Having always loved my chips and snacks from local shops in Chennai growing up, during a recent visit home, I was a bit wary of trying a brand my mother had found online. But she insisted, and I was shocked that it turned out so well, especially given that mothers and internet discoveries are not always a great pair. Sweet Karam Coffee promises authentic homemade south Indian snacks and sweets. While I’m unsure if they are made at home, their snacks definitely taste like the real deal and aren’t too oily or unhealthy. So far, I’ve tried a couple of different murukku (the thattai was top notch) and their banana chips, but what really made my eyes light up was their maavadu (raw baby mango) pickle. 13/10 for making me reminisce fondly about my patti’s (grandmother’s) urgai.— Dakshayani Kumaramangalam
Last month, at a gin festival in Mumbai, there was a stall that attracted a lot of attention—and they were not selling alcohol. They had small piles of books, each book wrapped in brown paper so that you couldn’t see the cover. Instead, a handwritten note gave clues to the genre and title. People spent time reading the notes before making a purchase. I bought a book with a note that read “Indian non-fiction, socio-politics, history of one of the most misunderstood regions in India”. Beneath the brown paper was Sanjib Baruah’s In The Name Of The Nation: India And Its Northeast. Some books are new, others secondhand, and each priced at ₹299. Visit theblindbookdate.com; you will be pleasantly surprised. —Jahnabee Borah
Barry W. Enderwick works as a consultant in Silicon Valley. But on Instagram, Enderwick runs the popular handle @sandwichesofhistory where he recreates and reviews old sandwich recipes from cookbooks. Be it the Swiss N’ Weiner sandwich from The New Hamburger And Hot Dog Cook Book of 1970 or the Toasted Sardine Sandwich from Meals Tasted, Tested, And Approved of 1930, Enderwick tweaks the recipes with condiments and additions—almost like a snack hack. He also throws in trivia, events and developments from the year of the recipe. You get a slice of history—and bread. The likeable thing about the reels is that most of these recipes are easy to replicate. What’s more? Enderwick also reviews craft beer and oddly flavoured potato chips on two other Instagram handles. A tasty combination, no doubt. —Nitin Sreedhar
You don’t think you need a new laundry detergent until Instagram shows you ads for one and you realise you are bored of using the same brand that your mother and grandmother used. I bought the Hapiso Morning Dew Laundry Pods on a whim but was genuinely curious to find out if it made a difference to my clothes—and also because the pods are sulphate-, phosphateand paraben-free. It’s too soon to tell whether the pods will make clothes last longer, but they certainly came out feeling softer and smelling fresh. Plus, it takes the guesswork out of measuring the right amount of detergent for a load—just pop one pod for a full load. At ₹299 for a pack of 15, it’s a bit on the pricey side, but if my clothes do last longer I am not complaining. —Shrabonti Bagchi
