Does the Best Indian Food Come From a Truck Stop? 🚛 | Spice Road

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  • Опубліковано 21 чер 2023
  • What do truckers and tandooris have in common? Actor Rupak Ginn (Royal Pains) travels to the highly-acclaimed Punjabi Dhaba in Bakersfield, California, to find out. He learns about immigrant Balvinder Singh Saini’s journey from truck driver to dhaba owner and is joined by celebrated actor and comedian, Nik Dodani (Dear Evan Hansen, Escape Room).
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    Independent Lens is America’s home for independent documentary film. Each week the award-winning series delivers engaging documentaries crafted by the industry’s boldest filmmakers. Independent Lens films have won 19 Emmy Awards, 16 Peabody Awards, five duPont-Columbia University Awards, and have received 10 Academy Award nominations. Independent Lens won the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2022 International Documentary Association (IDA) Award for Best Continuing Series.
    #Documentary #PBSShortDocs #IndianFood #SouthAsianCuisine #PBSFood #Dhaba
    Featuring
    Punjabi Dhaba
    All India Sweets & Grocery
    Rupali Redd
    August Redd
    Venkata Chalapathi Samudrala
    Balvinder Singh Saini
    Mansi Tiwari
    Nik Dodani
    Host / Producer
    Rupak Ginn
    Director / Producer
    Sami Khan
    Producer
    Vicky Lee
    Executive Producers
    Sally Jo Fifer
    Lois Vossen
    Executive in Charge of Production
    Royd Chung
    Senior Manager, Short-Form Content
    Pamela Torno
    Supervising Producers
    Susan Cohen
    Clare Chambers
    Editor
    Jaron Henrie-McCrea
    Director of Photography
    Matthew Garland
    Original Music
    Alam Khan
    Sound Recordist
    Veronica Lopez
    Post Sound
    Michael Gassert
    Assistant Camera
    Ryan Miller
    Colorist
    Jeffrey Sousa
    Online Editor
    Joshua Wilmott
    Archival Producer
    Adrián Gutiérrez
    Archival Researcher
    Manuel Martínez
    Editorial Consultant
    Hena Ashraf
    Rupak Ginn Wardrobe
    Venk Modur
    Archival Footage and Images
    VideoLand / POND5
    Azurita / POND5
    MSPhotographic / POND5
    Paramount
    The New York Times
    Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division
    Karanhjvhh / Wikimedia Commons
    Avantiputra7 / Wikimedia Commons
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    Sergey Gribanov / Storyblocks
    CBS
    Netflix
    Universal Studios
    Maplegutter / Wikimedia Commons
    Rebooted Mom
    Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea / Wikimedia Commons
    Flying Fourchette
    Kanak's Kitchen
    Bureau of Public Roads, United States Department of Agriculture / Wikimedia Commons
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    SPICE ROAD is a co-production of MIRAFILMS, LLC and ITVS, with funding provided by the CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING (CPB)
    This program was produced by MiraFilms, LLC which is solely responsible for its content.
    © 2023 MIRAFILMS LLC. All Rights Reserved.
  • Навчання та стиль

КОМЕНТАРІ • 95

  • @Aspatiaa
    @Aspatiaa 11 місяців тому +43

    I'm a Korean-American who drove all around Southern California in high school, looking for Indian hole-in-the-wall restaurants that I hadn't tried. Very excited about this series. Subscribed!

  • @rupakginn4048
    @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому +109

    SPICE ROAD was pure joy to film. Feel incredibly grateful that I got to meet so many outstanding folks and eat some incredible desi delights while I was at it!

    • @priscillasong1342
      @priscillasong1342 11 місяців тому +4

      Will there be more episodes coming? Looking forward to more.

    • @SamiKhan-bw4ej
      @SamiKhan-bw4ej 11 місяців тому +5

      @@priscillasong1342 Yes! Episode 2 launches July 3rd

    • @arvindhmani06
      @arvindhmani06 11 місяців тому +4

      "No spice"? You're not Indian!
      Just kidding, lol, really enjoyed the show! Looking forward to more of this!

    • @SamiKhan-bw4ej
      @SamiKhan-bw4ej 11 місяців тому +1

      @@arvindhmani06 haha, thank you Arvind!🌶

    • @abrazilian
      @abrazilian 11 місяців тому +4

      nice job!

  • @SamiKhan-bw4ej
    @SamiKhan-bw4ej 11 місяців тому +25

    What a thrill and privilege to tell this story in SPICE ROAD! And eat some amazing South Asian Food. 😋😋😋

  • @anshnanavati
    @anshnanavati 10 місяців тому +11

    Watching this as an Indian kid going to college in California hit hard. I miss my home and family. Definitely going to visit Punjabi Dhaba sometime.

