Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing. When can your breakfast get violent? When there are cereal killers around. Let us meet over coffee, but don’t be ‘latte’.
Yes, you have probably heard these food puns before; most are so worn out that they are not even funny anymore, ‘lettuce’ not go there.
But what if the foods featured in the puns are of the desi variety? What if an Indian man receives a thank-you card from his kids that said “You are the best papa-dum ever”? Would the message seem new — and funny — to him?
Also read: Meet the food blogger who is documenting Kerala dishes
Puns on Indian foods
Probably yes, going by the popularity of the greeting cards by the Hyderabad-born Svetha Ambati, many of which feature puns related to Indian foods, including the one on ‘papadum’.
In her own words, the response to her cards has been “surprising and positive”.
An urban planner by qualification, Ambati is a US-based equitable development analyst who strayed into making cards during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, when people across the world were forced indoors for months.
While everyone waited for the bleak times to pass, many embarked on various projects or took on hobbies to be busy, entertained and stay connected to the outside world.
Ambati turned to art, crafts and puns.
From her home on the West Coast of the US, she started creating greeting cards, some with Indian food-related puns, others featuring art celebrating women of colour.
The reason for her medium: She wanted to use stationery to give people a sense of nostalgia and put a smile on their faces.
“Greeting cards are always a fun way to drop someone a line,” Ambati told South First.
“I love getting snail mail; it is a lovely surprise to get a letter or card from a friend,” she added.
Also read: Renaissance of regional cuisines via community cookbooks
Confessions of an outsider
Ambati’s belief that stationery allows people to send messages in a more meaningful and personalised way led to the birth of her passion project, Indian Curryspondence, in August 2020.
“I had more time on my hands! Without having to commute to work, I found myself with a couple more hours on hand to be creative… I just took hold of that time and dived right into my artistic side,” Svetha Ambati said.
Much of Ambati’s belief — and her business — was shaped by her circumstances.
She was only two years old when her parents relocated to the US in 1990, she spent many summer vacations in India in her childhood with her grandparents living in Secunderabad and Hyderabad.
“I just remember having this great feeling of being surrounded by my family during those visits and cherishing those moments because they were so short-lived,” Ambati said, of those holidays.
“We didn’t have much family in the US and most of our friends were not from Southern India. So, it was definitely a very different experience,” she added.
In the US, Ambati always felt like an “outsider” who never truly belonged to either of the cultures. She also had trouble identifying herself as and embracing being, an Indian-American.
Ambati says she learned “pretty early” how to find a connection with people where she could.
A child of the 9/11 generation, she found few students from India or South Asia in general in elementary, middle, and high school, and was exposed to discrimination very early on.
“I remember being in the sixth grade, watching the news and the Twin Towers fall, not knowing that I would be struggling with my heritage for years because of the stigma carried from those difficult times,” she said.
It got better when she went to college and joined a South Asian cultural association.
“I found more people to connect with on similar experiences growing up as first-generation immigrants,” she said.
Also read: Meet a woman who runs charity for tribals in Andhra Pradesh
Activism finds expression in art
A lot of what Ambati experienced growing up — identity crisis, cultural differences, and social issues plaguing both countries — is reflected in her artworks.
In fact, many of her illustrations are gripping portrayals of the hate and racism that Asian Americans have to endure today.
For instance, one artwork is of a brown woman with pierced nose, the resilience she exudes is bolstered by the accompanying caption: “Staying silent in times of injustice is a privilege.”
Apart from bringing diversity and representation to Instagram’s art scene, some of her work also focuses on women.
So when climate activist Disha Ravi and Dalit labour activist Nodeep Kaur were arrested in India, she made another artwork which read: “Free all political prisoners. The world is watching.”
“I definitely feel a level of responsibility to engage with my followers on issues that I am passionate about,” Ambati said, explaining her choice of subjects and interest beyond food and puns.
“I’m aware that sometimes this is divisive and not an easy way to continue making a presence on Instagram, but it’s something I feel strongly about,” said Svetha Ambati.
Alongside this, her experience as an equitable development analyst involved in urban planning helps her create artwork that can shed light on past inequities.
“I am quite passionate about educating and sharing information on these inequities so that people are aware why things are the way they are in our current world,” she said.
Ambati documents them on Instagram for her 1,724 followers.
She also donates all the proceeds from her sales to non-profit organisations advancing the development of black and brown communities.
Also read: Meet a techie and a food historian who bust food myths
But happiness is … puns with Indian food
Svetha Ambati, who flits between California and Oregon, is more sure of her footing as an Indian American today.
“More recently, maybe the time has passed enough, but I have been able to feel prouder of being Indian, of being South Indian and embracing the rich culture that comes with it,” she said.
Much of this is reflected in her puns in the greeting cards she makes.
For instance, while one gush, “You are the best papa-dum”, another one says, “You can always id(lean) on me”, and the third teased with: “Sambar-dy is thinking of you”.
Ambati admits coming up with Indian puns for the cards gives her the greatest joy.
“Honestly, as deep and thoughtful as my activism-related art is, my favourite works are my punny greeting cards,” she said.
“There is a joy in creating them and they make me laugh too,” she added.
To make her artwork, she uses a programme called Procreate, which allows the artist to use an iPad or other handheld devices to draw something.
Also read: Meet the Malayali beer, brewing up a storm in Poland’s beer market
Five hours to make one card
It usually takes Ambati between two to five hours to make a greeting card, “depending on the complexity”.
This apart, people also commission work to her; these take longer — between 15-25 hours.
Ambati took advanced art classes through high school — “I value individual creativity,” she said attributing her artistic streak to her mother.
“She has been such a talented artist and entrepreneur and my ultimate role model. I used to install her homemade batik prints in my room and dream of one day being as talented as her.”
Ambati had to put her creative side “on the back burner” once she graduated in 2010; “It was during a recession and I focussed on creating the lifestyle I desired,” she says.
Ironically, it was during the lockdown — which disrupted global supply chains and led to the worst recession the world has seen in eight decades — when her creative streak unravelled.
So much so, as Ambati points out, she gets “a lot of custom requests”.
And naturally, she is thrilled.
“I love seeing so many people resonate with my art.”
