Well, I might as well put my hand up now. I don’t like Indian food. The fact is I just don’t like spicy food much (and I once described a poppadom as being a bit spicy!) which is largely down to being spoiled rotten when I was a kid by a mother who wouldn’t force me to eat things I didn’t like. She’s some woman – I thought *everyone* had different meals made for different kids at different times …
If you’re a British man, admitting to a dislike of Indian food is tantamount to admitting you�re no fun because Indian food is associated with drinking and drinking is in turn associated with having fun (don’t blame me – that’s how it is). So when Mark Rittman suggested we might switch to an Indian restaurant for the blogger dinner at the upcoming UKOUG conference, my heart sank. Not only because I would have to go hungry or eat a rubbery piece of steak or chicken with frozen chips (fries), but because I would have to *admit* it. It�s a masculinity issue 😉
Well, stone me if other Indian food phobics didn’t come out of the woodwork! Thanks to Pete Finnigan and Richard Byrom, it looks like I won’t be the sad bloke in the corner that everyone’s laughing at. (Trust me, this whole Indian thing can get out of control!) Of course, they may actually love Indian food and have other reasons for abstaining while at the conference, but I won’t go there.
The last thing I have to say about food here, probably forever, is that this is all just a big smoke-screen for the fact that I don’t like many foods at all, actually. Whenever I get a dinner invitation, I have to fire straight over to the website for the restaurant to check whether I’ll have to come up with an excuse why I can’t make it. I have got a *little* better over the years – I eat pasta Bolognese now – but let’s just say that not liking cheese, butter, garlic (getting better), spicy food (can just about run to Cajun chicken – with lots of beer),? ? most fruits, cream, salmon, tuna, (this could go on for a while) is a little limiting. Lump of meat and chips – that about covers it for me. I had a nice teriyaki steak last night, but that was pretty adventurous really.
So Doug, do you mind Chinese? Or are we going to have to go to McDonalds…?
Chinese is great! As I said (and I wasn’t kidding) I immediately checked it out on the web and I’m laughing 😉
Cheers
Here on this side of Atlantic I was working in project where there were many Indians. One day a bunch of us decided to go to an Indian restaurant. An American colleague who was with us was sitting in our table, he was surrounded by Indian guys all sides. Let us call him D. He was the only American in our table of 6 people. At the dinner table many of us were adding hot chutney to our food. Some of them were adding lots of the chutney. D, who was sitting right amongst us felt the peer pressure added lots of extra chutney, but started perspiring
soon, his face turned red. He drank lots of coke.
The next day I checked with him, he said he had a stomach problem and had to use the restroom couple of times extra the previous evening.
Dont worry people, dont let this scare you away from Indian food. Personally I think Indian food is the best of all – the taste is there in it. Not like many other food which taste like sand paper.
I think that’s my problem with it … too much taste!
BBbbooooo
🙂
I know, I know … I told you it was embarassing!!!
If it’s any consolation, I can see how great Indian food is, smell how great it is, but I just have terribly under-developed taste buds!
It’s my loss.
Cheers,
Doug
Under-developed tastebuds? More like being Scottish. My father came from Glasgow and I know from many family holidays that in Scotalnd salt is considered a spice 😉
Cheers, APC
Indian—Yuck. Anything from the ocean — Double Yuck. Give me a good old burger with a plate full of fries (chips?) and I’m set.
Bbboooo to Jeff too
🙂
APC said…
“Under-developed tastebuds? More like being Scottish. My father came from Glasgow and I know from many family holidays that in Scotalnd salt is considered a spice ;)”
Yeah, I know 😉 but I think we’re getting better! My dad had much more limited tastes than me and I would say I’m in the minority these days. Check out all the Indian restaraunts and Pakora bars.
Jeff said…
“Indian—Yuck. Anything from the ocean — Double Yuck. Give me a good old burger with a plate full of fries (chips?) and I’m set.”
Aahhh, a kindred spirit 😉
Yup – indian food “BURNS” both ways 😉
I hear ya, Doug! Being allergic to chicken, and adverse to spicey food, there isn’t much in an Indian restaurant that would appeal to me.
Of course, every time our team goes out on a lunch we ALWAYS wind up somewhere Asian. Except, oddly enough, the one time our Chinese team member chose the restaurant. He wanted to try something different, so we went to “Big T’s” – southern US BBQ food. You never heard so much complaining! I felt like saying: Listen, if I can sit through Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Bhutanese, whatever, month after month, you can try food from one of the other 5 continents once in a while!!
Rob, something funny going on with blogger comment notification – I got this about 12 hours after you posted it!
I’m just pleased I’m not the only one 😉
Cheers,
Doug
EEK! Rob Vollman has a new photo!
I agree with Rob’s Chinese collegue “eat as the locals do” So next time I’m in Calgary it’s AAA Alberta steak – that’ll please my vegetarian daughter.
But what is Brummie food?
pete_s said
“But what is Brummie food?”
Chips! Which is what I’ll probably be eating most other nights 😉
“EEK! Rob Vollman has a new photo!”
EEK?
Not exactly the reaction I was expecting!
Next time you’re in Calgary you let me know and I’ll take you for the best steak you ever had. And the best part is that since its Calgary, you can wear jeans to even the classiest restaurant. 🙂
And no, you’re not alone Doug. Here it seems like people would eat the month-old science experiments in the back of my fridge if I told them it was Asian cuisine.
Doug and I worked together in the past, when he found a soulmate even fussier than him !!! Doug and I lived on chips and pies for a couple of years with few ill effects, although it sounds like Doug has branched out into some really exotic stuff these days.