What's happened to Dosas and Idlis?
Has anyone noticed that when someone talks about Indian food - they're usually referring to North Indian food.
Typical scenario: You're with a bunch of friends and you want to go eat some place. So, there's Italian(pizza), Fast food(Burgers), Chinese, Thai, Continental aanndddd Indian. Usually, when everyone ends up in an Indian restaurant, it's the Naans, Kulchas and PBM(Paneer Butter Masala for those hapless souls). It's so rare for someone to go eat South Indian food. It's not that people don't. South Indian food is more of an Indian "fast food" in the Darshinis. North Indian food is reserved for "occasions".
The situation is worse for people abroad. They talk about Indian food and no one seems to talk about Dosas and Idlis. It's always the biriyanis and tikkas. Have we reached a point where North Indian food has become the flag holder for Indian food?
I think so. Perhaps it's because South Indian people eat that food all the time at home. So they'd like a change when they go out. Atleast, that's the case with me.
But don't the North Indian people eat South Indian food? Hmm maybe not. Perhaps South Indian food isn't suited for their climate(the dosa batter doesn't ferment?). Perhaps, North Indians just don't like our food? I really don't know.
9 drops:
North Indians love dosas and idlis. Ask some of them.
And broadly, North Indian food is of better quality and variety. It is better garnished with more spices and everything else. The amount of racial mixing that has happened there has given them this rich plethora of options. However, how healthy spicy north Indian food is is another matter entirely.
Yus. As I have noted in my time spent here, up North, the Northies do love the dosas and idlis.
About your 'faarin' fiasco, I think it has more to do with the fact that a large number of Northies who migrated out, initially, had all pinned their hopes on faarin as a place to start afresh. Hence, jobs included opening restaurants, condiment shops, driving taxis and a plethora of other ('business') things which the faarin atmosphere allowed these guys to peacefully and successfully pursue. Whereas, when you consider South Indians, most people went abroad concerning their present jobs rather than seeking out fresh employment. Hence, the stereotype would've probably occurred - hardly any Southies opening food joints, so Indian food automatically becomes associated with the PBM and whatnot. And we all know how stereotypes and generalizations spiral into worlds of their own.
@Anupam: Better quality?! What do you mean by better quality? Do tell me how one defines the quality of food? Since there are more spices it becomes of a higher quality? Is that what you're trying to say?
I meant north Indian food is better garnished and has more variety, not of better quality. Forgive the error.
@Kau
Hit the spot.
Just a thought.
Assuming that both North Indians and South Indians were equally entrepreneurial, and equally migratory, South Indian food would probably appeal better to Western culture, on account of being less masalafied and more in tune with their tastes.
Also idlis seem highly marketable to the health obsessive Western population.
@Anupam
Hmm North Indian food may be more spicy because the temperatures are more extreme. Spices in foods keeps in from spoiling, hence, their food tends to be spicier. :D But I tend to think there's far more racial mixing in South India. I see lots of north guys coming south but the number of south guys going up seems to be lower by comparison.
@Kau
That makes a lot of sense. North Indians are always the business types.
But it's not just the faarin places. It's the same in South India as well. There are more northie entrepreneurs here. There seem to be lot more north indian eat-outs and restaurants than south indian ones.
@Baggy
Shame on Gultland. Less masalafied it seems. :( Neeki khaaram istum kada?
Ishtum. Kaani gult bijiness = Damar ( Satyam)
It is all thanks to globalisation/ information age.
Dosa has become a staple breakfast for quite a number of North Indians.
One more option why North Indian foods are appealing to lot of foreigners it they Have more choice in Non vegetarian.
Chicken curry is the British National dish, and consumed voraciously in Canada and US.
Also north Indian has the option of Bread (ie naan roti etc) which is more what foreigners like, compared to rice.
And also the Tandoor (the tandoor migrated from Russia, to Persia and then to Modern Pakistan and punjab), has caused North Indian food to popularize more. Dosa etc can be prepared at home but Tandoori cannot be made at home.
Also it is some what similar to the Barbeques of the west and a lot of them prefer to eat tandoori.
And north indian food tastes amazing especially Mughlai.
Mughlai kicks Chettinad ass.
Sheki is a bloody NID! Chicken Tikka Masala is the Brit national dish and it is nothing close to Indian except for a couple of spices. The way they make it is totally Brit, boring.
South Indian food kicks North Indian ass any day, to put it like how sheki did.
Yea breads are really important for the western guys.
@MV, lol
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