‘Hostel or marriage catering?’: NIT Calicut food spread stuns internet with appam stew, pav bhaji, and chicken rice
Hostel food is usually simple and boring, but one video from NIT Calicut has changed how people look at hostel food.The video was shared on Instagram @ekthas_food_world. (@ekthas_food_world/Instagram)A hostel mess food spread from the NIT (National Institute of Technology) Calicut campus has gone viral on Instagram and left many people shocked.The video was shared on Instagram Ektha Anil Kumar, who is a PhD Scholar at NIT Calicut. In the video, she showed what she eats in a full day at the hostel mess.Instagram users could not believe the wide variety of dishes shown in the video.Meals that stunned viewers:The video begins with her saying that she is in D Hostel and eats at the hostel mess run RK Caterers.Breakfast looked more like a festival feast than a hostel meal, with pav bhaji, sprouts, chocos, appam with stew, upma, boiled eggs, corn flakes, bread and butter, tea, coffee, banana, and milk all on the menu.She also mentioned that students can take unlimited food, which surprised many viewers online.Lunch was equally impressive. The menu included fruits, chicken, pulao, rice, fish curry, gulab jamun, dal curry, and sambhar.During tea time, the hostel served samosas, pakodas, and different types of cakes.Dinner was no less impressive, featuring a hearty spread of chilli chicken, soft rotis, paneer, fresh fruits, steamed rice, dal curry, and crisp salad.HT.com has reached out to the user for more details. This report will be updated when she responds.Check out the video here:Here’s how people reacted to the video:Instagram users were left amazed, with many saying the spread looked more like a wedding buffet than a hostel mess. Several users joked that such a menu did not feel like typical hostel food at all.One of the users commented, “My college is saying it’s AI.”Another user commented, “Another day of regretting leaving admission here.”The video was shared on January 22, 2026, and since then, it has gained 5 lakh views and more than 13,000 likes.
