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[Food] World gone Madras?







Neville's Breakfast

Well-known member
May 1, 2016
13,450
Oxton, Birkenhead
Mostly Cantonese I believe.

I accidentally went to an authentic Chinese restaurant once in Birmingham, most people were cooking their own stuff in the middle of the table and there was an abundance of intestines on the menu!

They certainly have some interesting ingredients. Never could bring myself to order chicken feet and crunch the bones like the locals. That aside, the big difference is the blandness of Chinese and Indian food in England. In continental Europe it is even worse. We once had a curry in Switzerland and mentioned this to the waiter, who was from Leicester. He told us the Swiss couldn’t cope with any spice at all. I’m not keen either on the food turning up swimming in oil ; another western ‘adaptation.’
 


Poojah

Well-known member
Nov 19, 2010
1,881
Leeds
Surely the overwhelming majority of people realise that when entering a British Indian restaurant, what they are getting is not reflective of what you will find in the family kitchens of India? You can apply the same to the vast majority of mainstream British takeaway food - it's basically food with occasionally distant roots in a country's traditional dishes and often with very little connection at all; how many people in Guandong Province, China, tucking into crispy chicken balls and generic "curry sauce" right now?

Of course, you can get more traditional restaurants which aim to be more reflective of genuine, local delicacies. I suspect in such places (in fact I can think of several) you're not going to see the word 'curry' popping up all over the place. Either way, it's an English word, created by English people, used primarily by English people. If we want to go back through history and cancel all words with links to morally questionable regimes or campaigns, we're going to be a very quiet society.
 


kjgood

Well-known member
Looks like we have a lot of changing to do;


Avatar

From Hindi अवतार, from Sanskrit, descent of a deity from a heaven

Aloo

from Hindi, Urdu, and Sanskrit ālū .

Bandana

from bandhna (बांधना) to tie.

Bangle

from bāngṛī बांगड़ी, a type of bracelet.

Bartan


sometimes used in English to refer to utensils

Blighty

"Britain" (as a term of endearment among British troops stationed in Colonial India): from Hindi-Urdu vilāyatī (विलायती, ولايتى) "foreign", ultimately from Arabo-Persian ولايتي "provincial, regional".

Bungalow

from बंगला banglA and Urdu بنگلہ banglA, literally, "(house) in the Bengal style".[1]

Charpoy

from 'chār', چار, चार, meaning 'four' and 'pāī', पाई, meaning 'foot'.

Chaat

an Indian dish of boiled vegetables or raw fruit, with spices (from Hindi cāṭ).

Cheetah

from chītā, چیتا, चीता, meaning "variegated".

Chhatri

from Hindi छतरी (chatrī, “umbrella, canopy”).

Chit

from چٹھی चिट्ठी chitthi, a letter or note.

Chutney

from 'chaṭnī', چٹنی, चटनी, ultimately derived from full-infinitive word 'chāṭnā', چاٹنا, चाटना, meaning 'to lick'.

Cot

from khāṭ, खाट, a bed.

Chowkat

from Chokath, Urdu, a door frame.

Cummerbund

from kamarband , cf. कमरबन्द - originally from Persian کمربند, meaning "waist binding" [ultimately from Persian کمربند]

Cushy

probably from khushi, cf. Hindi ख़ुशी - originally from Persian خوشی "easy, happy, soft" [ultimately from Persian];[2] but some sources prefer an origin from "cushion"[3]

Dacoit

from Daku, meaning a member of a class of criminals who engage in organized robbery and murder. Hence also dacoity (banditry)

Dekko
(UK slang for 'a look') from دیکھو देखो Dekho, the imperative 'look', (دیکھو देखो) meaning look at or study something.

Dinghy

from Dinghi, small boat, wherry-boat

Dungaree

Heavy denim fabric, also referring to trousers made thereof, from Hindi डूंगरी (ḍūṅgrī, “coarse calico”), first worn by labourers in the Dongri area of Mumbai (Bombay).

