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Journalism of Courage
Pani puri has long held a special place in the hearts of Indians, and its global fan base is vividly growing. A viral video recently made waves online, showing a group of foreign students in Budapest, Hungary, experiencing this iconic Indian street food for the very first time—and their reactions are priceless.
The clip, which was shared by a student studying in Budapest during their university’s International Day, features a vibrant Indian stall that instantly became a hit. The text overlay on the video reads, “POV: you made your white friends try pani puri for the first time.”
Among other dishes like bhel puri and Indian sweets, it was pani puri that stole the show. One after another, students queued up with curiosity and excitement, ready to try the crispy puris stuffed with spicy mashed potatoes and filled with that legendary mint-tamarind water. The moment they bit into the puris, you could see a rollercoaster of expressions–initial hesitation, surprise, laughter, and finally, sheer delight.
Sharing the video, an Instagram handle @quills.and.tails wrote, “International Day at uni was so much fun! — Our Indian stall had everything from bhel puri to sweets, but pani puri? Definitely the main character. Watching everyone try it for the first time was pure gold, hahaha.”
The comment section, of course, was buzzing. One person shared, “Panipuri and momo, my favourites anytime, anywhere..im not a foodie but when it comes to these delicacies, i can beat anyone.” Another added, “no indian snack develop such an intense craving like Pani puri . once you start liking it’s highly addictive.”
Some users couldn’t help but joke about the spice levels, with one writing, “I bet you made it mild coz no way whites can tolerate the street level.” And one comment summed up the love perfectly: “I love these videos when someone try Pani puri and they love it…nobody in this universe can hate Pani puri.”
Such is the obsession that in Nagpur, one enterprising street vendor even introduced a wild deal: lifetime pani puri access for a one-time payment of ₹99,000. Now that’s commitment to the cause.