  • @artistlovepeace
    @artistlovepeace 11 місяців тому +4

    Of course food is love. People who serve their food share their love for the customer to live another day. Food is love.

  • @ebony2791
    @ebony2791 11 місяців тому +15

    I love food period! I love lemon pickle, kadhi soup and these chips I saw the little kids munching down on😂

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому +2

      Kadhi is amazing!!

    • @ebony2791
      @ebony2791 11 місяців тому +2

      @@rupakginn4048 yes indeed! I remembered the Elders calling it Buttermilk soup

  • @tananario
    @tananario 10 місяців тому +5

    The guy immediately started code switching when he was around the other Indians. Us Black folks know all about this. 😂😂

  • @pierrea3094
    @pierrea3094 11 місяців тому +12

    Very cool thank you. I love Indian culture

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому

      Love hearing that you enjoyed it! 🎉

  • @snow86241
    @snow86241 11 місяців тому +41

    As a fellow desi that grew up here, I relate so hard to being ashamed of my own culture and trying to hide and distance myself from it every chance I had as a kid. I wouldn't say that I've swung back into it, but I do love the food. I've actually gone vegan and seeing hindu vegetarians now gives me hope that maybe they'll be that much closer to being vegan.

    • @snow86241
      @snow86241 11 місяців тому +1

      @@agrafenastepanov9642 I'm not anymore, but as a kid, it was a reason to be ostracized and get bullied for, so all I wanted was to be "normal" and to fit in and be like everyone else.

    • @lucascoval828
      @lucascoval828 9 місяців тому

      ​@snow3828
      Fitting in doesn't sound unusual.

    • @lucascoval828
      @lucascoval828 9 місяців тому +1

      ​@@agrafenastepanov9642
      Kids are bullied for all sorts of things. The guy in the video was trying to make it sound unique to him.

    • @Bad_News_Bear
      @Bad_News_Bear 7 місяців тому +1

      "Lord Jesus Christ, I believe you are the true Son of God and that you died on the cross to rescue me from my sins, death and to restore me to heaven to be with the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. I choose now to turn from my sins, my selfish ways, and every part of my life that does not please you. I choose to serve you and I choose to give my entire life to you. I believe in you. I believe you are the way, the truth, and the light. I accept you into my heart, into my soul, and into my mind. I choose to serve you and to receive your love and forgiveness. I ask you to take your rightful place in my life as my Lord and Savior. please lord of lords and king of kings come reign your peace, love, and happiness into my heart and into my soul. fill my heart and my soul with your love and your life, and help me to become a better person who is truly loving and trusting -a person like you. Please cleanse my mind, body, and soul from the demonic entities that have been tormenting me my whole life. may the blood from your sacrifice wash my sins away and restore my mind, body and soul in your name Jesus Christ. allow me to Live, Love, Learn and grow through you. please bless my soul in your holy name, the heavenly father, and the holy spirits name and help replenish the strength of my mind, body, and soul in your honor. Thank you, God of the Holy Land and the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen" ........

    • @roshwall
      @roshwall 7 місяців тому +1

      Embrace the Desi in you🙂

  • @dubya13207
    @dubya13207 11 місяців тому +11

    There’s a great one at a Nebraskan stop too!

    • @SamiKhan-bw4ej
      @SamiKhan-bw4ej 11 місяців тому

      Oh yeah? Where?

    • @dubya13207
      @dubya13207 11 місяців тому +3

      ⁠Overton, @@SamiKhan-bw4ej…right off I-80. Blink and you’ll miss it…it’s barely even a truck stop (basically a slightly oversized gas station), but it houses Taste of India and is the best-smelling gas station you’re likely to find

    • @SamiKhan-bw4ej
      @SamiKhan-bw4ej 11 місяців тому +2

      @@dubya13207 Amazing! Season 2 we'll have to go there. Sounds like one I encountered last year near the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan Canada

  • @ceooflonelinessinc.267
    @ceooflonelinessinc.267 11 місяців тому +8

    Didnt know about PBS Food. Immeditately subscrised!

  • @rachelcreagan4647
    @rachelcreagan4647 11 місяців тому +15

    Mouth is watering! 😋Well done Spice Road team!

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому

      Thank you! Sami Khan is an incredible human and director - it took both elements to make this happen.

  • @chefdougy
    @chefdougy 10 місяців тому +3

    when I was hitchhiking across America Punjabis truckers always picked me up lol

  • @sayimjustadreamer
    @sayimjustadreamer 11 місяців тому +9

    Love this! Yum. Bakersfield is definitely on my travel bucket list now. Can't wait for the next episode!