Garam masala

from Hindi गरम मसाला and Urdu گرم مصالح garam masālā, literally "hot ( = spicy) mixture",[4] from Persian گرم garm 'warm, hot' and Arabic مصالح maṣāliḥ 'benefits, requirements, ingredients'.

Gavial

from Hindi ghaṛiyāl, घड़ियाल, ultimately derived from the Sanskrit word घण्टिक.

Guru

from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Sanskrit गुरु guru "one to be honored, teacher," literally "heavy, weighty."[5]

Gymkhana

A term which originally referred to a place where sporting events take place and referred to any of various meets at which contests were held to test the skill of the competitors. In English-speaking countries, a gymkhana refers to a multi-game equestrian event performed to display the training and talents of horses and their rider [-khānā from Pers. khānāh خانه "house, dwelling"]

Jaconet

modification of Sanskrit jagannaath, from Jagannath Puri, India, where such cloth was first made.[6]

Jodhpurs

Full-length trousers, worn for horseback riding, that are close-fitting below the knee, flared and roomy at the thigh, and have reinforced patches on the inside of the leg. Named after Jodhpur, where similar garments are worn by Indian men as part of everyday dress.

Juggernaut

from Jagannath (Sanskrit: जगन्नाथ jagannātha, Odia: ଜଗନ୍ନାଥ jagannātha), a form of Vishnu particularly worshipped at the Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha where during Rath Yatra festival thousands of devotees pull three temple carts some 14m (45 feet) tall, weighing hundreds of tons through the streets. These carts seat three statues of the deities, meant to be two brothers and their sister for a 'stroll' outside after the ritual worship session. They are fed by thousands and thousands of worshipers with holy food, as if the icons were living. Early European visitors witnessed these festivals and returned with—possibly apocryphal—reports of religious fanatics committing suicide by throwing themselves under the wheels of the carts. So the word became a metaphor for something immense and unstoppable because of institutional or physical inertia; or impending catastrophe that is foreseeable yet virtually unavoidable because of such inertia.

Jungle

from جنگل जंगल jangal of Persian origin, another word for wilderness or forest, which was borrowed from Sanskrit जङ्गल jaṅgala meaning "uncultivated land, desert."

Khaki

from ख़ाकी khākī "of dust colour, dusty, grey", cf. Hindi ख़ाकी - Urdu خاکی [ultimately from Persian].

Karma

from Sanskrit, the result of a person's actions as well as the actions themselves. It is a term about the cycle of cause and effect.

Kedgeree

from Hindi खिचड़ी, Kedgeree is thought to have originated with the Indian rice-and-bean or rice-and-lentil dish khichri, traced back to 1340 or earlier.

Loot

from Loot لوٹ लूट, meaning 'steal'. Robbery

Multan

from Multan, Pakistan: A kind of rug prevalent there.[7]

Mogul

from Hindi and Urdu: An acknowledged leader in a field, from the Mughal rulers of India like Akbar and Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal.

Maharaja

from Hindi and Sanskrit: A king.

Mantra

from Hindi and Sanskrit: a word or phrase used in meditation.

Masala

from Urdu, to refer to Indian flavoured spices

Nirvana

(in Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism) a transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma and the cycle of death and rebirth. It represents the final goal of Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism.

Pashmina

from Hindi पश्मीना, Urdu پشمينه, ultimately from Persian پشمينه.
Punch

from Hindi and Urdu panch پانچ, meaning "five". The drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.[8][9] The original drink was named paantsch.

Pundit
from पण्डित Pandit, meaning a learned scholar or Priest.
Pukka
(UK slang: "genuine") from Pakkā पक्का,پکا cooked, ripe, solid.

Pyjamas
from Hindi and Urdu, पैजामा (paijaamaa), meaning "leg garment", coined from Persian پاى "foot, leg" and جامه "garment" .[10]

Raita

from Hindi and Urdu रायता رائتہ rayta.[11] yogurt based dish, some add sliced/chopped/diced, cucumbers, onions, tomatoes, pineapples, pomegranate or other salads to complement rice or roti meals.

