Abstract

Food habits have been undergoing evolution since humankind came into being. Geographical locations and their agricultural patterns, technological advancements, health and hygiene, cultural exchanges, corresponding amalgamations, entrepreneurial movements, business and marketing strategies, and the social media boom may have contributed toward this evolution. Today, we are at a juncture where food encompasses these aspects and many more cultural and social facets. It has evolved into a celebrated but heavily commercialized experience, a form of therapy, and a didactic medium. As part of the evolution of food, the mixture of cuisines and the emergence of new categories like fusion food have happened over the years in several parts of the world. India is no exception. This paper analyzes one such fusion food trend recently gaining momentum. It has been mushrooming in the form of various street foods that combine sweet and savory flavors, mainly in urban Indian cities. People in urban Indian cities have better social media access, which has made the trend viral. This study investigates urban Indian middle-class youth’s reactions to the food trend. It attempts to further the understanding by contextualizing the reactions with extant literature, followed by a simple sentiment analysis using a word cloud.