to think that people don't judge others on their choice of curry?

[MakeMineAKorma]

Was having a conversation with a friend today.

She reckons that people look down on people who choose mild curry as though that is the wimp's choice. (NB my words not hers)

And that liking progressively hotter curries is a rite of passage that you have to go through, almost like a qualification.

I mean, what if you just don't like spicy food?!?

NB I ask this as a curry wimp - I go for the korma every time.

I knew people judged food tastes (and spice rating) in a jokey way but I had no idea there was actual serious judging going on!! Crazy!

I've never been able to handle spicy food, although I have had a bit of a craving and have handled a bit of spice while being pregnant. I didn't realise my taste buds not liking spicy food meant I was boring though. I'm alot of things but boring is certainly not one of them Thankyou! extrovert gobshite springs to mind

I used to always have a korma, but now love a good pasanda or garlic chicken. Yum!

I like chips and curry sauce.

Put it this way if, on a first date, the bloke ordered a korma there wouldn't be a second date.

I don't judge people who choose a mild curry but I do judge people who think eating a very hot curry makes them interesting/cool/hard, just a little bit.

I do judge DP who chooses the same meal, every single time. There's a hundred different things on the menu, and you only want one of them .

But that might be because I can't decide between the ten different things on the menu that I want .

I think korma is about as interesting as vindaloo in most Indian restaurants, not very! Will only eat restaurant curries if desperate - it's not great food.

Mmm, curry. I'll have a paneer tikka please.

I wouldn't judge someone on the mildness of their curry choice. But yes, I would judge if you ordered omelette and chips off the 'European' menu.

DH's mum grew up in India and is an amazing cook. DH's dad doesn't like curry. Such a waste.

I don't ^really* judge people.

I just get a bit exasperated with my daughter because she doesn't trust me. I make a curry which I think is genuinely not spicy, just tasty, and it blows her head off. Hence having to make her a korma every.single.time.

I wouldn't eat a vindaloo from a restaurant, they are universally revolting, and usually bulked out with potato.

I really want to go to the famed Tayyabs in Whitechapel, apparently that is a fantastic place.

Oh and I like my steak blue, so does my daughter, but my DP thinks that is revolting and has it medium rare. I certainly don't judge that, some people loathe bloody or pink meat.

If I went to a friend's house and they overlooked the steak I wouldn't give a shit.

I like steak tartare but I don't think I would eat it anywhere other than France (or a high end restaurant but I don't go to those all the time).

We all eat rare meat, kids included. Would I judge you for cooking my meat well done, well yes, I'd think you weren't a great cook, but you'd probably know that already.

I think cooking steak for a load of different people at a dinner party must be difficult, what with dishing everything else it's easy to overcook the steak. I would never cook a load of steaks, it's bad enough cooking 3 for my family.

Havent read this thread but I HATE curry I wont even let me DH buy one of those ready meal ones and cook it as the smell makes me sick and I wont have it in the house

Been called a lot of things even racist all because I wont go into an indian restaurant, cant even begin to count the work do's the meals out I have missed with friends - one time I went and sat outside a curry house at a bus stop whilst my friends were all inside as they all refused to eat somewhere else and I wasn't going inside even for a western meal.

Sorry but even thinking about it makes me heave

I love curries, all kinds, but don't go for strong heat/spiciness. I want to taste and enjoy my food.

I have had some fantastic kormas - rich and creamy - and some like puppy poo. I think korma was originally invented as a luxurious wedding breakfast dish. I love butter chicken too. And hari mirchi bhuna,

Anyway, people that scoff at mild curry lovers and brag about loving vindaloo are twats.

My friends judge me for being weird for eating the banana one our gorgeous lovely curry house serves, malaya I think.

I worry about curry.
I like korma and more almond/coconut/fruity varieties. I love a good pakora, veg biriany, and keralan fish dishes .

