Yummy in my tummy

I love Indian food. I love eating it. I love cooking it. Contrary to what people think, its not all that spicy, you can control the spice level if you cook it yourself. It’s also pretty easy to make. At least my mom’s recipes are. 

So why do many Indian Americans dislike Indian food? I understand I am generalizing but I’ve heard anecdotally many Indian parents say their kids don’t like Indian food. They don’t eat Indian food, instead prefer Italian or Mexican or Thai. I’ve experienced first hand parents making two separate meals for parties. One meal consisting of chicken nuggets and pasta for their kids and the other curries, rotis, and subjis (vegetables) for the adults. I remember being confused at these parties as to what I should be eating. Should I eat pasta like all the other kids and secretly wish I was eating chicken curry and roti or should I be the rebel kid and eat Indian food? Because gosh darn it – I like my curry and roti!  

Quite a conundrum. 

The other day an Indian mom boasted about her son cooking gourmet meals, which included Italian and Mexican food. “He doesn’t like Indian food,” she said. This comment got me thinking about why Indian American kids (and their parents) are so boastful about their kids not eating Indian food. Do they truly not like Indian food, which is understandable or do they not like Indian food because they are embarrassed of eating something different or do they want to fit in with their peers who eat sandwiches and pasta and pizza or are they distancing themselves from the Indian culture? 

I’ve always wanted to ask parents or Indian American kids this question, but have been too afraid to ask.

In the US and around the world, Indian cuisine is gaining traction. Many non-Indian people love Indian food – minus the spiciness. I’ve gone to lunch with my co-workers and they’ve happily eaten chicken tikka masala, naan, raita, kheer. If non-Indian love Indian food, why can’t Indian Americans?

I understand the the need to assimilate into the American culture argument, something I’m dealing with right now, but why does it have to come at the expense of food that is both delicious and healthy? Why not embrace all the spices, flavors and unique preparation styles instead of running away from it? Eating and cooking Indian food doesn’t make me or anyone any less American. Quite the opposite. People are impressed that 1) I actually cook and don’t eat out like majority of young people and 2) I cook Indian food at home. (I am an impressive person outside of my culinary skills 🙂 )

Indian food is not only delicious but also uses ingredients that many in the Western world are now realizing have beneficial properties. Spices used in cooking such as turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties while ginger, cardamom, and coriander are digestive aids. Additionally, Indian cuisine is predominantly vegetarian and consists of wheat, beans, nuts, a variety of vegetables. So when kids say they don’t like eating Indian food, they’re giving up eating foods that provide essential health benefits. Chicken nuggets or hot dogs are cool foods that other kids at school are familiar with, but they don’t offer the same level of flavor and healthiness that a home cooked Indian meal offers. 

My mom visited me one weekend during business school and I treated my two best non-Indian friends to authentic Marathi style Indian food – chicken curry and cauliflower subji. This is authentic homemade food that most non Indian people miss out on. My friends loved the food so much that one of them even asked me to prepare the chicken curry dish for her. Little did she know that I had never before cooked chicken curry at home. I even made carrot halwa for my friends at one of our dinner parties. If non Indians love the flavors and the cuisine and eat Indian food with gusto, why do many Indian Americans not like it? If Italian Americans (aka Americans) or Mexican Americans (aka Mexican Americans)  are proud to eat their own cuisine, Indian American should too. 

Wow, I’m on quite a role and am getting hungry as I write this post. Don’t get me started on all my favorite foods – pav bhaji, vada pav, fish curry, chaat…..

Indian food has so much to offer from flavor to spices with health benefits to variety (North Indian cuisine is soooooo different than South Indian cuisine) and for vegetarians, there’s no cuisine that better flavors vegetables than Indian cuisine. Many people think that Indian food is complicated to cook but once you have all the spices, all you need to do is combine them with various combinations of vegetables and voila — you have a lovely meal. I think its time that parents teach their kids to be proud of this one very important aspect of their culture because Indian food is yummy in the tummy.