  • @tiffanylyman-olszewski7359
    @tiffanylyman-olszewski7359 11 місяців тому +6

    SO excited about this!!!

  • @acreag725
    @acreag725 10 місяців тому +5

    What a great show!! Can’t wait to see where they go the rest of the season!

  • @fahadfaisal7855
    @fahadfaisal7855 6 місяців тому +3

    Breath of Fresh Air kind of program. Truly enjoyed it. Can't wait for your next stop.
    We sure will be visiting this 'Punjabi Dhaba' in Bakersfield...in fact, we've decided already to make a detour and check'em out.
    Thanks for the presentation.

  • @emiliogonzales658
    @emiliogonzales658 11 місяців тому +6

    Awesome show. I wish there was more.

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому +1

      Thank you!! Next episode drops July 6 😊

  • @amandaparkerdesign5488
    @amandaparkerdesign5488 10 місяців тому +5

    Love this series!! So well done 😊

  • @nicolahutchinson1583
    @nicolahutchinson1583 11 місяців тому +9

    Loved this episode, can't to see more! 😍

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 11 місяців тому +1

      Thank you so much! Hope you check out the next episode on July 6.

  • @poisonapple6138
    @poisonapple6138 10 місяців тому +4

    Okay now we need an episode comparing Indian cuisine to Romani cuisine.

  • @sinshamsh11
    @sinshamsh11 4 місяці тому

    There is an Indian truck stop restaurant on the south side of Indianapolis. Very unassuming place in the middle of a parking lot. The chana saag was delicious. I got it with some chai and naan. So good!

  • @TemujinScott80
    @TemujinScott80 10 місяців тому +2

    This was great!

  • @gargigolhar2886
    @gargigolhar2886 11 місяців тому +3

    I kind of flipped when the kind fellow brought Samosa Chat 😊

  • @jayfloramusic
    @jayfloramusic 6 місяців тому +2

    I'm so glad I moved to the US at 21, and that too to California. I can't relate to not being proud of being Indian. But yeah my cousins who grew up in Cali did have the same inferiority complex. I have a daughter now, but growing up in Silicon Valley, I don't see her getting inferiority complex now in 2023. Times have changed and the perception of Indians too.

  • @twobitsmickeymouse3439
    @twobitsmickeymouse3439 9 місяців тому +3

    I love to make daal

  • @sansinutube
    @sansinutube 6 місяців тому +2

    An interesting factoid about the notorious curry smell that makes Indians the target of many racist jokes, and even attacks -
    the curry smell is mainly caused by a spice called "asafoetida" (Indian name "hing"). It is notorious because during cooking with asafoetida, the smell permeates through the house and sticks to cloths, carpet, upholstery, bedsheet, giving the house the maligned curry smell, that most non-Indians and also many Indians hate. But once the cooking is done, the flavor that asafoetida adds to the food takes it to another level.
    So PSA for fellow Indians: if you use hing in your cooking, make sure to put all exposed clothes, bedsheet, etc in the laundry after cooking is done, and rub baking soda into your upholstery and vacuum it up, because even if you cannot smell it, others will, even days later.

  • @TwoCentsPBS
    @TwoCentsPBS 10 місяців тому +2

    This was wonderful to watch! Making us hungry over here!

    • @khan0890
      @khan0890 10 місяців тому +1

      Aw that means so much! You all are amazing, we’re avid fans of TWO CENTS!

    • @rupakginn4048
      @rupakginn4048 10 місяців тому

      Thank you!! Really appreciate it. Y'all have an amazing channel!

  • @chanelmawahkg3411
    @chanelmawahkg3411 10 місяців тому +2

    Wao nice Indian food

  • @amandeepdroid
    @amandeepdroid 7 місяців тому +1

    They have good food 👍👍

  • @varjunind1
    @varjunind1 Місяць тому

    Had similar food in frenso too

  • @dicknordlund8928
    @dicknordlund8928 7 місяців тому

    Nice production

  • @thesaini
    @thesaini 6 місяців тому

    Mr. Ginn, just a correction on @2:47 Its Mr. Balvinder Singh Saini (pronounced "Say-knee" and not "Sigh-knee"). I am sure as a kid, you would appreciate if folks pronounced your name correctly. So would Baluji or as he would have introduced himself in English being Punjab as a young kid "myself Balwinder, Balls to you ;-)"

  • @susanhabkirk2689
    @susanhabkirk2689 10 місяців тому +1

    Please if you could do me a solid and send me a list of the important sauces to buy I have a great deal of the spices if you get a chance I'm so glad I found your channel. not indian just love the food

  • @AS42515
    @AS42515 4 місяці тому

    Extra ginger extra garlic beef biryani is what you gotta cover next or juiccccy beef burgers american style wow will be nice.

