Why Eating Became a Task

I grew up in a home where meals were never rushed. In India, food wasn’t a break from the day — it was part of the day. You sat down. Someone cooked. You ate together, talked, took your time. Even simple food felt like a moment worth having.

Then I came to the US. Went into consulting at Deloitte. Spent years doing M&A work — billion-dollar deals, late nights in data rooms, 7am calls. And I started watching how the people around me were eating. Or not really eating.

Desk lunches that barely qualified as lunch. Protein bars as meals. Brilliant, capable people running on caffeine and convenience, calling it fine.

It wasn’t a judgment. I was doing the same thing. But somewhere between the 60+ countries I’ve travelled to and the homes I’ve been welcomed into, I kept noticing the same thing: the places where food felt good weren’t fancy. They were just intentional.

How Did We Get Here?

Somewhere along the way, busy became a badge of honour. And somewhere in that shift, eating got reframed as a task to get through — something to be optimised rather than enjoyed.

We eat while working, while commuting, while scrolling. We choose food based on speed and ease, then feel vaguely guilty that it wasn’t better. The meal that should have been a moment became a function.

And the food industry hasn’t helped. Too much of it treats eating exactly the way our workdays already treat it — as something to fuel and power through. If you’ve seen language like ‘power through your lunch’ or ‘quick fuel for busy days’, you know what I mean. That’s not the relationship with food I grew up with. And I don’t think it’s the one most people actually want.

What Tuk Took Is Actually About

Tuk Took Bites started as a side project. Something I built because I genuinely wanted it to exist. Indian-inspired food — warm, comforting, approachable — made properly and without shortcuts.

Not for foodies. Not for people with time to cook from scratch. For real, busy lives. The kind of food that makes a Tuesday feel a little more like something.

We started with samosas because they’re the thing I’ve always reached for. Crispy pastry, boldly seasoned potato filling, a good chutney. Handheld, satisfying, zero fuss. The kind of food you can eat standing up and still feel like you took a proper break.

But the reason behind it is bigger than any single product. It’s the belief that everyday food should still feel good. That nourishment and joy aren’t competing values. That you don’t have to choose between being busy and eating well.

Why We Started With This

I want to be honest about something: we’re not trying to change the world. We’re trying to make a specific, real difference in a specific, real moment — the one where you’re hungry, you’ve got ten minutes, and the options in front of you feel like they were designed for someone else.

We believe food is one of the simplest ways humans connect. With each other, with cultures they haven’t experienced, with a version of their day that feels a little more grounded. That’s what Tuk Took Bites is. Nourishing food. Joyful food. Approachable food. Made with care and offered without pretension.

One bite at a time.