In the mid 1990s, I worked with a British art director who, when she found out I was an Indian food addict, would pop her head into my office a couple times a week and ask, “Up for a curry today?” After the first few times she did this, I inquired about her sentence construction; she explained to me that in England, you don’t say, “Let’s go out for Indian food.” It’s “Let’s go out for a curry.” (There’s that indefinite article again.)
There was this Bangladeshi-owned place across the street where the two brothers who owned it wouldn’t bother taking our orders. Within ten minutes of sitting down, there’d be a vindaloo in front of my co-worker, a more mildly sauced plate of shrimp in front of me and we’d feed. Ah, to weigh 120 lbs. again ….
Yet another reason why I love Britain. Americans aren’t crazy about Indian food like the British, whose bonds with the Indian subcontinent are complicated and deep. Indian cuisine in America is still rather exotic fare, although here in Boston 1. It’s not terribly exotic, due to the large numbers of Indians living here and 2. It’s a cosmopolitan area, not just in the literal sense, but in its sensibilities. This said, never would any of my solidly middle-class neighbors here call the local Indian joint for takeout curry as a comparable British family would. No, the call would go to a Chinese restaurant if they were feeling adventuresome, and to Papa John’s on most other nights.
Thus why my brows perked up at this blog post on the Guardian‘s website yesterday asking readers, “What makes a good curry?” after reporting that government finance ministers attempted to work out a bailout plan for the country over an Indian meal. American politicians would never try to solve its economic woes over a plate a curry like the British would. I’m trying to imagine what foodstuffs our politicians would import into Washingtonian conference rooms, and all I’m coming up with are the florid pink and orange boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts and bad coffee.
What do you look for in a curry? Here’s one of my favorites: a coconut-based black-eyed pea curry I make all the time. It also happens to be economical: American politicians take note.
Related posts:
