Has Anyone Really Never Tried Indian Food?

[amelia88]

I went out to lunch a couple of days ago with a group of friends, and we went to our local Indian restaurant.

One of the girls brought another friend of hers, who I hadn't met before - and she mentioned that this was her first time trying Indian food!

That seemed a little unusual to me, I guess - probably since it's one of my favorite cuisines here and I've been eating it since I was a teenager, I think (it's one of my parents favorites too, so we would often get Indian takeout!)...but has anyone here never even tried Indian food?

If you haven't - what's your first thing you'd try?

 

[jnorth88]

Well, I thought I had tried Indian food. I even thought I knew how to cook Indian food, and would brag about my spicy recipes. Then, second day of my trip, we ate at a very traditional place. It was an upscale restaurant which did not cater to foreigners. I had chosen it to get a true taste of real Indian cooking. My first bite was like eating the sun. I lived in Texas, and they like heat. They will put a chile pepper in your Corona. But that meal was the hottest food I have ever had. It was delicious, but I literally felt my stomach burning. We were all sweating, noses running, and our Indian friends were laughing hysterically as they ate without problem. So, I would say there is Indian food and there is Indian food.

 

[briannagodess]

I think nothing compares to authentic Indian food. I live in a country where Indian food is not that typical. We would have to search for Indian restaurants to dine in. But we do have them although not as many as the Italian or American restaurants in our country.

At our house, we love having curries. Of course, we cannot replicate the exact spiciness and taste of Indian cuisine but I think we do quite a good job, lol. I don't think I can survive eating authentic Indian food if it's too spicy. I'd have to ask the restaurant to tone down the spiciness or else I might not enjoy my meal. Haha!

 

[joshkhtan]

I'm from Malaysia, lots of Indian food. Recently I brought my friend out and found out he hadn't eaten Indian food before! He's Chinese so families tend to opt for home cooked meals. Needless to say, I got him hooked and we always hit up our local Indian restaurant. They're great for post workout meals!

 

[Rayne]

Many years ago we had some friends from Trinidad. They prepared dinner for us one night that was, at the time, very delicious and heavy on the curry. However, I became ill that night and remained that way for the whole next day. Ever since then, I have not touched a thing containing curry. Tell me what is good to start with knowing how I feel about curry.

 

[jnorth88]

Personally, I enjoy a basic beef curry, which is not really the most Indian dish, but it is something Americans would most appreciate. Curry should not cause you much trouble, since it is mainly a mix of basic spices, like cumin, turmeric, pepper, garlic, ginger. It can go on and on, but all these things are simple earthy flavors, quite good for health, and and are not too spicy themselves. If you had an issue with curry before, it probably wasn't the curry, but under cooked meat, or something else.

 

[Elizabetonth]

I met someone in India who still hadn't tried Indian food. He was a medical student from the US who'd taken the summer to travel through India. Sadly, (I thought,) though, his parents had worried so much about him travelling on his own that they'd booked him into four or five star hotels at every stop, and arranged for a jeep with tinted windows to take him from place to place. As a result, even though he'd been in India for a few weeks by the time I met him, he still hadn't had a single Indian meal. In every place, he'd just been eating Western food in his hotel. I know that sometimes your surroundings can take a little getting used to when you go to a new place, but, for me, part of the joy of travelling is trying new things and coming to love them, even if you find them unusual when you first arrive. I couldn't help but feel that he was really missing out.

Many years ago we had some friends from Trinidad. They prepared dinner for us one night that was, at the time, very delicious and heavy on the curry. However, I became ill that night and remained that way for the whole next day. Ever since then, I have not touched a thing containing curry. Tell me what is good to start with knowing how I feel about curry.

While Jnorth is right about there being many elements in a curry, it's certainly possible to have a bad reaction to 'spicy' spice, and it can be horrible - poor you! I'm not surprised that you've avoided it since. Not all curry is spicy, though. There are many different sorts, with many different levels of heat, from raging right down to none at all. When you arrive, just ask for advice in the places where you go to eat. People are used to tourists not being able to cope with the same levels of spice, and I've never come across anyone who wasn't happy to give you advice on what is or is not spicy. Often something like a tandoori dish or a butter dish will be less spicy. If you feel like you're being hemmed in by having only a few choices after you've been there for a while (although there is a HUGE range of Indian dishes, so you should have lots of choice), remember that your taste buds and body will get used to the spice gradually as you're there. Try building up your spice levels little by little as you travel, if you want to taste some different things. Whether or not you're testing your spice limits, though, good general advice is to stay away from shaped meat, and from things like fresh salad that have been washed in tap water. Those are easy ways to get sick.

