Gene Weingarten is being DRAGGED for his article hating on indian food

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Weingarten is a great satirist. To appreciate satire one must be open-minded. Since more and more people are becoming more rigidly close-minded (both on the left and right of the ideological spectrum), satire is — regrettably — less appreciated and less understood.

That is an overstatement. He is occasionally mildly amusing at best. Usually not funny or clever at all.

[Anonymous]

This is what the column looked like BEFORE they changed it.

[Anonymous]

Isn’t the joke of the article that gene Weingarten is a total fusspot about food?

[Anonymous]

He's funny.

- signed a Rasika devotee

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Indian and I am not offended by Weingarten’s article. The man is entitled to his taste preferences as we all are. Heck, even Indians from one part of the country will knock the cuisine of other states or complain that the food has meat, doesn’t have meat, too much spice, not enough spice…. and so on. Padma Lakshmi does not speak for me.

No one suggests he has to like Indian food. It is his breathtakingly ignorant claim that Indian food is entirely based on a single spice. The food of more than 1 billion people, from a sub-continent, and the very variety of spices that "Western" explorers and conquerors spent centuries seeking.

Well, the Indian food that most Americans have eaten is actually pretty one-dimensional. Case in point - Rasika . Order 5 different curries in Rasika and all the sauces taste the same. In fact, I would say that very few Indians (from India) have been exposed to regional home cooked meals. Unless you are an Indian who lived in a major metropolitan city and had a back-ground where you were in close contact with people from other regions (central govt, defense forces etc) you pretty much ate food cooked in your house or either a Tandoori restaurant (North Indian) or a Dosa place (South Indian).

But, as an Indian-American, I don't care if someone does not like Indian food. I do not like traditional thanksgiving food. It is just that I don't criticize it in front of anyone. Not because it is offensive and bad manners, but, mainly because taste in food is subjective and personal. I truly believe that you should dress for others (ie, ask others about if your dress sense is offensive or graceful) and eat for yourself (ie eat what tastes good to you). As long as Weingarten is dressed well, I don't care what he eats.

[Anonymous]

Ok, I agree with him on Rasika. It is perfectly suited for DC crowd and vastly overrated as far as Indian cuisine is concerned. But, they are making bank so more power to them. I will never eat at Rasika on my own dime. But, I have gone there many times because our friends host celebrations there. I have become very good in knowing what to avoid and how to craft a good enough combination of dishes so that it is not a bust. The worst thing to eat in any Indian restaurant in the US is Palak Paneer. It is basically hideous.

- Indian who thinks Rasika is overrated but suited to American tastes.

Anonymous wrote:He's funny.

- signed a Rasika devotee

[Anonymous]

He used to be a good journalist; I have liked some of his serious articles.

His column was never all that funny, and I think it didn't help that he was awash in self-congratulations even when he pretended not to be. Maybe the Pulitzer committee would like to give him an award for perfecting the humblebrag.

But now he's just a divorced guy with a much younger girlfriend who thinks being a curmudgeon in the same way a million other white guys is a curmudgeon is somehow edgy, and the only way someone would dislike him is if they misunderstand his edginess or just aren't as cool as he is.

His column is taking up space that could go to someone good. Does he need the money and the Post is taking pity on him, or what?

[Anonymous]

If you don’t like curry don’t order curry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He used to be a good journalist; I have liked some of his serious articles.

His column was never all that funny, and I think it didn't help that he was awash in self-congratulations even when he pretended not to be. Maybe the Pulitzer committee would like to give him an award for perfecting the humblebrag.

But now he's just a divorced guy with a much younger girlfriend who thinks being a curmudgeon in the same way a million other white guys is a curmudgeon is somehow edgy, and the only way someone would dislike him is if they misunderstand his edginess or just aren't as cool as he is.

His column is taking up space that could go to someone good. Does he need the money and the Post is taking pity on him, or what?

How *DARE* the paper publish something I don't like! Off to the gallows! He must be banished, cancelled, and utterly shut down and forced out of sight! HOW DARE HE EVEN BE ALLOWED TO EXIST!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is what the column looked like BEFORE they changed it.

Yikes. He doesn’t have an editor to inform him that curry (the spice) =\= curries (the type of food)? Embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

He’s allowed to dislike certain foods and people are allowed to dislike his column. Didn’t find the column funny though. If I want a rant about foods being weird I’ll talk to one of my distant relatives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like Gene Weingarten and I am Indian-American. He has my permission to dislike Indian food. Just like Kim Kardashian can hate Indian food and its a-OK with me. We all have our likes and dislikes and there are enough people (and countries) that love Indian food.

WaPo needs to chill.

- Indian American who is an avid cook and adore Thai food above all else.

I'm also Indian-American and you must have read the corrected version of the article and not the original where he said something like "Indian food all contains one spice, curry, and I hate curry". People who think Indian food means curry drive me CRAZY.

I don't care that he doesn't like Indian food. I don't like a lot of European-derived food, but I also don't say "I don't like kraut, therefore I don't like all German food" or "I don't like basil, so I don't like Italian food".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He makes no apologies I find it interesting that he lumped an entire nation's cuisine alongside 'sweet pickles' but if the Indian posters aren't offended, who am I to be?

This is the CORRECTED version. The original said all Indian food contained one spice called curry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am Indian and I am not offended by Weingarten’s article. The man is entitled to his taste preferences as we all are. Heck, even Indians from one part of the country will knock the cuisine of other states or complain that the food has meat, doesn’t have meat, too much spice, not enough spice…. and so on. Padma Lakshmi does not speak for me.

No one suggests he has to like Indian food. It is his breathtakingly ignorant claim that Indian food is entirely based on a single spice. The food of more than 1 billion people, from a sub-continent, and the very variety of spices that "Western" explorers and conquerors spent centuries seeking.

Well, the Indian food that most Americans have eaten is actually pretty one-dimensional. Case in point - Rasika . Order 5 different curries in Rasika and all the sauces taste the same. In fact, I would say that very few Indians (from India) have been exposed to regional home cooked meals. Unless you are an Indian who lived in a major metropolitan city and had a back-ground where you were in close contact with people from other regions (central govt, defense forces etc) you pretty much ate food cooked in your house or either a Tandoori restaurant (North Indian) or a Dosa place (South Indian).

But, as an Indian-American, I don't care if someone does not like Indian food. I do not like traditional thanksgiving food. It is just that I don't criticize it in front of anyone. Not because it is offensive and bad manners, but, mainly because taste in food is subjective and personal. I truly believe that you should dress for others (ie, ask others about if your dress sense is offensive or graceful) and eat for yourself (ie eat what tastes good to you). As long as Weingarten is dressed well, I don't care what he eats.

Why must white people call Indian dishes curries? I will never understand - are you referring to the various sauces the dishes are cooked in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is what the column looked like BEFORE they changed it.

Yikes. He doesn’t have an editor to inform him that curry (the spice) =\= curries (the type of food)? Embarrassing.

Along with the fact that “curry” is not a spice. “Curry powder” is a mixture of spices first popularized by the British. It’s sort of the opposite of the misunderstanding re “allspice” which many Americans grew up thinking was a combination of all the warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves but is actually just ground dried allspice berries.