Shashi Tharoor’s Poetic Defence of the Idli Melts the Internet
After an X user mocked idlis as “steamed regret,” the Congress MP responded with a lyrical tribute likening the dish to Beethoven’s symphonies and Tendulkar’s centuries — turning breakfast into art.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, renowned for his eloquence and literary flair, has once again captivated the internet — this time not just with his signature vocabulary, but with a poetic tribute to an unlikely subject: the humble idli.
The exchange began when an X (formerly Twitter) user took a jab at the beloved South Indian breakfast, praising dosa but dismissing idlis as nothing more than "steamed regret." Tharoor, a proud Keralite and food enthusiast, wasn’t having it. In a lyrical and spirited response, he transformed the simple rice-and-lentil dish into a symbol of cultural and culinary excellence.
“Poor soul has clearly never had a good one,” Tharoor began, before launching into a glowing description. “A truly great idli is a cloud, a whisper, a perfect dream of the perfectibility of human civilisation. It's a sublime creation, a delicate, weightless morsel of rice and lentil, steamed to an ethereal fluffiness that melts on the tongue.”
What followed was a crescendo of analogies that elevated the idli to high art. Tharoor likened it to a Beethoven symphony, a Rabindranath Tagore composition, an MF Husain painting, and a century scored by Sachin Tendulkar. “With the right accompaniments, it is the culinary equivalent of... [those] finest achievements of South Indian culture,” he wrote, ending with a sharp but witty dismissal: “To call such a thing ‘regret’ is to have no soul, no palate... I can only feel pity.”
Unsurprisingly, Tharoor’s defence of the idli went viral, earning applause from food lovers and literary fans alike. Many praised his ability to turn a food debate into a cultural celebration, while some joked he should copyright the post before a restaurant snatches it up as promotional material.
This poetic interlude follows another viral moment just days earlier, when Tharoor shared an AI-generated image of himself with his 22-year-old self. “I find myself torn between envy at this avatar's swagger and amusement at his scraggly beard,” he quipped. “But what I wouldn't give to have the waistline of this younger chap!”
From politics to poetry to playful nostalgia, Tharoor continues to charm the internet — one tweet at a time.