PR Application- Indian Australian

[Wd40]

How could one not love Indian food? Or Chinese? Or Malay? Or Filipino? Or British fish and chips?

Whatever. I love them all the same. Sorry to them if some people are singling all other cuisine or singling out one particular cuisine, by choice.

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

[JR8]

Hence Indian food of any type and spicy food in general , anything that the non-Ang Moh folks perceive the ang moh cant handle, most will be able to eat it and plenty of it.

It's ironic that so much Indian food back home is a damned sight spicier than in India... or here come to that

Could your typical Indian handle a solid British-Indian curry.... well I don't know!

p.s. Even when I was at uni, you were considered a lightweight if you couldn't handle a 'Madras'. That would already be spicier than about 80+% of food in India IME. Of course the real-men amongst us relished vindaloos, pretending not to sweat or take the occasional gasp of air. Then there was the mythical 'phall'. You were the stuff of legends if you could handle that dish!

I wonder if you can get a phall in India? TBH I don't recall getting to eat anything in India that even approached a Madras in the spice-rankings. Perhaps these Indian fellows can't handle spice eh

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'Phall (sometimes spelled fall, faal, fahl, phaal, phal or paal) is a British Asian Indian curry dish, which originated in Indian restaurants in Birmingham, UK. It should not to be confused with the char-grilled, gravyless, finger food phall from Bangalore.[1]

It is one of the hottest forms of curry regularly available, even hotter than the vindaloo, using a large number of ground standard chilli peppers, or a hotter type of chilli such as scotch bonnet or habanero. Typically, the dish is a tomato-based thick curry and includes ginger and optionally fennel seeds.[2]

The phall has achieved notoriety as the hottest generally available dish from Indian restaurants. In 2008 in the UK, a charity competition in Hampshire was based on competitors eating increasingly hot phalls.[3]
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phall

[midlet2013]

Would you start eating with your hands if you go to India just bcus everybody else is doing it. Chopsticks are kool but hands are not I feel that people should not use hands at least when in public.

I am not blaming any culture. In Korea, office parties always have the same food (barbeque) and the seating is mostly floor even though nowadays, they are restaurants with chairs n tables. They are very keen on their culture and wont mind encouraging or subjecting foreigners to the same. At least, in Singapore, you are free to do what you want. That is a good thing. If a person wants new experiences , thats welcomed else eat what you want.

It is cultures, that expect others to embrace their norms, which are the ones with a superiority complex. A more reasonable culture is one which allows people to be comfortable and do/eat what they like.

Actually, I dont think it is embarrassing. Its actually good that people here have an option to eat anyway they want unlike korea or japan where u are forced to eat with chopsticks n sit on floor whether you are comfortable.

Korea and Japan are both culturally waaay more homogeneous. You can't expect every foodplace in either to cater for a table of non-locals who are never going to suddenly show up one day. I don't recall feeling 'forced' to use chopsticks in either country. At the time when I didn't know how to, I just went to places where I didn't have to use them (McDonalds, Tony Romas, even eating sushi should be done with your hands). But my colleagues took great/amused pleasure in teaching me how to use them, particularly in the relatively tricky JPnese style, i.e held together and parallel, and rotated around a mid-stick axis. It was all part of bonding I suppose, plus I was then able to go and savour local food in places that wouldn't have cutlery. Watcha gonna do... live in Japan and never get to enjoy shabu-shabu or sukiyaki, simply because you can't eat either with a fork and spoon?

As an indian, I eat all kinds of food (beef or pork). And yet , I know Singaporeans and other nationalalties, who will eat anything except Indian. If you ask for suggestions, they will suggest anything from Local to Japanese to Korean to French to Italian but never never never Indian. And if they ever end up in an Indian restaurant, they will act as lost as I will be in Antarctica. And yet, they have spent a bulk of their life in Singapore which has different types of food options.

I know plenty of British people who won't/don't/'can't' eat Indian food. It's unfamiliar, hence a risk, 'No I can't have Indian, it'd be so hot it'd kill me; I think I'll have fish and chips instead'. This is more common amongst the older, the poorer, and those who haven't travelled far. How many SGns or Indians would be confident going to say a smarter British restaurant and figuring out how to correctly use the 5 sets of cutlery and 3 glasses in the place-setting of a typical 5-course meal? Easier going down the local Indian/Chinese maybe?

My parents act 'pretty lost' when ever we eat somewhere where the food is at all spicy. They can be overly concerned that the meal will be wasted as it'll be too spicy for them to eat. Even the mildest of mild 'kormas' might have them turning beetroot and gasping for breath It's not that they aren't willing to try (they have travelled around Asia quite widely, including India + Sr Lanka), just they can't compute why you'd want to kill quality ingredients, and make it so challenging to enjoy.

