Tuesday, November 26, 2019

INDIAN FOOD IS TERRIBLE!

A tweet about food has sparked the usual triggered outrage. In particular, the top one percent of sub-continentals and sensitive folks takes issue with American academic Tom Nichols, who said that "Indian food is terrible".
Which, as far as I'm concerned, is a valid opinion.


"I think people often pretend to like non-American cuisines as a way of showing sophistication. I'm honest enough to say that my mostly Irish taste buds can't handle whatever it is that is called "Indian" in the US and UK.
You may all continue with your outrage now. /3x"

-----Tom Nichols.


Quote: "Mr Nichols - who teaches at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island - posted his opinion after another Twitter user had asked for "controversial food opinions". " End quote.

[Source: 'Indian food is terrible' tweet sparks hot debate about racism.]


He may have had considerable exposure to Indian cuisine, in India, and perhaps by comparison he slags the muck commonly served to drunken louts in Britain and America. Or he may have eaten Sulaiman's cooking.
In which case I sympathize.

Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch; Lentils, chappatis, raita, hari mirch.
Achaaaa, bhai!

Having worked at an Indian restaurant for significantly over a decade years ago, my opinion would be more nuanced. But not much different.
I sometimes ate at our competitors.

There is hardly any demand for better Indian food.
Dabba-style sludge is perfectly acceptable.


The customers would mostly prefer pizza in any case, but Gauras will go to Indian restaurants for atmosphere and a change of pace, preferably at a low price, and Desis go so they can talk Hinglish, eat with their fingers, and have some fresh naan.

Each table gets four katoris: tamarind sauce, hari chatni, kachumbar, and chili paste. That last one is for the Gaura-log, who don't know that you can eat chilies raw. Plus a bowl of chopped vegetables in yoghurt.
Pretty standard, for the demographic.

Over the years I heard enough high-fallutin' nonsense from both Caucasians and Indians about Indian art, music, literature, spirituality, Ayurveda, yoga, poetry, vegetarianism, dharma, mysticism, ashrams, Sanskrit, slokas, The Himalayas, Kashmir, the magic cleansing properties of Ganga jal, cuisine, computer skills, honesty, brains, cleanliness, philosophy, pickles, ghee, history, and the great purity and sanctity of everything Indian that I can parrot that crap in my sleep. Om santi santi santi, bitches.

Most of my "teachers" on those subjects were pig-ignorant, and I knew far more in any case. I'm just polite.


Indian food can be many things.
Terrible is one of them.




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