A snarky comment could easily have turned into an argument, but an Indian woman living in Toronto decided to have a little fun with it instead. When someone asked her, "Toronto mein bartan maanjne ka kitna milta hai?" (How much are you paid to wash dishes in Toronto?), she responded by taking viewers through her workday.
Ratchel, who is from Jharkhand and now lives and works in Toronto, Canada, shared the video on Instagram. Rather than directly hitting back at the stereotypical remark, she built the entire clip around it, repeatedly joking about "washing dishes" while showing what her regular day at work actually looks like.
Indian woman responds to 'washing dishes' comment
Ratchel begins the video by reading the comment aloud before giving viewers a quick outfit check. Wearing a shirt with shorts, she then sets off for work and says, "Toh aaj hum log dekhenge Toronto mein bartan kaise maanjte hain." (So today, let's see exactly how I 'wash dishes' in Toronto.)
Her commute involves a bus followed by a subway ride. She eventually reaches her workplace, located inside a high-rise building, and uses her ID card to enter.
Once inside, her first stop is for coffee. Keeping the running joke alive, text over the video reads, "Bartan dhone se pehle coffee pee loon." (Let me grab a coffee before I start 'washing dishes'.)
Ratchel does not reveal the name of the company she works for or her designation. The video, however, shows her sitting at a desk with multiple screens around her.
She jokingly describes this as her "part-time" job, continuing her playful response to the original comment. The clip also includes a glimpse of her having lunch with colleagues and the cityscape visible from her office.
Towards the end of her workday, Ratchel picks up her empty coffee cup and jokes, "I almost forgot, mujhe toh bartan maanjna hai." (I almost forgot, I still have some 'dishes to wash'.)
She ends on the same note, saying, "Bye friends ab agle din bartan maanjne aaungi." (Bye friends, I'll be back tomorrow to 'wash dishes' again.)
Internet applauds her response
The video has since gone viral on Instagram, with viewers particularly enjoying the way Ratchel responded without turning the exchange into an angry confrontation.
"Now that's how you answer a silly comment without wasting your energy arguing," one person wrote.
Another suggested that such comments often say more about the person posting them, writing, "Some people mock the very life they secretly wish they could build for themselves."
One viewer felt the remark reflected insecurity rather than anything about Ratchel's life abroad. "Building a life for yourself in another country takes courage. Sometimes other people's bitterness is simply their insecurity showing. Good for you," the user commented.
Someone else praised the humour behind the response: "No argument, no unnecessary drama. Just one entire video answering the disrespect perfectly."
Another viewer raised a broader point about attitudes towards different kinds of work, writing, "There is dignity in every profession. One thing worth appreciating abroad is that service jobs aren't automatically treated as something beneath people."
What started with a dismissive question about "washing dishes" ultimately gave Ratchel an opportunity to show her workday on her own terms, with plenty of humour along the way.
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