As Indians, we do not take our tea lightly, and if you want to be accepted by us, neither should you! We are a nation that thrives on our daily cup of kadak chai. Be it the routine morning tea or a 'cutting' at the next corner shop, we cannot imagine going a day without gulping down on tea. And we usually rejoice when people from other cultures and countries embrace our favourite beverage and try making it on their own, it's all fun and games, unless - you don't make it right. Recently, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, a famous Indian-origin American Neurosurgeon, a prominent TV personality who is also the chief medical correspondent of CNN, was teaching his daughters how to make tea. The recipe was sort of a family legacy passed on to generations, and it was all going great, until, it wasn't!
While the video started off on a nostalgic note with Dr. Sanjay explaining that the cups he is using are from his mother, the internet lost it when he was seen using tea bags instead of loose tea. But, what triggered everyone the most was the final product, as one of Dr. Sanjay's daughters poured the tea in the teapot - it looked much pale and not at all like the kind of tea that we find in our Indian homes. Posted by the official Twitter account of CNN, here is the 3:31 minutes long video; take a look:
Continuing family tradition, Dr. Sanjay Gupta teaches his daughters the chai recipe he learned from his mother. https://t.co/wVDFVQ6l67pic.twitter.com/M4gxsjGxqu
— CNN (@CNN) December 9, 2021
(Also read: Watch: Padma Lakshmi Is A True Desi Drinking This Many Cups Of Tea In A Day; Can You Guess?)
The final product did not sit very well with tea lovers on Twitter and many were left visibly unhappy after seeing the video. Indians all over the world poked fun at him for westernising the desi staple. Many pointed out that this wasn't tea at all:
God, what is this abomination!?!! Ugggh... I never thought saah or chai will ever leave me with a bitter after taste, but thank you NOT Dr. Gupta.
Also, trust Americans to use a silicon ladle to 'stir' the tea ???? https://t.co/hj6sMMpDK6— Shaheen Ahmed (@Aakori_Baakori) December 11, 2021
That's not chai !!!! https://t.co/hiQiWi2Lvtpic.twitter.com/kR9RMIOS4W— Naughtius Maximus (@Lordchewbarka) December 11, 2021
And many others were disturbed by how pale and flavorless the drink looked:
That's doodh-patti bro. Not tea, chai-tea or whatever https://t.co/8qSVVKbojYpic.twitter.com/PfpaU0lUb5— Sunny (@Onestlybrutal) December 10, 2021
The color is so off nooo https://t.co/jJz3oHhvgS— Anisha (@anishaa25) December 10, 2021
Sanjay, that looks like flavored milk, not chai. lol https://t.co/Y2rfyfzFGs— Kavita (@kavita_says) December 10, 2021
That chai is way too pale https://t.co/hlOndVXEwV— Shahid H N (@shahidnowshad) December 10, 2021
(Also read: Selena Gomez Makes Masala Chai With Padma Lakshmi, Internet Approves)
Amongst the many unhappy comments, some also pointed out that it was actually sweet of Dr. Sanjay to share a part of his family legacy with his daughters:
I actually think this is a really sweet video. Some of y'all need to calm down. https://t.co/vyoWEWB16C— Manasvin Rajagopalan (@SouthAsianBuoy) December 10, 2021
I actually think this is wholesome. I'm not a very good chai maker (switched to coffee when I moved to the US), but I hope one day I can teach my kids. ????☕️ https://t.co/scTVZGqUDl— Pratiti (should be making slides/writing) (@PratitiTiyas) December 10, 2021
What are your thoughts on the video? Do you think this tea could have been made in a better way? Let us know in the comments below.