15/05/2020
2020 marks the year of 400 years of connection between India and Denmark. In that regard, Danish Cultural Institute India has decided to write 400 stories that highlight this connection, and we are one of them with our masala chai :)
Take a look at their Facebook, it's a really cool initiative to highlight cultural connections :)
THE YELLOW TUK TUK
Mads Berg was writing his university application for Modern India and South Asian studies when by sheer coincidence he started chatting with Gohan Schubert, a German national born in Nepal. Gohan had for the first decade of his life travelled around South Asia with his mother. One of his first sensory memories was the spices in a masala chai. Some years later, Mads would go on an exchange semester in New Delhi and share an apartment with Gohan and his sister. In the mornings, the roommates would take turns to cook the morning chai and exchange preparation tips with each other.
Mads and Gohan would frequently explore India by motorbike and stop for chai at roadside stalls. âNo matter what was going on, no matter how hectic, no matter how far we rode on our bikes, we always had time for a momentâs break to breathe and observe the momentâ Gohan recalls.
Back in Denmark, they decided to bring chai culture to Denmark. Along with their friend Yonah Streifeld who had also travelled extensively in India, they started building The Yellow Tuk Tuk â a fully equipped mobile chai stall. To Mads, drinking chai is associated with the ability to stop and reflect â âand of course itâs deliciousâ he says.
âThe Yellow Tuk Tuk is different than most coffee bikes where you grab your coffee and go. People actually stay to chat, and we are now starting to see a more regular crowdâ, Gohan adds.
If in Copenhagen, do stop by Nørrebro and try a cup of chai for yourself.