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No Filter: The making of a quintessentially Chennai food truck
If it’s happening in the city, it’s happening here. From who’s dating who to starry tantrums, get the latest scoop in town.
By
migrator
migrator
Chennai
For most of us, our introductions to food trucks have been from our trips abroad, or through the popular movie, Chef. Over the last year, this trend has taken over Chennai and we have been witnessing several food trucks pop up.
One in particular, has made quite a name for itself within the four months it has been around for, and has also built for itself a very loyal clientele. Nei Idly Sambar, possibly the only food truck catering authentic Chennai cuisine, was started by actor Adithya Shivpink and his partner Ashwin Kumar. Adithya’s father had the idea of the food truck but did not pursue it. Soon as the actor heard about the concept, he was incredibly stoked and decided to go ahead with it. With reviews comparing their sambar to that from Chennai’s culinary institutions, the food truck has also made way for local cuisine to get more exciting. Several youngsters have been following the truck on social media to track its location for the day or week. From selling at pop-ups and events, to being the most talked about feature at weddings, this truck is on everyone’s minds. Try their podi idly and thank me later. They should be adding another truck this year to cater to more of their fans.
A zero-waste wedding that has got the city talking about
Weddings these days are so over the top. If you attended the last one in Bali, then the next one could be happening in Europe. A ‘simple wedding’ is when it happens at a Chennai star hotel or the biggest mandapam in the city. The wedding of Ratheesh Krishnan and Sathya, which took place recently, has everyone talking about it for all the right reasons. The wedding was a zero waste one, with everything sourced locally — thereby helping not only the local vendors, but also keeping their budget under Rs 5 lakh. I’m sure you’re busy scraping your jaw off the floor. Let me tell you, it is possible.
Ratheesh, who is one of the founders of TEDxChennai, by all standards is an unconventional mapillai, who outright refused any gifts. Sathya’s family was very moved. The groom had also insisted that he wanted a low-budget zero-waste wedding, as he was conscious of the carbon footprint of the wedding. Sathya wanted the same, and together, they pulled off this green wedding.
The couple tells me that they used their engagement as a trial run for the wedding to iron out any problems they might possibly face. The most brilliant aspect of their plan was to include all their friends and relatives in planning this zero-waste wedding. During the engagement, the photographers shot a video with the couple’s relatives and asked them three questions — what they didn’t understand at Indian weddings, if they could do away with one custom, what it would be, and if it were their son or daughter’s wedding, how they would do it. The responses from the orthodox, conservative family members took me by surprise. Most of them felt that the reception was unnecessary and that a simple wedding like in the old days would maintain the sanctity of the rituals, without going overboard with décor. The couple won over the families by crowdsourcing ideas from them so they were also invested in the wedding’s success.
The rituals were cut down by half, gift bags were filled with groceries so people would think of the couple as they cooked their meals even a week after the wedding. Their wedding registry consisted of cash donations towards their honeymoon and insisted on no gifts. Sathya borrowed all her wedding clothes and jewellery from friends. The couple set out to organise a humble wedding and yet managed to stick to their commitment to a zero-waste wedding. I wish more couples were conscious of the carbon footprint of weddings.
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