Masala Monk is a food company that has attracted attention in recent years for its delectable range of gourmet offerings. The company has won praise for popularising rare spices and pickles. Masala Monk was started by blogger and businessman Shashank Aggarwal and according to its website delivers "sauces, pickles, fruits, grains, dips, mixes, spices and a lot more".
But since Thursday, Masala Monk has been trending on social media for reasons apart from the quality of its pickles and chai!
A Facebook user asked the official Facebook handle of Masala Monk to "declare there is no Muslim in your establishment and no one has spat on your products". The comment appeared to be in keeping in with a trend on social media, where fake videos have circulated, allegedly showing Muslims spitting on food.
Masala Monk uploaded a screenshot of the conversation and put up a detailed reply by Aggarwal, which has since won applause for standing up against bigotry.
Aggarwal mixed both sarcasm and eloquence in his reply, noting that at Masala Monk, "... we ensure that our saliva is ISO9002 certified, and all our designated spitters have a PhD in Dynamic Oral Propulsion. When they expel the mucus from the submandibular glands, the expulsion follows the best practices enshrined in the Ahmedabad Convention. So, while you seem to understand that our products worth salivating at, we want to set your mind at rest regarding the quality of spittle."
Aggarwal declared people did not "work at" Masala Monk. He noted, "Furthermore we wish to inform you that we have no Muslims working with us. In fact nobody works at MasalaMonk.com; every single person here enjoys himself and herself so much, and are so passionate about what they do, they think it's a hobby."
While Aggarwal mentioned some Muslim names as employees of Masala Monk in his reply, a subsequent comment clarified that the names were "imaginary". Masala Monk noted it "was a FSSAI approved organisation and follow international food safety guidelines in the homes where the cooking and packaging actually happens".
Aggarwal signed off his reply, encouraging the troll to consider Masala Monk's products to "embrace differences". He wrote, "While being brought up, you've obviously not had the benefit of being exposed to good taste. Like they say, we are what we eat, and this is entirely not your fault. I suggest you order all the goodies we have in our catalogue, and very soon your disposition and character will change and you will happily embrace the differences that make India one".