From ‘protecting the Gods’ by planting masks on the faces of godly idols to alcohol shops denying sale to mask-less customers, the novel Coronavirus has forced out the creative best in people. Adding to this list of bizarre yet somehow (sometimes) effective tactics, Hotel TempleCity in Madurai has introduced ‘mask parottas’ to their menu in hopes of spreading awareness about the importance of masks.
The New Indian Express reports that there has been a sudden surge in the number of Coronavirus cases in the district, which is what led the restaurant to conceptualise this amusing flatbread. The report also states that the Managing Director of the restaurant, L Lakshmana Kumar along with his parotta experts, Munna and S Sathish Babu found it quite easy to shape the dough into the shape of a 3-layer mask, with a real one for reference.
Biting into this opportunity to knead popularity into profit, TempleCity has increased the price of a set (two parottas with gravy) from Rs 40 to Rs 50, as reported by Hindustan Times. The ingredients of the parotta do not differ from a regular one, yet this latest modification has been bringing in the dough. Hitting two birds with one stone, the mask parotta is proving to increase awareness as well as the hotel’s sales.
Speaking to The Hindu, Kumar says, “Not many in Madurai wear masks but everybody here loves parotta. We just put two and two together.” The reworked delicacy has since been doing rounds of social media and receiving rightful praises, along with some unavoidable humour.
The innovative spirit of Indians seems to be breaking bounds and at the right time too. A little lighthearted hilarity that doubles as an important public service announcement can only be good for everyone!
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