I think my taste buds are finely tuned to the foods I like and love. I dont want to go ruin that by eating really hot curries a lot. I am able to eat them, that is not the issue, I just dont want to be accustomed to them.

My Indian friends who has been brought up on chili and chillied mango, and hot hot curries, have no taste for anything else. Everything but hot curries taste really bland to them. They claim they cant taste the flavours of herbs. At all.

Believe me I have tried to cook tasty meals for them. Home made lamb burger gourmet style like Gourmet Burger Kitchen, lamb bolognese, fish,veg, lamb and chicken dishes. Lasagnas, roast chicken, stews. All of it bland and tasteless to them. They chopped up pickled chili to mix in. They bring their own jars of chili. I dont take it as a slight on my cooking, only that their tastebuds cant handle more subtle flavours.

When we lived in Bangalore, having a pizza delivered was an experience. Even with toppings such as ham and pineapple, chicken and sweetcorn, all flavour was drowned in chili.

However, I think it is the opposite of what OPs friend think, regards the hotness. You come to a point with hot hot food that all you taste is chili, and you lose sight of all the nuances and layers in between, with the less hot dishes.

• And there was Quints quasi lecture on Indian cooking from a Norwegian land of potato and steamed cod perspective.

I admit we are addicted to a chilli hit, we season food with habanero powder. But our food does not solely taste of chilli, how does that happen? Steamed broccoli dressed with freshly infused garlic & chilli fruity extra virgin olive oil, with a sprinkling of Parmesan and sea salt tastes of all those components regardless of the heat coming off the chillis - my palate still seems perfectly capable of discriminating between flavours.

I have appreciation of mild creamy cheeses and blue cheeses. I never understand the snobbishness that people have with cheese - stronger isn't always better, IMO and mature cheddars wrapped in plastic are as awful as mild cheddar wrapped in plastic.

Haha at the lecture on Indian food from a Norwegian.

My late father in law made friends with some Indians in the 60s and fell in love with their food, and sounds similar to your friends quint in that he couldn't stand any food which wasn't spicy. Which led to him covering all foods, roast dinners, pork chops, anything with cayenne pepper and chilli.

I will freely admit, I sometimes phone a ham omelette and chips from the chinese takeaway.

"Hello? Is that ham omelette and chips? I'm at the Chinese takeaway. Would you like me to bring anything home for you?"

The most painful moment for me was this summer when my son offered me some potato chips, and they turned out to be extra hot habanero chips - at the post office counter.
I could not spit it out, and I could not swallow. I was like the proverbial dragon with steam coming out of my ears. The woman behind the counter offered me tissues to relieve me of my misery. My face was red for hours, I drank an entire 500ml bottle of water in one go, and sent my son running across the shopping center to buy another one while I was resting on a bench with uneven heart beat. How people can eat this regularly, and still claim they can taste all mild flavours without any chili on top to bring out flavour, I do not know.

LeGavrOrf personally I'd be a bit disappointed if they overlooked the steak and only served potatoes and veg.

I love a hot curry. When I first met my DP he would always have the korma/malaya/pasanda and get a gentle ribbing from his mates, so I made it my mission to build up his chilli tolerance. Now he can take more than me

I think there is some truth in that, Quintessential. My husband is from the Caribbean and batters most European food with encona hot pepper sauce , claiming it is tasteless. He doesnt get the subtle flavours of herbs or good oil etc.

My judginess is on a spectrum. I find butter chicken/korma eaters quite funny. Its a bit like 'curry sauce' from the chipshop, isnt it? But blokes that go for the vindaloo make me question their dick size.

I am terribly judgy, sorry

I don't care what people eat, except when they insist that it's all going in the middle to share then get the shits if I dare to order something spicy.

I like everything spicy.

I even sprinkle Tabasco on my cheese on toast.

:(

Well I'm eating Flamin Hot Wotsits (Zombie fingers)

I think that proves how 'ard I am

Hahah tumble tumble

God I love that encona sauce. It comes in loads of different flavours.