How is the expression ‘an Indian’ not offensive?

[Yellownotblue]

As in, an Indian take away or delivery meal.

I find it quite odd to hear one specific type of cuisine referred to like this. Would you say “ we’re going for a French tonight” or “he invited me to his place for an Italian”? Somehow it seems dismissive and disrespectful.

For full disclosure, I’m not Indian but my husband is of Asian ancestry and our children have dual heritage. I’m British (first generation migrant). I was born and brought up in North America and can’t remember the expression ‘an Indian’ ever being used as short for Indian food before I moved to Britain.

And ‘an historical’ because the ‘h’ used to be silent.

@Smallgoon

Most reasonably educated and knowledgeable people are perfectly aware that there are various types of curries, and many other dishes besides, in various countries and regions and the relevant cuisines.

Well in that case they should state they're going for an Indian/Thai meal rather than a 'curry' which I have to say just makes people sound a little thick. I guess if it's cuisine from a certain continent, it must be a curry!

They "should" state all of that in a casual remark?

I'm quite formal compared to some, but even I would refer to an "Indian takeaway" or whatever. I wouldn't say "I'm having a South Bangladeshi-inspired takeaway". I don't know if you've noticed, but language is becoming ever more abbreviated.

What if they make their own curry? Should they also state which part of the world their inspiration comes from?

I hope you don't smoke OP because your head would literally explode if someone approached you and asked if you could lend them a fag..

@Ninkanink

And ‘an historical’ because the ‘h’ used to be silent.

Oooh I say a historical...

This is ridiculous.

When I say I'm 'going to get an Indian' I don't mean that I am going to locate an Indian person. I mean that I am going to eat Indian food. Now if I were planning to consume an Indian person, then you may have a point, that's not on, is it? Still probably not racist though, unless I were only planning to consume them because they are Indian.

I too say I'm getting a Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian etc. As an English person I am not offended by someone 'going for a Full English'. Should I be?

What nonsense.

Another hilarious thread. Thanks for the laugh OP

Chicken tikka is certainly not curry

I took my partner to a really nice Pakistani restaurant, as in actual Pakistani food, not British food pretending to be from Asia. He was disappointed there wasn’t a tikka on the menu, he eats chicken ready meals, terrible.

@Smallgoon

If someone told me they were going for a curry I would assume they are going to an Indian restaurant

And I'd assume they were thick.

That's a very stupid assumption to make.

@Smallgoon

Most reasonably educated and knowledgeable people are perfectly aware that there are various types of curries, and many other dishes besides, in various countries and regions and the relevant cuisines.

Well in that case they should state they're going for an Indian/Thai meal rather than a 'curry' which I have to say just makes people sound a little thick. I guess if it's cuisine from a certain continent, it must be a curry!

Why should they say anything? Don’t be so silly. Why on Earth do I have to abide by your rules when talking a pit takeaway food with my family? They know what I mean when I say I’ll call in a curry, that it’ll be a meal from a local Indian restaurant.

Jesus some people don’t half overthink stuff on here!

As for the comment that restaurants serve food other than curry yes being able to read a menu I have figured that out. However when I go I have a meal known as a curry, and described on the menu as such. Is that OK?

A pit - “about”

[quote Smallgoon]@Ninkanink Indeed they can, and I can continue to assume it makes them sound incredibly thick.[/quote]
At least you are only assuming people are thick. It’s clear it’s a statement of fact when applied to you :)

We always say this.. Fancy a burger? Fancy Mexican? Fancy Indian?

I really don't think it's offensive and I'm definately not one of those "cultural appropriation doesn't exist people"

Genuine question - how would you refer to the type of cuisine you were suggesting to eat in an actual real sentence OP?

Intrigued to know..

Whether you use a(n) before the ethnicity of the food is not dependent on the ethnicity but actually the word you are not bothering to say.

remove the descriptor and the sentence is 'shall we get a takeaway?' - become more specific and it becomes 'shall we get an Indian takeaway?' then allow for general laziness and it becomes 'shall we get an Indian?'

Whereas if the word you are missing off is 'food' that doesn't come with an a(n) in front of it. so 'shall we get food?' becomes 'shall we get Italian food?' becomes 'shall we get Italian?'

