Something that I really want to talk about right now, is food. To be more specific. Indian food. The first issue here is that by just saying Indian food, you are talking centuries of culture and heritage and shoving it under a single genre so to speak. It is honestly insulting to hear all Indian food clumped together as if the entire country of 1 billion people with a history spanning back thousands of years has a singular style of cuisine.
The cuisine in the Indian sub continent is vast and seemingly endless. from regions such as Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, TamilNadu, and so on. The style of food ranges from exquisite fine dining to everyday street food. The important thing to consider, in my opinion, is what emotion you want to feel when you eat. Because that is what food can do, it can invoke emotions or satisfy them, and I think that Indian food does that especially well. There really is something for every mood. Pani Puri is there to satisfy your anxious cravings, Aloo Chat is the perfect snack to provide some happiness, maybe some Dosa to feel closer to the heritage. The astounding variety in the sub-continent allows for a whole host of emotions to be felt by eating.
And not too digress, but I do want to get to my main point regarding food from India. "Indian food" is often regarded as messy, visually unappealing, roadside food that is too spicy and will give you an upset stomach. And to me that is amazing considering the amount of pain and suffering white people put the Asian world through in their quest to acquire spices. But this painting is just incorrect. Food from all over India is rich in flavor and culture, and while it can be a delicious snack from a roadside stall, it could just as easily be served as a fine dining experience in a three star Michelin restaurant. To reduce "Indian food" to something that gives tourists an upset stomach is vulgar and honestly short sighted because it can be so much more if just given the chance by mainstream culture.
The cuisine in the Indian sub continent is vast and seemingly endless. from regions such as Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan, TamilNadu, and so on. The style of food ranges from exquisite fine dining to everyday street food. The important thing to consider, in my opinion, is what emotion you want to feel when you eat. Because that is what food can do, it can invoke emotions or satisfy them, and I think that Indian food does that especially well. There really is something for every mood. Pani Puri is there to satisfy your anxious cravings, Aloo Chat is the perfect snack to provide some happiness, maybe some Dosa to feel closer to the heritage. The astounding variety in the sub-continent allows for a whole host of emotions to be felt by eating.
And not too digress, but I do want to get to my main point regarding food from India. "Indian food" is often regarded as messy, visually unappealing, roadside food that is too spicy and will give you an upset stomach. And to me that is amazing considering the amount of pain and suffering white people put the Asian world through in their quest to acquire spices. But this painting is just incorrect. Food from all over India is rich in flavor and culture, and while it can be a delicious snack from a roadside stall, it could just as easily be served as a fine dining experience in a three star Michelin restaurant. To reduce "Indian food" to something that gives tourists an upset stomach is vulgar and honestly short sighted because it can be so much more if just given the chance by mainstream culture.
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