Bengaluru woman gets office to replace samosas and vada pavs with fruits, internet divided: 'It shouldn't be forced'

An employee's decision to replace vada pav and samosas with fruits for evening snacks has gone viral, dividing social media users.

A Bengaluru woman's decision to replace deep-fried evening snacks with fruits has sparked a lively debate on social media, with many applauding the healthier move, while others fume over the loss of their beloved comfort foods like vada pav and samosas.

The viral X post has garnered more than 1.1 million views. (X/@aaina_narang)

The discussion started after X user Aaina Narang shared a photo of boxes filled with chopped bananas, mangoes and melons stacked in her office pantry. "Convinced the office admin to get fruits instead of vada pav/samosas as evening snacks," she wrote in the viral post, which has garnered more than 1.1 million views. She later also joked that her next target would be the office snack counter.

Take a look at the post below:

The seemingly simple swap of snacks quickly divided social media. While many praised the healthier option, others raised concerns about hygiene and personal choice.

Several users welcomed the move, arguing that fried snacks should remain an occasional indulgence rather than a daily office staple.

"Nice!! Normalization of samosa or fried snacks as everyday food is kind of new to the Indian food ethos. Part of the prosperity curse-growing up that was 1-2 samosa over the weekend," one user wrote.

Another commented, "Super, Can I join. I've realised this lately as well. You need good food to do good."

One user defended Narang, saying, "Why is she getting hate? Samosa should be an occasional indulgence, not an everyday snack. 1 Samosa or Vada Pav is 300 Calories. My calories burnt as per my fitbit is 300-400 extra on days I exercise vs rest days. Your entire gruelling workout gets wasted with just 1 Samosa. Not worth it. That being said, a boiled Egg or an Omelette would have been a better snack."

However, not everyone was convinced that fruit was the safer option. Several users pointed out that pre-cut fruits can pose hygiene risks if not handled properly.

"Samosa is better alternative since whatever bacteria there is gets killed during frying process. Fruit on the other hand is handled by jeets with questionable hand hygiene," one user wrote.

Another said, "Fruits may be healthier but in India it's always safer / more hygienic to eat cooked food than raw cut fruits esp those cut up in large quantities god knows where and how."

One user suggested serving whole fruits instead. "Should've given two unpeeled bananas & one coconut water instead. Never go for raw food that's been handled by too many hands in Vishwahygieneland," they wrote.

Many users also felt employees should be able to choose what they want to eat. "I should be allowed to pick my choice of snack. This forced marketing of health & Protein needs to be evaluated critically. Things people are shoving down the throat in the name of health is scary," one user commented.

Another wrote, "Healthy food, no matter how good, shouldn't be forced on anyone against their will."

"dude I'd kms if I walked into the break room expecting samosa and vada pav and got served fruits instead like it's bad enough to have to work in an office of all places," one person joked.