«Indian food is terrible» tweet sparks hot debate about racism.

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▼  A tweet from a US academic calling Indian food "terrible" has sparked a hot debate about cultural intolerance and racism in international cuisine.
"Indian food is terrible and we pretend it isn't," said international affairs professor Tom Nichols.
Critics called his comment a tasteless generalisation.
The remark led to a wider discussion of the immigrant experience and how many in the US have experienced racism in relation to food.
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".
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 (RadioFreeTom) November 24, 2019
Critics were quick to respond. "Do you not have taste buds?" asked celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi.
"Imagine going through life this flavourless," wrote another commenter.
Preet Bharara, a former prosecutor from New York, tweeted: "Tom, I'll take you to a place. We need to bring the country together. ButterChickenSummit."
Others said Mr Nichols had probably tried "less than 1%" of all Indian dishes, which come from a hugely diverse country. Mr Nichols later admitted that he had only ever eaten at Indian restaurants in the US and UK.
Dude. Really. Dude. Where in India have you eaten? A BILLION fans can’t be wrong.— SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN (sivavaid) November 23, 2019
Mr Nichols' initial tweet led to a wider discussion about the way food plays into the immigrant experience.
Some noted that in the US, international food - sometimes called "ethnic food" - is often marketed as "cheap eats". Therefore many people are more familiar with pared-down, "Americanised" street dishes that lack authentic ingredients.
"There is no 'Indian' food'," wrote one  commenter.
"Also there is no curry flavour. There is no chai tea," she added, referring to the fact that chai is simply a word meaning "tea" in Hindi, and "curry" is a style of dish, rather than a flavouring.
Others pointed out how smell and flavour have long been prevalent in racist comments towards minorities, and accused Mr Nichols of intolerance.
First-generation American Saira Rao wrote: "Having white people trash Indian food is extremely triggering as an Indian who has been told that I smell weird, that my food smells weird and that Indians [expletive] on the street which is why everything we are smells bad."
As the story drew attention in Indian media, the hashtag MyFavoriteIndianFood started trending.
US presidential candidate Kamala Harris, whose mother's family hails from south India, shared a teaser for a cooking video with comedian Mindy Kaling using the hashtag.
But some foodiesdismissed the row outright saying simply: "I see someone on twitter has racist views on Indian food. Well, more for me then."
Others took similar issue with a "controversial food" tweet from ABC senior reporter Terry Moran, who said: "Chinese food is tired. It's boring, gloppy, over-salted and utterly forgettable."
One person replied to his tweet: "Oh Lord here we go again with bubble-inhabiting white guy, announcing his pathetic ignorance of an entire cuisine and its myriad regional varieties".
If you’re talking about American Chinese food then you are correct..like a lot of US franchised food it’s unedible muck. If you’re talking about food from mainland China then you are 100% wrong and maybe you can give yourself an uppercut.— Peter (peterkalksma) November  25, 2019
No such thing as “Chinese Food.” It’s like saying “European Food.” The food from different provinces can be wildly different.— Justin “Get a jacket, Jim Jordan” Housman (JustinHousman) November 24, 2019
Asian food lovers rounded on Moran, accusing him of having only eaten at takeout restaurants and never tasted authentic cuisine from the most populated country on Earth.
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► This news was originally published here: Source

ssangra

I feel food is specific to cultures. The liking being conditioned over years of evolution in a particular climate and among the people of a specific genetic makeup. One cannot be expected to develop a taste for foreign food in a jiffy. In places which are warm and hot one tends to find high usage of spices to prevent food spoilage whereas in colder places food is consumed without much spice as it is not needed. If all of us were alike the world would be terribly boring

soothsayer

Yes I agree @ssangra. But the person in question has not really tasted Indian Food. So his view is not acceptable

parivijesh100

Thus is merely directed at cheap publicity.  Every nation has its own food & enjoyment.  Let us leave at that. Comparing or criticism is simply foolishness.  First time, someone is writing that Indian food is bad. Simply deporable.

asr335704

Tom Nicholas posted his feedback online as part of "Controversial Food Opinions". That itself is enough as hint.

culsivaji

Let's not categorize or catechize the food. It depends on the individual preference of the people of the country as a whole