WHY Indian Food ?

[GregUK]

I think there are a couple of issues here:

 

1) Is the Indian food offered truly Indian and not a Westernised version? Incidentally, most of the UK Indian restaurants are run by Bangladeshi people.

 

2) It is easy to use poor cuts of meat/leftovers and cloak them in a generic spicy sauce and call it 'curry'. Are the chefs doing this as a cost-cutting measure?

 

 

There are several distinctive regional cuisines within the Indian sub-continent. I would be more impressed if a menu concentrated on a particular Indian region rather than just a generic "Indian" or "curry".

Edited May 24, 2011 by GregUK

[Dunmore2]

I love the Indian foods offered daily in the buffet on Celebrity. A few days in a row, I kept running into a pair of officers as I was filling my plate with the curried fish. I mentioned something to them about how much I enjoyed the Indian food and I hoped it would continue to be offered. They assured me that it was the absolute favorite of most of the high ranking officers and it most certainly would be there for many years to come.

 

We sat next to the captain at a formal dinner and he told me the same. One of his priorities is to keep his staff happy, which means a comfortable bed and good food. Since his officers like Indian food, that is what they get. He often eats below deck at the staff cafeteria and they have even more Indian dishes on offer there, often spicier.

 

We are lucky to be served a variety of food from around the world. We all have different tastes and can't fault someone who does or does not agree with ours.

[piscesgal223]

*Twice* I've bought Indian sauces that you add to chicken or lamb-and they're VERY spicy-one person's mild is another person's "This is too spicy for me!"

[Dunmore2]

*Twice* I've bought Indian sauces that you add to chicken or lamb-and they're VERY spicy-one person's mild is another person's "This is too spicy for me!"

That is so true!!

[capncarp]

I shocked the poor Indian attendant behind the Indian Buffet on the Dawn in 2005 by asking if he had any achar (Indian Pickle). He did his best for me by bringing out a jar of mango chutney--not exactly what I'd asked for, but I appreciated the effort.

 

Indian pickle is an acquired taste. My first experience with a pickled lime had me asking the question, "Why am I eating something that tastes like a bathroom cleaning solvent????" But I kept trying and now I have developed a taste for it. And from what I understand, there is a saying--"No meal is complete without pickle."

 

Never say you'll never eat a particular thing--you may just get turned onto it someday.

[sultan_sfo]

Chutney is the British Version of Achar!

[beaumontbhoy]

had both duck and lamb curry at buffet on explorer and both were way superior to dreadful burgers and dry carvery

[piscesgal223]

Pickled lime sounds really good, actually. It'd go well with the spices in Indian food.

[Hstergo]

I hate curry!!! there I said it.

The other posts are correct everywhere you look there is indian food, first time I was on a cruise I thought there must be a really large group of indian people on board. I later found out this is the case all the time.

[piscesgal223]

To each his/her own. *shrug*. I'll say it again: I don't understand the hate people have for Indian food. Repeating myself,but No one is forcing you to eat it.

Edited July 6, 2011 by piscesgal223

[renachai]

The thread poster and several comments posted within this thread reek of bigotry and racism and you know it!!!

 

Disgusted :mad:

[BruceMuzz]

I agree, the so called 'Indian Cuisine' on the ships is a joke.. With so many talented chef's I really don't know why they 'dumb it down' either serve a nice flavourful Curry dish or not at all... They really need to kick it up a notch or two!!

 

We have to dumb it down for the MASSES.

We do have very talented chefs on our ships, but when we are serving all of humanity on a mass market ship, we have to reach down to the lowest common denominator.

 

It's not only the food. We also must "dumb down" the drinks, entertainmant, tours, and events so that they all appeal to everyone from Joe Six Pack to the Simpsons.

If we offered real Indian Food, or real Japanese Food, most of the passengers wouldn't eat it.

When we offer top flight wines and top shelf spirits, nobody buys them.

Hairy legs contests are standing room only; the jazz trio plays to an empty room.

The best quality tours rarely sell.

 

Nobody ever lost any money UNDERestimating the taste of the North American public.

That's why McDonalds and WalMart are king.

[Bookish Angel]

however, I have no problem with it being served. I would like to see a greater variety of international food apart from the Mexican Nights, Italian Night, etc. How about Greek Night, Cuba Night, Tapas Night, etc.?

[piscesgal223]

Mexican food is so standard for where I live....as is Chinese food(though I do like HAL's Chinese food) Indian food is different(too different for some people, but there you go). I tend not to do the ugly American thing when cruising...but I have an adventurous palate anyways!)

[capncarp]

We have to dumb it down for the MASSES.

We do have very talented chefs on our ships, but when we are serving all of humanity on a mass market ship, we have to reach down to the lowest common denominator.

 

It's not only the food. We also must "dumb down" the drinks, entertainmant, tours, and events so that they all appeal to everyone from Joe Six Pack to the Simpsons.

If we offered real Indian Food, or real Japanese Food, most of the passengers wouldn't eat it.

When we offer top flight wines and top shelf spirits, nobody buys them.

Hairy legs contests are standing room only; the jazz trio plays to an empty room.

The best quality tours rarely sell.

