Leave Chinese food alone
All we eat is Indian Chinese
The call to ban Chinese products in the wake of recent incidents or should we say mishaps- Covid-19 pandemic and border skirmish is growing louder but a ban on Chinese food is taking it too far. Firstly, there are hardly any Indians who relish Chinese food. The so-called Chinese food that is available in restaurants, carts and vans in India is anything but Chinese.Is there any Indian restaurant that serves chicken feet, a delicacy in China. The answer is a big No. How many restaurants in India dish out the national dish of China-the Peking Duck? Hardly any. Not in the twin-cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad for sure. Does anyone walk into a Chinese restaurant in the city and ask for Jellyfish? A favourite of the Chinese? None and if a brave heart asks, there is no one to prepare one for you.
What is served as Chinese food in India is actually Indian Chinese that is far spicier to suit the Indian palette and has no resemblance in colour or taste to authentic Chinese food.
The only resemblance to authentic Chinese food is the loads of spring onions and soy sauce that we use. In certain dishes, the Chinese use red ground pork sauce. Howzaat! For your appetite?
Often jingoism can mar one’s thought and block people from reasoning. Banning Chinese products to become a self-reliant nation is one thing, but to do so of a product that Indians invented themselves and in the process depriving millions of what they cherish is a question that needs to be asked.
In the 18th century, Chinese travelers landed in Calcutta (Kolkata) as it was called then and introduced Cantonese and Hakka cuisines. Original Chinese food is bland. In China, choy sum and gai lan are commonly used, in India we make do with cabbage and carrots. What we get in the name of Sichuan is loads of chilli powder and sauce as opposed to Sichuan pepper.
So how about some Chinese food this weekend? Err! Indian Chinese, is what we mean
