So last night, we siblings made a little plan to have ice cream after we were done with dinner. The ice cream parlour is at a walking distance, so we thought, why not walk there? Even though it was night, it wasn’t exactly a ‘pleasant’ night.

Within five minutes of walking to the ice-cream parlour, we were sweating profusely. And instead of ice cream, we were craving for a glass of cold water, some juice or even lemonade or sugarcane juice … ohh, that’s pure bliss! Just the thought of it feels refreshing. Basically, anything that’s cold and gives us even a moment of relief from this heat, we’re all in for it all the time.

The moment we entered the air-conditioned dining area, we were literally wiping sweat off our foreheads like we had just finished a marathon! And the people sitting there comfortably? Yeah… they gave us ‘that’ look. Anyway, pretending to be all normal, we walked up to the counter and started our little debate over flavours.

I wanted to try something new, so I started scanning the menu when my eyes landed on a standee: “Introducing Paan Kulfi – Our refreshing new treat with a twist of paan and your favourite creamy kulfi!”

For a second I was like, wait, am I reading this right? Paan kulfi? Like seriously? Is that even a thing now? But then I thought, why not? I mean, if people in China can try spring onion infused coffee, then paan kulfi is definitely worth a shot! And interestingly, I noticed a few others were also busy scooping theirs.

That’s when it hit me, people are actually craving something new. Everyone’s looking for a twist, a little drama in taste, something that makes them or the things they have stand out. And the sellers? They’re smart. They know we’ve already had enough of regular chocolate, vanilla, mango… it’s all about experiences now. Something unique. A flavour that people can talk about later even if it’s just to say, “Oh, I tried paan kulfi the other day.”

After a short wait, I got mine, my very own paan kulfi. It was green… had that ice cream soda-ish flavour, and was topped with sugar-coated colourful fennel seeds, crushed coconut, and all those classic paan ingredients. Honestly, the experience wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. It was just… different. Refreshing in its own quirky way.

But it definitely left me with a thought — where exactly is the food world heading? That’s when I remembered reading about something called dark cuisine, a name as sinister as it sounds.

It all started with some surprising food experiments popping up on the internet, especially in China, where this trend is called ‘hei an liao li’ which literally means “dark cuisine” and refers to “weird, gross or strange-looking food” that people eat, sometimes for fun, sometimes just for attention.

Dishes that look unappetising, have odd ingredients or simply shouldn’t go together logically like toothpaste-covered dumplings, toothpaste-flavoured milk tea, wasabi ice cream, cola boiled eggs, tomato and ice cream noodles; spicy instant noodles with chocolate syrup or pickled pepper latte — a real Chinese coffee shop creation that became an online meme.

So why is it getting popular? Well, it has a shock value and entertainment, some people try while others love watching them ‘try’ these dishes. Just like everything, here also, social media plays a big part in fuelling this trend. Food bloggers, vloggers, YouTubers and influencers love to react to these strange dishes, sometimes pretending to enjoy them, sometimes walking back! These reactions get millions of views. People want to see if it’s “as bad as it looks.”

Not all dark cuisine is disgusting. Sometimes, people are surprised by how good these weird combos taste! A few have even become regular menu items because customers loved them. But other times, well, let’s just say they don’t make it to the second bite.

I’m not sure if all of it is worth the hype, or if it’s something I’d personally go back to again. But what I do know now is that people are open to trying things that are unusual, different and sometimes even bizarre. Maybe it’s curiosity, or just the thrill of stepping out of the ordinary. And with that being the focus, food is no longer just about taste or filling your tummy, it has become stories, experiments and challenging yourself.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 21st, 2025