The Great Pulav vs Biryani Debate: Settled by Sid Sriram

The Debate That’s Tearing Humanity Apart

Me and my friend have found ourselves in the middle of one of mankind’s oldest, most contentious debates. No, not “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” or “is a hot dog a sandwich?” We’re tackling something far more serious: What do you call a dish that’s just rice and vegetables? Pulav or Biryani?

My stance is clear, unwavering, and will remain so until I draw my last breath: It’s Pulav. There is absolutely NO WAY this can be called Biryani. Growing up, Biryani was an emotion for me. It was the dish you waited for on special occasions. It HAD to contain chicken (or some form of non-veg). The fragrance, the layers, the succulent pieces of meat  that’s Biryani.

I will NEVER (and I mean never, until I have breath in my body) call anything without chicken a Biryani. My friend, however, disagrees. Strongly.

The Challenge: Let Sid Sriram Decide

Since we’ve reached an impasse and neither of us is backing down from our positions (because obviously I’m right), we needed an impartial judge. Enter: The Sid Sriram Concert.

Here’s the brilliantly simple plan we’ve devised:

1. Each of us selects 10 songs from Sid Sriram’s catalog
2. We attend his concert
3. Whoever’s selections match more songs that he actually performs at the concert WINS

The winner gets ultimate bragging rights, and more importantly, gets to be correct in this ancient culinary debate. Simple, elegant, and completely foolproof (unless Sid decides to do a surprise experimental setlist, in which case we’re both doomed).

Our Song Selections

Below are our carefully curated selections. Every choice is strategic, every pick is calculated.

Friend’s Picks	My Picks

The Verdict

To be updated after the concert…

Update: Check back after the concert to see who emerged victorious in this battle of musical intuition and, by extension, culinary correctness!