Written by humor columnist Gene Weingarten, the Washington Post column notes that Indian food is based entirely on one spice,' and that doesn't sit well with the 'Top Chef' host.
- Aug 25, 2021
AceShowbiz - Padma Lakshmi has a lengthy reaction to a Washington Post opinion column that dissed Indian cuisine. Written by humor columnist Gene Weingarten, the column, which was published last week, noted that Indian food is "based entirely on one spice," and that didn't sit well with Padma.
Alongside screenshots of the column, Padma wrote on Twitter, "What in the white nonsense is this?" She also commented on Gene's tweet in which he claimed that he went to Rasika, DC's best Indian restaurant. "Food was beautifully prepared yet still swimming with the herbs & spices I most despise," the writer said.
To that, Padma responded, "On behalf of 1.3 billion people, kindly f**k off." She went on to say, "Is this really the type of colonizer 'hot take' @washingtonpost wants to publish in 2021- sardonically characterizing curry as 'one spice' and that all of India's cuisine is based on it?" The "Top Chef" host also suggest Gene to educate himself on "spices, flavor and taste, promoting her book "The Encyclopedia of Spices & Herbs".
Not stopping there, the "Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day" author wrote a lengthy scathing message on her Instagram account. "There is truly no need for something like this to be published in 2021 (or ever). It's racist and lazy at best," she wrote.
"My issue is not this person's performative contrarianism (although it is tedious) or that he didn't enjoy the Indian cuisines he's tasted," she clarified. "My problem is in this attempt at a comedic piece he's actually just regurgitating old colonizer tropes, gleefully reducing the culture and country of 1.3 billion people to a (frankly) weak punchline- and that the @washingtonpost published it."
Gene has yet to comment on the matter.
