really want to make it “premium,” just add more butter.
That’s the formula now.
I enjoy good cheese. I understand gourmet cheese. In the right dish, in the right quantity, it can elevate the experience beautifully. But processed cheese on everything? Cheese on dosa. Cheese on dhokla. Cheese on chaat. Cheese inside paratha. Cheese on pav bhaji. Cheese inside samosa. Cheese on noodles.
Enough.
And then there are the food vloggers the self-proclaimed ambassadors of “food culture.” Instead of promoting authentic recipes, regional diversity, or hygiene standards, the hunt is for the most absurd combination possible. The louder the sizzle, the thicker the cheese pull, the more viral the reel.
Nobody asks: Is this good food? Is this healthy? Is this even respectful to the original dish?
They ask: Will this go viral?
Where Did Our Diversity Go?
India isn’t a country with one cuisine. It’s a civilization of seasonal, regional, climate-sensitive food systems.
We have different dishes for monsoon, for summer, for winter.
Different grains for different soil types.
Different spices for different body needs.
Yet today, we are living in what I call a paneer pandemic.
Go to a highway restaurant in Karnataka instead of authentic local fare, you’ll find paneer butter masala.
Go to Goa traditional Konkani food takes a backseat to the same paneer-heavy menu.
Visit street markets in Mumbai, Gujarat, or Delhi and watch mountains of processed cheese being shaved onto everything.
Regional identity is dissolving under a blanket of synthetic dairy.
We once had culinary geography.
Now we have uniformity.
The Dosa Disaster
A dosa is one of the most elegant foods ever created. Fermented batter. Light. Crisp. Balanced. Nutritious.
Today?
Cheese burst dosa.
Mayo dosa.
Triple butter pizza dosa.
Chocolate dosa.
And Gujarati dhokla, a beautifully steamed, probiotic-rich snack now comes layered with uncooked processed cheese. And people clap.
Why?
Because it looks indulgent. Because it looks Instagrammable. Because excess has become aspiration.
Hygiene? Simplicity? Nutrition?
Why can’t we demand something radical?
Simple, plain, hygienic street food.
Balanced oil usage.
Respect for ingredients.
Regional authenticity.
We talk about rising lifestyle diseases. We talk about diabetes, heart problems, obesity. We talk about declining physical activity.
And yet we celebrate food that is high-fat, high-carb, low-nutrient with zero second thought.
Food was once nourishment.
Then it became celebration.
Now it has become spectacle.
I’m Still a Foodie
Let me be clear.
I love food. I love exploring cuisines. I enjoy experimentation. I appreciate innovation.
But innovation is not dumping cheese and mayonnaise on everything.
That’s not creativity.
That’s laziness.
Fusion should mean understanding two culinary systems deeply and combining them thoughtfully not industrial dairy as a universal solution.
And yes, if we’re eating together and you order something that looks like a cheese explosion designed for a viral reel, don’t expect me to share.
I’d rather eat something simple, clean, and honest.
The Real Question
Are we losing our food culture?
Or are we just too distracted by trends to protect it?
India has one of the richest culinary ecosystems in the world. It deserves better than processed cheese nationalism.
We don’t need more butter.
We need more balance.
And maybe just maybe a little less virality and a little more wisdom on our plates.
If you also feel the same and prefer some traditional dishes, share name of few traditional forgotten recipes which are still cooked in your kitchen.
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