A tryst with gol gappas for US Consulate staffers

Published January 17, 2015
A US Consulate staffer. — Video grab
A US Consulate staffer. — Video grab

Who would have thought that putting flavoured water (pani) in hollow spheres (puris) to eat a snack of the very popular gol gappas would be somewhat of an enigma for mystified employees of the US Consulate?

"Do I dip or do I pour?" asks one of the many staffers in a feel-good video inspired by BuzzFeed's food-tasting videos, peppered with a melodious local tune in the background, as released on the consulate's Facebook page.

— Video screen grab
— Video screen grab

Featuring several US consulate employees in inter cuts, the video starts with each of the staffers seemingly intrigued by the street snack, asking a series of questions on how to consume it.

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"How do I put this [pani] in this [gol gappa]?" asks one staffer.

"I think you put the sauce [pani] in the centre [puris]," says one, while another female quips, "They look like bird's nests."

A US Consulate employee consuming gol gappas. — Video screen grab
A US Consulate employee consuming gol gappas. — Video screen grab

Finally solving their predicament on how to eat the snack, the staffers are seen to be tucking in cheerfully, and their feedback is overwhelmingly positive.

"So many flavours," says a staffer, only to be echoed by another saying, "mujhe bahut pasand hai".

Talking to Dawn, Brian Asmus, spokesperson for the US Consulate, said, “I love food and I’m getting too fat! The food in Pakistan has been fantastic. We thought it would be interesting to have some officers try something different and choose dishes that they are not familiar with. It’s a good way to remind people that no matter where you live in the world, everybody loves food. There is a universal love that everyone has for food."

In a country where anti-American sentiment is rife among religious and political groups, the video — one of many — seems to be aimed at projecting a soft image of US Consulate staffers in Pakistan and an endearing attempt to connect with the country's people.

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