Posted on 12/07/2018 2:20:13 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
What I hear when you tell me my food is “strong smelling”
Before I left my home in Mumbai to study in the Netherlands, I thought the idea of cultural appropriation of food was outright bogus. I was working as a food writer for a startup back then, and I often wrote about new restaurants serving foreign food across the city.
I believed that food was a way to bring people across the world closer to one another. I believed that everyone was free to eat, cook, write about, and sell whatever food they wanted to. I still do.
Things changed when I moved abroad. My food, which I love, became a source of embarrassment. The lunches I brought to work attracted unwanted attention.
Once, I met a friend for coffee before an afternoon class, having just had lunch at home. “Why are the tips of your fingers yellow?” she asked, inspecting my digits.
“It’s because I cooked with turmeric,” I told her.
“Do you add turmeric to your food with all your fingers?” she probed in good humor.
I felt uneasy at the thought of admitting that my fingers were yellow because I had just eaten dal and rice with them. When I did tell her, she responded that, as a child, her mom would give her a rap on the knuckles if she dared abandon her fork and knife. I felt a metaphoric rap on my knuckles, too.
She probably noticed the crestfallen look on my face, and was quick to add an apologetic “I love curry, though,” before steering the discussion elsewhere.
(Excerpt) Read more at medium.com ...
Yeah!
Purt near 180 miles!
Or would you prefer Francisco?
And yet, most of the people here, if we went to India, would not presume to write critical articles in Indian media about how Indians need to be more accepting of our American habits in India.
Oh, you know they would. The British --- both as the East India Company, and as the Empire ---spent several centuries doing just that in India. As for FReepers, some would, and --- well, you're not new here, so you probably know "who I mean".
That’s why I said “most” rather than “all”.
In any event, the lady has a right to eat as she pleases. And others have an equal right to laugh at her.
Yep, Snowflake Alert. Having worked in offices since I was 16, I can say from experience that it is the rare office that doesn’t discourage strong smelling food being reheated or cooked in the kitchen or break room area.
The fact is, no matter how delicious that food is, if it smells strongly it is unappealing to most people to smell it all day, especially for clients or customers entering the office.
That doesn’t just apply to Indian or Asian food, but also applies to fish, dishes with lots of onions or garlic, or even sausage and sauerkraut. I dare her to burn a bag of popcorn in her office and not get the Evil Eye. That stuff is pervasive and will not go away soon. May as well just light a tire on fire and be done with it.
It’s not racism or bigotry to not want stinky smells in your office. Nor is it racist or bigoted to think someone should use a fork or a spoon (or chopsticks) since those things are readily available in the US.
Peach
The problem is those raised on an Indian diet heavy with turmeric, cumin, curry, and other spices cannot perceive the aroma like people not raised on that diet.
The nose “saturates” with odor. Try smelling a rose with three or more whiffs. By the fourth whiff, you can’t smell the rose any more!
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