Indian and Chinese are more likely to be referred to as 'a(n)' than Italian not because they are "lesser ethnicities" but because they are the most popular form of takeaway.

You are more likely to have Italian (food) in a restaurant than as a takeaway, so more likely to say 'we had Italian' (food) or 'I fancy Italian' (food) than 'we had an Italian' (takeaway). Ditto Mexican or Thai or Japanese or French - those cuisines just don't have a huge takeaway presence in the UK - so you don't tend to get 'a Mexican' (takeaway) but you do 'go for Mexican' (food)

And although there is no shortage of Indian and Chinese restaurants, their takeaways are ubiquitous - so it is 50/50 (or higher) that an Indian/ Chinese meal will be a takeaway one - and that is reflected in the structure of the sentence and the number of times you hear those food types referenced with a(n).

Cultural norms also play a part in how we structure the sentence. Even if Mexican takeaway is available, the phrase Mexican takeaway sounds jarring to British ears (because takeaways are Indian or Chinese - the amount of choice we now have is relatively new) that we will still think of it as 'Mexican food' rather than 'Mexican takeaway'. So even if ordering Mexican food from just eat we'd still say 'shall we get Mexican?' because the word we are missing off is 'food' not 'takeaway' - because 'takeaway' is not a word that follows 'Mexican' to British ears.

Eating in a restaurant and having a takeaway are different experiences and so the way we talk about them and structure our sentences around them change. The familiarity we have with a cuisine will also change the way we speak about it (Mexican food is pretty new in the UK - Indian has been around for centuries). Surely someone 'interested in linguistics' can understand that?

Have you tried yoga mediation and box breathing op?

Never open a Jordan Peterson link on you tube you would most like self combust

@Icantreachthepretzels has cracked it!

Every single point in that post makes sense to me.

OP you're either very arrogant or just trying to provoke

I think 99% of people would understand that ‘going for a curry’ meant an Indian meal and the person saying ‘going for a curry’ would be well aware that other nationalities make curries too and that Indians have other foods.

So a biriyani is a curry is it? Do you also say you're going for a "chow mein" when you opt for Chinese food?

You do you hun.

No, but maybe a South Asian who is making judgemental assumptions based on nothing more than people using terms in an established way that they (you) might know little to nothing about, and not taking into account those individuals’ perfectly acceptable reasoning for those terms and why they have become the accepted convention

Accepted convention by who? Lazy brits who refer collectively to food originating from the Indian subcontinent as 'curry'. Shouldn't be too surprised really given a 'korma' is what most brits opt for, so i guess technically they are getting a 'curry' despite the fact a korma is as far away from a curry as you could get. Grim.

Literally no one that I know, am friends with, or have any social interaction with thinks that ‘curry is all that South Asians eat.’

So why call Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi food etc a curry? I don't refer to British food as simply 'egg and chips' when i'm actually getting a pie.

DD and me just say we're having A Chinese, McDonalds, Domino's or A Chipper.

So do everyone we know, we're in NE Scotland

@SimonJT I took my partner to a really nice Pakistani restaurant, as in actual Pakistani food, not British food pretending to be from Asia. He was disappointed there wasn’t a tikka on the menu, he eats chicken ready meals, terrible.

I'm amazed you've actually referred to the place as Pakistani and not simply 'Indian' as most in this thread would have done...

@GreenlandTheMovie I actually have no idea what you are harping on about, but you crack on!

They know what I mean when I say I’ll call in a curry, that it’ll be a meal from a local Indian restaurant.

Chicken korma?

It's always enjoyable to hear non-Asian Brits tell Asians what they can and can't be offended by... Hey ho, that's me told.

Yellownotblue

Maybe it’s a class or regional thing. I literally have never heard anyone say ‘going for an Italian’. It’s just “lesser” (ethnic) cuisines that are referred to that way. “

Possibly. We say “an Italian”, which in our house differentiates from a pizza.

We’re quite posh

" I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say they were going for ‘an Italian’. Maybe I’m wrong or it’s a regional thing?"

It's used all the time!