RANU VS BHANU
War erupted…
Oh, not the kind
waged between nations
This one, far more ferocious,
far more, algorithmically blessed
A verbal duel, a digital fuel,
a full-blown culinary followers’ fight
From Bengal came Ranu. Calm, yet cunning,
Queen of aloo posto, marching strong,
with four thousand firmly on her side.
Bhanu, from down South,
popularised her sambar with vegetables sliced
and at thirty-nine hundred, felt deeply troubled.
“This simply will not do,” she muttered,
“I must outscore her score.”
So up went Bhanu’s spicy rasam
on her YouTube channel
with drama, spice, and just enough sass.
But tucked between the tamarind tang,
she made a rather pointed pass:
“Ranu’s dish? AI-made, I’d say!
I followed it step by step…
and yawned my taste away.”
The comment section crackled.
Pickle jars nearly popped.
Was this a recipe review?
Or a subtle character swap?
Ranu read. Her face turned red.
No time for grace or pause
she posted posto chingri, bold and unapologetic,
a dish that would invite no reply
from Bhanu, a hard-core herbivorous.
Then, fingers flying, she struck back:
“Hmm… that ‘original’ rasam?
A sure lift from a Hawkins cookbook,
with a pinch of extra seasoning.”
And just like that, every foodie knew
Culinary lines had split into two.
Between mustard zing and poppy seeds,
flavours blurred and egos bruised
YouTubers paused. Then shrugged, half-bored:
Is this about food, or nitpicking of some kind
One laughed, adding a comment, new
“Why trust your tongue? Let AI review.”
And there it simmered, seasoned with despair
flavour eclipsed by follower flair.
Glossary:
posto – poppy seeds
aloo posto – Bengali dish made with potatoes and poppy seed paste
posto chingri – Bengali dish made with prawns and poppy seed paste
sambar – South Indian lentil-based vegetable curry
rasam – South Indian spiced, tangy soup
Snigdha Agrawal (née Banerjee) is the author of five books and a lifelong lover of words, writing across genres. Based in Bangalore, writing and travelling continue to remain her lifelong passions.
PLEASE NOTE: ARTICLES CAN ONLY BE REPRODUCED IN OTHER SITES WITH DUE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BORDERLESS JOURNAL
Click here to access the Borderless anthology, Monalisa No Longer Smiles
Click here to access Monalisa No Longer Smiles on Kindle Amazon International
Borderless 