  • @striker44
    @striker44 3 місяці тому

    Go to temples and gurudwaras for prasad.

  • @Jenvlogs404
    @Jenvlogs404 6 місяців тому

    Thanks for mentioning its history and how it is related to the motherland because in my war torn area there’s an insuIt related to dhaI but bet after learning history and how ancient, they’ll try to claim it but don’t even represent 1% of it in the cuIture, that’s why please protect ancient roots or identity as a priority and always targeted even after being humble or not eating meat or believing in all and truly innocent, it’s even oldest recorded globally.

  • @plrt6794
    @plrt6794 6 місяців тому

    Although I suspect the Indian food I get has been ‘Canadianized’ I love it! Would like to try real Indian without it being modified to our tastes.

  • @anonymouslyopinionated656
    @anonymouslyopinionated656 10 місяців тому

    Eat ITC Daal Bukhara. It’s the best in the universe. Better than anyone’s mom’s version.

  • @PradeepRaajkumar1981
    @PradeepRaajkumar1981 7 місяців тому +1

    There are lot of SOUTH INDIAN Cuisine - TELUGU, TAMIL, KARNATAKA and Kerala Cuisine..

  • @artistlovepeace
    @artistlovepeace 11 місяців тому

    Anyone here know Chiru? Chirunjavi? Chiranjeevi?

  • @raxapatel3762
    @raxapatel3762 6 місяців тому

    Your can do this

  • @princeniloy2975
    @princeniloy2975 9 місяців тому +1

    At least print out a menu instead of just handwriting it 😂😂😂

  • @lucascoval828
    @lucascoval828 9 місяців тому +3

    To summarize the beginning of the video:
    "Feel sorry for me."

  • @jilljane1569
    @jilljane1569 8 місяців тому +6

    This host is trying way too hard to the point of being cringy with some of the things he says 😅

  • @raxapatel3762
    @raxapatel3762 6 місяців тому

    Yes our food is 😋 sexy with flavor

  • @reign4life
    @reign4life 7 місяців тому

    no spice lol wut

  • @kumartamil6
    @kumartamil6 9 місяців тому +2

    Our south indian food is completely different

  • @vikramrao6391
    @vikramrao6391 6 місяців тому

    Pure BS. Im a trucker, Indian food in these places cost more than what it would cost in Manhattan or San Francisco and the quality is mediocre at best. Theyre unhygienic and slow. I get you need to make this series and make it look good, but that has been my experience at every Indian roadside restaurant between the east and west coasts

  • @subus7263
    @subus7263 6 місяців тому +1

    there is no south asian. Only Indian

    • @SJ_new
      @SJ_new 6 місяців тому

      Haha india is in south asia and whole ocean is named after it and all the remaining south asian countries are in that indian ocean

  • @ketangadgil8749
    @ketangadgil8749 7 місяців тому +1

    South Asian...South Asian....There is nothing called South Asian. Looks like PBS wants this. From parts of Afghanistan to Burma, from Kashmir to Sri Lanka...everything is Indian food.

  • @wallacestanley8750
    @wallacestanley8750 10 місяців тому

    P r o m o s m 💕

  • @GTR-93
    @GTR-93 6 місяців тому

    BOLLYWOOD ISN'T INDIAN CULTURE

  • @xenon6947
    @xenon6947 7 місяців тому +2

    Worst background music

  • @septemberkozicki7264
    @septemberkozicki7264 11 місяців тому +6

    I am so sad that Indian children felt ridicules for their native diet. I wish there had been an Indian classmate to befriend and learn from and share with. Of all ethnic foods Indian food is high amongst my favorite. I am so intrigued in learning more amazing dishes and recipes. For someone who is not Indian I incorporate Indian Cuisine into my/sometimes our menu weekly++. Please continue to share, maybe add or link recipes for we who never had an issue with what anyone else chose to eat. I have learned so much from @rainbowplantlife, Rainbow Plant Life. Nisha shares fabulous recipes. My family enjoys them so much. What I am meaning is I truly appreciate Indian food, I am learning, I am vegan and please help in further learning how prepare and enjoy the awesomeness that is Indian Cuisine. And so much more.. 16:09

  • @AntiJihadi
    @AntiJihadi 9 місяців тому

    U need to come to India to have real Indian food, these Indian restaurants and food trucks cant deliver the magic....been all around the US and nothing really satisfied me that was sold in the name of Indian food in the states.