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

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

Рет қаралды 228,288

Жыл бұрын

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
WeAre / Storyblocks
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
Independent Lens Short-Form Funding Provided By:
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National Endowment for the Arts
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.

Пікірлер: 93

@Aspatiaa Жыл бұрын

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 Жыл бұрын

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 Жыл бұрын

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

@SamiKhan-bw4ej Жыл бұрын

@@priscillasong1342 Yes! Episode 2 launches July 3rd

@arvindhmani06 Жыл бұрын

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

@SamiKhan-bw4ej Жыл бұрын

@@arvindhmani06 haha, thank you Arvind!🌶

@abrazilian Жыл бұрын

nice job!

@SamiKhan-bw4ej Жыл бұрын

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

@anshnanavati 11 ай бұрын

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.

@snow86241 Жыл бұрын

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 Жыл бұрын

@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 11 ай бұрын

@snow3828 Fitting in doesn't sound unusual.

@lucascoval828 11 ай бұрын

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

@roshwall 8 ай бұрын

Embrace the Desi in you🙂

@ThatGuy-wz3or 8 ай бұрын

I'm a 50 year old first generation Indian born in America. Trust me I understand, the way things were back then and not wanting to be Indian. It blows my mind how Indian my second generation American born son is and how he now has no reason to hide it.

@tananario 11 ай бұрын

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

@shawnanderson6313 5 ай бұрын

lol

@pierrea3094 Жыл бұрын

Very cool thank you. I love Indian culture

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

Love hearing that you enjoyed it! 🎉

@artistlovepeace Жыл бұрын

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

@dubya13207 Жыл бұрын

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

@SamiKhan-bw4ej Жыл бұрын

Oh yeah? Where?

@dubya13207 Жыл бұрын

⁠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 Жыл бұрын

@@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

@acreag725 Жыл бұрын

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

@ebony2791 Жыл бұрын

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

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

Kadhi is amazing!!

@ebony2791 Жыл бұрын

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

@tiffanylyman-olszewski7359 Жыл бұрын

SO excited about this!!!

@chefdougy 11 ай бұрын

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

@sayimjustadreamer Жыл бұрын

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

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

So glad to here that!

@amandaparkerdesign5488 11 ай бұрын

Love this series!! So well done 😊

@rachelcreagan4647 Жыл бұрын

Mouth is watering! 😋Well done Spice Road team!

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

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

@emiliogonzales658 Жыл бұрын

Awesome show. I wish there was more.

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

Thank you!! Next episode drops July 6 😊

@fahadfaisal7855 8 ай бұрын

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.

@ceooflonelinessinc.267 Жыл бұрын

Didnt know about PBS Food. Immeditately subscrised!

@nicolahutchinson1583 Жыл бұрын

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

@rupakginn4048 Жыл бұрын

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

@TemujinScott80 Жыл бұрын

This was great!

@TwoCentsPBS Жыл бұрын

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

@khan0890 Жыл бұрын

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

@rupakginn4048 11 ай бұрын

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

@poisonapple6138 Жыл бұрын

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

@gargigolhar2886 Жыл бұрын

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

@sinshamsh11 5 ай бұрын

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!

@jayfloramusic 7 ай бұрын

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 10 ай бұрын

I love to make daal

@amandeepdroid 8 ай бұрын

They have good food 👍👍

@varjunind1 2 ай бұрын

Had similar food in frenso too

@chanelmawahkg3411 11 ай бұрын

Wao nice Indian food

@dicknordlund8928 8 ай бұрын

Nice production

@thesaini 7 ай бұрын

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 ;-)"

@Jenvlogs404 7 ай бұрын

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.

@susanhabkirk2689 11 ай бұрын

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

@striker44 5 ай бұрын

Go to temples and gurudwaras for prasad.

@AS42515 5 ай бұрын

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

@plrt6794 7 ай бұрын

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.

@PradeepRaajkumar1981 8 ай бұрын

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

@anonymouslyopinionated656 11 ай бұрын

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

@artistlovepeace Жыл бұрын

Anyone here know Chiru? Chirunjavi? Chiranjeevi?

@raxapatel3762 7 ай бұрын

Your can do this

@princeniloy2975 10 ай бұрын

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

@reign4life 9 ай бұрын

no spice lol wut

@kingkumar1 Ай бұрын

Anything in good light is SOUTH ASIAN and everything bad is INDIAN nowadays in west or as they try to portray

@lucascoval828 11 ай бұрын

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

@jilljane1569 10 ай бұрын

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

@raxapatel3762 7 ай бұрын

Yes our food is 😋 sexy with flavor

@kumartamil6 10 ай бұрын

Our south indian food is completely different

@vikramrao6391 7 ай бұрын

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

@ketangadgil8749 9 ай бұрын

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.

@subus7263 8 ай бұрын

there is no south asian. Only Indian

@SJ_new 8 ай бұрын

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

@wallacestanley8750 Жыл бұрын

P r o m o s m 💕

@GTR-93 8 ай бұрын

BOLLYWOOD ISN'T INDIAN CULTURE

@xenon6947 8 ай бұрын

Worst background music

@septemberkozicki7264 Жыл бұрын

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

@tragicallyhoney 11 ай бұрын

Because it smells

@lucascoval828 11 ай бұрын

It's called fitting in.

@AntiJihadi 10 ай бұрын

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.