Roti

from Hindi and Urdu रॊटी روٹی roti "bread"; akin to Prakrit रॊट्ट rotta "rice flour", Sanskrit रोटिका rotika "kind of bread".[12]

Shampoo

Derived from Hindustani chāmpo (चाँपो [tʃãːpoː]) (verb imperative, meaning "rub!"), dating to 1762.[13]

Teapoy

from charpoy चारपाई,چارپائی Teen payi in Hindi-Urdu, meaning "three legged" or "coffee table".[14]

Thug

from Thagi ठग,ٹھگ Thag in Hindi-Urdu, meaning "thief or con man".[15]

Tickety-boo

possibly from Hindi ठीक है, बाबू (ṭhīk hai, bābū), meaning "it's all right, sir".[16]

Toddy (also Hot toddy)

from Tārī ताड़ी, juice of the palmyra palm.[17]

Typhoon

from Urdu طوفان toofaan.[18] A cyclonic storm.

Veranda

from Hindi baramdaa बरामदा, but ultimately from Portuguese.[19][20]
 






Brovion

In my defence, I was left unsupervised.
NSC Patron
Jul 6, 2003
19,808
Yep, similar applies to ‘Chinese’ food in England. Doesn’t bear much resemblance to the real thing.

Indeed. Also I used to work with an Italian guy who went absolutely batshit mental if anyone said "Domino's Pizza". (Or Papa John's, or indeed any brand). Cue massive rant about how the Americans had stolen and bastardised Italian culture, aided by traitors who dared to call themselves 'Italian-Americans'. It was a real full-on complete hatstand job.

He took pizza so seriously that he spent well over a grand building his own pizza oven at home. He imported everything, bricks and all, as he didn't trust anything that wasn't Italian.
 




hart's shirt

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
11,001
Kitbag in Dubai
On Saturday, I had a green curry. On Sunday, I had a red curry.

I still can't decide which one was better.

It's probably a Thai.
 








Raleigh Chopper

New member
Sep 1, 2011
12,054
Plymouth
Indeed. I would f**king love it if you could easily get dosas for breakfast over here.

You can, sort of, I had Curry for breakfast at a Sri Lankan wedding in London including Dosas.
I went to an English owned Indian restaurant once in Blackpool, they made us pay before they served the food and the starter was Bombay Mix.
 




Bakero

Languidly clinical
Oct 9, 2010
14,838
Almería
You can, sort of, I had Curry for breakfast at a Sri Lankan wedding in London including Dosas.
I went to an English owned Indian restaurant once in Blackpool, they made us pay before they served the food and the starter was Bombay Mix.

I just need to gatecrash a Sri Lankan wedding in London every time I fancy a breakfast dosa then :lolol:
 




mr sheen

Well-known member
Jan 17, 2008
1,564
I told my Naan about this, and she felt the same. I'd got in a right lime pickle.. so she gently chapati'd me on the head, then told me not to worry as the future looked Roti.

???
Careful, all that bread,you'll end up being as sick as a paratha
 








Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,813
Uffern
Indeed. I would f**king love it if you could easily get dosas for breakfast over here.

I make dosas quite often ... and occasionally have one left over for breakfast. But usually, I'm a greedy sod and have scoffed them the evening before
 


Cotton Socks

Skint Supporter
Feb 20, 2017
2,085
I get a bit tikka'ed off about these stories. Every one has a raitha to their opinion.
 




knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,098
So how upset would your average Indian be? Would he or she be as upset as I would be, if I discovered that Indians used the word "bread" to describe food that wasn't really bread? Because I don't honestly think I'd care.

The North/South divide is massive. Boris loves you ❤️.
 


A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Sep 1, 2017
20,388
Deepest, darkest Sussex
Much as I’d like to take the piss out of people who fall for this sort of thing, it’s better to biryani the hatchet
 


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