That said, for rather contrary reasons they've really taken to Lingham's sweet chili sauce. Perhaps it's because they know precisely what to expect of it; and that they can deal with it. They would have first had it staying with me here in the 90's. Nowadays there's always a bottle in the cupboard (even Waitrose back home stock it these days). And when ever my mother cooks up a trad British fish pie, one of our collective favs, that bottle of Linghams will be on the table, guaranteed

[midlet2013]

Agreed. If you try indian food and dont like, its fair. But we are talking about people who have never tried and yet seem to think they dont want eat Indian. And this is when there are 100s of Indian eataries in Singapore.

How could one not love Indian food? Or Chinese? Or Malay? Or Filipino? Or British fish and chips?

Whatever. I love them all the same. Sorry to them if some people are singling all other cuisine or singling out one particular cuisine, by choice.

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

[JR8]

Afterthought: I think a lot of food that might be considered challenging originates out of necessity. Scottish 'black pudding' [blood sausage]. British smoked kippers. Norwegian gamelost ['old cheese'], or Rømmegrøt [porridge made with sour cream and salt]. Malay petai beans [aka Stink beans], and durian. I don't imagine that Thai roast grasshoppers or Japanese fugu [pufferfish] started out other than through survival.

Wasn't Indian spicing meant to originate from masking borderline fresh meat during an era without refrigeration?

Anyway, there's work to be done.

Note to self: I've read as far as Midlet's/1.35pm post, but yet to reply to that and others thereafter.

[ecureilx]

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

Lot of Singaporeans know Indian "restaurants" are very expensive ... and I never had any Singaporean I know refuse muthu curry or banana leaf, when it was a company gathering or somebody was paying the bill. And my former Chinese bosses have hosted company gatherings in one or other race course restaurants ...

Muthu curry and their fish head ? Ok, that's where I stir the pot more and say, those are based on Tamil dishes which the rest of India detest... but they are not out of this world for any Tamil person, native or from India. And the taste Is not outlandish for any Tamil person, other than the pure vegetarians.

And yes. For Singaporeans Prata and dosai is well known, because majority of the Singapore Indians were / are Tamil.

[rajagainstthemachine]

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

man you just jump to huge conclusions or form highly generic opinions, just because you see a whole lot of people in Japanese/Korean/western places it doesn't mean that they are all Singaporeans it could be a mix of locals/expats/tourists.

btw all three places you mentioned are not great, swensons make some disgusting food, Sushi Tei is better that Sakae Sushi and Bali Thai I haven't tried that.
The trouble with Indian food places here is they offer either North Indian or South Indian food. There is much more variety than that in India.
for e.g there is no place offering Goan food, I've seen a few Nepali restaurants, 0 north east Indian cuisine, 2 Kerala restaurants and 1 Gujarati place.
people kind of get tired eating a fish head curry or a butter chicken and curry you know?
plus most of the Indian food in restaurants is generally heavy and you can't eat it everyday. I for most part stay away from Indian food as much as I can, primarily because I'm too busy trying out other cuisines with chopsticks,hands or other paraphernalia.

[midlet2013]

For someone advising people not to jump to conclusion, you were quick to assume that your opinion on Swensons, Sushi Tei, etc is a generalization.

Not surprized to know that you have tried the western and japanese ones but skipped the Bali Thai. My hierarchy is similar- west, east asia, rest of asia.

I am a big fan of straws too. Straws for Shabu Shabu

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

man you just jump to huge conclusions or form highly generic opinions, just because you see a whole lot of people in Japanese/Korean/western places it doesn't mean that they are all Singaporeans it could be a mix of locals/expats/tourists.

btw all three places you mentioned are not great, swensons make some disgusting food, Sushi Tei is better that Sakae Sushi and Bali Thai I haven't tried that.
The trouble with Indian food places here is they offer either North Indian or South Indian food. There is much more variety than that in India.
for e.g there is no place offering Goan food, I've seen a few Nepali restaurants, 0 north east Indian cuisine, 2 Kerala restaurants and 1 Gujarati place.
people kind of get tired eating a fish head curry or a butter chicken and curry you know?
plus most of the Indian food in restaurants is generally heavy and you can't eat it everyday. I for most part stay away from Indian food as much as I can, primarily because I'm too busy trying out other cuisines with chopsticks,hands or other paraphernalia.

[rajagainstthemachine]

For someone advising people not to jump to conclusion, you were quick to assume that your opinion on Swensons, Sushi Tei, etc is a generalization.

Not surprized to know that you have tried the western and japanese ones but skipped the Bali Thai. My hierarchy is similar- west, east asia, rest of asia.