 

Nobody ever lost any money UNDERestimating the taste of the North American public.

That's why McDonalds and WalMart are king.

 

One wonders if one of the specialty restaurants aboard would think to offer "real" Indian or Japanese food? That way the masses can obliviously slurp their gruel at the troughs and we who are in the know can get a decent meal.:rolleyes:

 

BTW, I consider myself part of the "masses", and am appreciative of whatever efforts a line makes toward expanding the horizons of those who might never try something different. There is always feedback and input to influence a line to tweak their menus where you think improvement might be made.

 

Bruce, perhaps you'd be happier working for a more upscale line?

[BruceMuzz]

One wonders if one of the specialty restaurants aboard would think to offer "real" Indian or Japanese food? That way the masses can obliviously slurp their gruel at the troughs and we who are in the know can get a decent meal.:rolleyes:

 

BTW, I consider myself part of the "masses", and am appreciative of whatever efforts a line makes toward expanding the horizons of those who might never try something different. There is always feedback and input to influence a line to tweak their menus where you think improvement might be made.

 

Bruce, perhaps you'd be happier working for a more upscale line?

 

I already do work for an upscale line.

But I am quite happy about it.

 

"Let's just put a trough of baked beans down the center of the room and garnish it with a couple of dead dogs".

 

.................................Basil Fawlty in "Gourmet Night"

[mermaidgal]

I cruise RCI a lot and they always have Indian cuisine on the dining room menu nightly. I did ask the waiter why! He said that the chefs are from India and vegetarians seem to like it? I tried it one night and it wasn't bad, I like Indian food, but not so much on a cruise because it is heavy and I have enough trouble with all the desserts! I am a size 6 by the way!! LOL!

[jeannecfl]

I've never tried Indian food, but after reading all the comments here, I am definitely going to try it on my cruise next month. In fact, I can't wait. I can always "enjoy" a hockey puck burger anywhere....or some Italian food or French or whatever. I'm looking forward to it. I know one thing, if I don't like it, I'll have plenty of other options. No harm, no foul. This is a vacation and I'm going to enjoy it and why not go out of way to experiment with things you've never tried. I look at all my trips as adventures and why not test out that palette of ours? :)

[arewethereyet]

LOL @ this thread.

 

Count me among the people who like Indian food.

 

 

As has been said numerous times, if you don't like it, don't eat it. That seems easy enough to me.

[celle]

Indian food allows the chef a way to provide tasty vegetarian food as well as providing something that is somewhat more "buffet stable" than most other dishes. Vegetable stews can sit on a buffet for a while and still be fresh when served.

 

Steve

 

Exactly! I am vegetarian and my daughter is vegan (eats no animal products at all). Many Indians are vegetarian, and the chefs cater for them. Thus, the chefs know how to prepare at least one vegetarian meal.

 

Vegetarian options are quite limited on cruises and we have found that on many occasions our choices have been restricted to either curries or pasta in the Main Dining room for the evening meal. It does get boring.

 

Lunches are usually easier, with good salad and vegetable selections.

Edited July 20, 2011 by celle

[flasaltwater]

Well I for one am glad there is Indian food on our cruise. I am looking forward to having it. I love curry have some in my pantry. Its always better if someone else cooks though ;)

 

I love to try new and ethnic foods, something ive never had before YUM!!!! its always a great experience

 

I know this is an indian thread but on a side note I tried fried tofu at a tiwanese resteraunt recently with a peanut dipping sauce yummy!!!!

[Cretia]

The thread poster and several comments posted within this thread reek of bigotry and racism and you know it!!!

 

Disgusted :mad:

 

That's judgmental and unkind, and in return, I'm disgusted.

 

There are a number of reasons that one could not like Indian food that has nothing to do with bigotry. The poster worried about the spicy quality is a good case in point.

 

Myself, I used to love Indian food until I went on a trip to Eastern Europe where the vegetarians in the group browbeat the rest of us into eating Indian every night. Now I know Eastern European food isn't big on the vegetarian thing, but (A) we all at least should have known that going into the trip and (B) I think it's more of an ugly American thing to not eat in the local style. I burned out on eating so much Indian that I will honestly admit I'll cringe when I see it on a menu.

 

You can call me a bigot all you want if it makes you feel better, although my coworkers, the majority of whom are from the Indian subcontinent, would laugh themselves sick at the idea.

 

Besides, like Chinese, Italian and Mexican, you can find Indian food *anywhere* these days. I'd much rather see more unusual things for "International" nights like Ethiopian.

[piscesgal223]

Cretia, I feel the same way about Mexican food. It's plentiful where I live, and when we have people here from out of town, we've had Mexican food several days in a row. I don't get to eat Indian food very often, but when I do, it's a treat for me.

[makeda]

we were taught that it rude to call anyone's food nasty...the joy of a cruise and all the choices is that you don't have to eat anything you don't want to...i like trying new-to-me foods, and what i don't like, i don't order again, but i would never call anyones food "nasty"

[piscesgal223]

I'll try pretty much anything once.If I don't like it,I won't eat it again.Simple as that! I've always been like that-I was the kid who was an adventurous eater,whilst my brothers were very picky.