Bengaluru: Why Swiggy sent this customer 'karela' with the caramel popcorn she ordered

Many other Swiggy Instamart users also reported receiving free bitter gourd with their orders. (Image credit: @PaushaliSahu/Twitter)

A Bengaluru woman was surprised to find an extra item among the grocery that she had ordered via Swiggy's Instamart. Singer Paushali Sahu found a karela or bitter gourd with a note from the food delivery app explaining why she needed the vegetable in her life.

"Swiggy sent me a bitter gourd with the caramel popcorn packets I ordered yesterday," Sahu wrote on Twitter with a photo of the vegetable and the letter. She called it the weirdest Friendship's Day campaign ever.

The weirdest #FriendshipDay campaign ever! #Swiggy sent me a bitter gourd with the caramel popcorn packets I ordered yesterday.. pic.twitter.com/dc3I9Q1ItO

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— Paushali Sahu (@PaushaliSahu) August 7, 2023

The letter from Swiggy Instamart comprised a poem and a life lesson that it's often the ones we push away who want the best for us. Like the bitter gourd. "This Friendship Day, let's celebrate the bitter gourds in our lives... cause they make better friends," the company stated.

The humour was not lost on Twitter users.

"Now what can you make with one small bitter gourd? At least 250 gm should have been sent! BTW, bitter gourd is one of my favourite veggies!" Aadil Desai (@aadildesai) commented while another user Abid Zaidi (@AbidZaidi1) called it a "bitter experience with Swiggy".

Other Swiggy users also took to Twitter to share their amusement at getting one free "karela" with their orders.

@Swiggy offer hot water bag ke saath karela free #swiggy @SwiggyInstamart pic.twitter.com/71PY3INfop

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— Agantuk (@SayandeepNag) August 6, 2023

Thanks @Swiggy for 1 free karela My heart is heavy.  pic.twitter.com/9i6fFjfTOH

— Akash Azad (@iam_akash_) August 6, 2023

Responding to one of the surprised customers, Swiggy tweeted, "Hey Akash, think of this karela as a souvenir of our friendship. It might have an acquired taste but it surely adds a unique flavor to life."

Bitter gourd is known to be a rich source of vitamins and minerals. It contains iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins like A and C. As per WebMD, bitter gourd contains bioactive compounds called saponins and terpenoids which are responsible for the vegetable’s bitter taste, but may also play a role in lowering blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Read more: Ex-COO of Swiggy recollects when he won a Pepsi contest and Aishwarya Rai visited him