I am a big fan of straws too. Straws for Shabu Shabu

Well, have a look at a Sakae sushi or a Bali Thai or Swensons etc, always thronged with Singaporeans. Cant say the same for Indian restaurant, even the Muthu curry which is supposed to served local fish head curry, which is not really from mainland India, is frequented by Ang mohs than Singaporeans.

man you just jump to huge conclusions or form highly generic opinions, just because you see a whole lot of people in Japanese/Korean/western places it doesn't mean that they are all Singaporeans it could be a mix of locals/expats/tourists.

btw all three places you mentioned are not great, swensons make some disgusting food, Sushi Tei is better that Sakae Sushi and Bali Thai I haven't tried that.
The trouble with Indian food places here is they offer either North Indian or South Indian food. There is much more variety than that in India.
for e.g there is no place offering Goan food, I've seen a few Nepali restaurants, 0 north east Indian cuisine, 2 Kerala restaurants and 1 Gujarati place.
people kind of get tired eating a fish head curry or a butter chicken and curry you know?
plus most of the Indian food in restaurants is generally heavy and you can't eat it everyday. I for most part stay away from Indian food as much as I can, primarily because I'm too busy trying out other cuisines with chopsticks,hands or other paraphernalia.

it was not an assumption rather an opinion, I actually ate in Swensons a few times and it sucked every time. I would never eat there again. same for Sakae Sushi, I didn't skip the Bali Thai, I haven't tried it yet, I have however tried Balinese food and Thai food separately in Indonesia and Thailand respectively.

For all of these cuisines I prefer not to go to dine in restaurants but to normal "eating houses" where the food tastes more genuine and you don't feel like you've been ripped off.

[ecureilx]

In defense of Svensons, they are force feeding us oil. to keep oil prices higher

[x9200]

I agree. Every food has some good elements.

And I am completely surprized to see singaporeans, having lived here for decades, have no clue about any Indian food. For them , Indian food is RotiPrata.

How could one not love Indian food? Or Chinese? Or Malay? Or Filipino? Or British fish and chips?

Whatever. I love them all the same. Sorry to them if some people are singling all other cuisine or singling out one particular cuisine, by choice.

But this is what Indians do too, so why surprised? I am surprised but then I would never say there is some popular food around in Singapore that I could not eat.
I am an Angmoh but my favorite food is Indian. I like it (as one of the reasons) because it is pretty heavy. Malay, redang, curries and such comes probably the second. And the Thai. I like less Chinese and Korean (I don't favore water/steam boiled food in general) but I still enjoy many of the dishes and I would never say I can not eat it.

[midlet2013]

Yep, I agree. I am saying that most indians are missing a lot of good stuff. But they are not the only ones.
Another point I wanna make is that lets not blame such people, lets feel sorry for them

Not just food, I also think some Indian movies, clothes and travel spots are world class. And, one may want to consider trying them once in a while in addition to the usual stuff most people try.

I agree. Every food has some good elements.

And I am completely surprized to see singaporeans, having lived here for decades, have no clue about any Indian food. For them , Indian food is RotiPrata.

How could one not love Indian food? Or Chinese? Or Malay? Or Filipino? Or British fish and chips?

Whatever. I love them all the same. Sorry to them if some people are singling all other cuisine or singling out one particular cuisine, by choice.

But this is what Indians do too, so why surprised? I am surprised but then I would never say there is some popular food around in Singapore that I could not eat.
I am an Angmoh but my favorite food is Indian. I like it (as one of the reasons) because it is pretty heavy. Malay, redang, curries and such comes probably the second. And the Thai. I like less Chinese and Korean (I don't favore water/steam boiled food in general) but I still enjoy many of the dishes and I would never say I can not eat it.

[ecureilx]

Not just food, I also think some Indian movies, clothes and travel spots are world class.

Well, pun intended ..

With a billion population anything that comes out of India is world class, including Sachin and anybody who disagrees faces the wrath of a billion souls

Like a banner that being held up during the world cup that went 1 every sixth man of the world is supporting the Indian team .. bit scary anyway, to see that

Then again the rest of the world has no choice ..

Indian business houses now own Jaguar, Land Rover and more of their former colonial masters ... for a start

[JR8]

Would you start eating with your hands if you go to India just bcus everybody else is doing it. Chopsticks are kool but hands are not I feel that people should not use hands at least when in public.

It would depend upon the circumstances. For example I don't recall the dhosa-wallahs, on the seemingly endless train journeys ever providing cutlery

But for me it would come down to hygiene. If I could wash my hands before eating, using your hands has several advantages. I remember on arriving home from India trying to get my parents to eat a meal with their hands... hehehe... no chance!

[JR8]

it was not an assumption rather an opinion, I actually ate in Swensons a few times and it sucked every time. I would never eat there again. same for Sakae Sushi, I didn't skip the Bali Thai, I haven't tried it yet, I have however tried Balinese food and Thai food separately in Indonesia and Thailand respectively.
For all of these cuisines I prefer not to go to dine in restaurants but to normal "eating houses" where the food tastes more genuine and you don't feel like you've been ripped off.

^+1
Swensons tries to be Western, but at prices that are competitive in Singapore. The result is (to the Western palate) the swill they serve up. Same goes for the bread in Subway sandwiches. Same goes for Sakae sushi. JPnese without quality ($) ingredients is doomed to fail, that's Sakae Sushi for you.

Bali Thai.... can't say I've heard of it.