 

[ellajanelle]

I've never tried Indian food... If I had, I either have forgotten about it or I didn't know it was Indian. Lol! I watched this film entitled "The Other End of the Line" where the woman was Indian and she took her partner to an Indian restaurant in America and from there I could tell Indian food was something really exotic! And spicy!

 

[amelia88]

I know that sometimes your surroundings can take a little getting used to when you go to a new place, but, for me, part of the joy of travelling is trying new things and coming to love them, even if you find them unusual when you first arrive. I couldn't help but feel that he was really missing out.

You basically took the words out of my mouth! Sometimes I think it does take a few days to get your bearings and feel ready to go out of your comfort zone, but I think getting out of your comfort zone is where the fun and interesting things really happen! I would feel like I had really missed out on an experience if I just stayed in hotels and ate Western food that I could get here in the States on a whole trip. I think sometimes people are just petrified that everything Indian-food related is going to be super spicy, when that isn't the case. I love spice, but I've had a lot of Indian foods that aren't at all what I would deem spicy!

 

[jnorth88]

I absolutely agree. There is no reason to travel unless you really try to explore the area, learn about the people, and try what there is on offer. It might not be to your tastes, or if could be your new favorite. Regardless, you have to be open minded when discovering.

 

[Elaine Lat]

The only influence the Indians have in our local dishes is curry or the use of turmeric. We are heavily influenced by other countries that colonized our own in the last few centuries. Indian dishes are unique like their own culture and we are only recently learning to embrace delicacies from nearby cultures. This is also why there are now a few Indian restaurants present in our country.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

It's not for everyone, I guess. Indian food tend to be really hot and spicy, and some people would rather stick with what they have been used to, and won't try something new unless prodded by their friends and family. It's a culture thing, and sometimes people would rather not take the risk of trying something new, and would just end up not wanting to change the norms in their daily routines. It's not that weird if you think about it, the world is full of a variety of people, and not everyone would be the same as you.

 

[tabby]

It's been years since I have eaten Indian food. Truth be told, I actually didn't like it because of the strong smell of the the spices. But if you get past the smell, Indian dishes are actually good. I remember not finishing the meals I had. It's not because they were not delicious. They were. Unfortunately, my tolerance for anything spicy wasn't too great at that time. But yeah, there were Indian foods that aren't too spicy. I just can't remember their names now,

 

[iseeyou]

I've tried Indian food and i felt really proud of myself after my little Indian food adventure. It was indeed extremely hot and spicy, but the food was very tasty and delicious once it cools down a bit, it's definitely worth a try. I guess it's not for everyone, i know some people who don't eat anything with a slight hint of spice, they just can't stomach it, oh well, it's their loss.

 

[Danny Luke]

Well, it's definitely possible that a person hasn't tasted authentic Indian food. That is if that person lives in an area that is so remote or dis-attached from civilization. Lol. Anyway, Indian food is widely available these days. There are Indian restaurants in almost all corners of the globe. A lot of people like them because of their flavors courtesy of the spices added into them.

 

[Linda Nyabundi]

I have not tried real authentic Indian food. I have tasted a spoon or two of some Indian food long time ago when i was younger but I've not really had meal. I used to work for an Indian company and my boss would treat us with Indian snacks but that's about it. I have never gone to an Indian restaurant or tried an Indian dish. Although i would probably love Indian food because i hear they are very spicy and has a lot of chilies and i love chilies.

 

[PrincessTigerLily]

I don't think I'd had true Indian cuisine until about 10 years ago. Indian restaurants were not plentiful in the area I grew up in, and I also never really much interest in the food. I first discovered a taste for it when I went to England where, as I think I mentioned in another post, there are a lot of authentic Indian food places. It was fun discovering I really enjoyed a cuisine that I hadn't really thought much about until then.

If you've never had Indian food, I would recommend going for something less spicy. Most waiters at authentic restaurants are happy to help you find something that won't be too shocking to a western pallet.