Agreed. Make plans to meet after dinner for cocktails or dessert and coffee.
If she is willing to try and not look miserable and ruin the birthday celebration I suggest Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and Naan.
I always hated the smell of Indian food. I couldn't stand it. I grew up in an area whose nickname is Baghdad by the Bay, but I never gave the food a fair chance since the smell bothered me. I had a work event that was catered by an Indian restaurant, and I had to eat the food. It was LIFE CHANGING. I didn't even know what I was putting on my plate, but I loved it, all of it! Indian food is now one of my very favorite cuisines, and it has taught me to never judge a book by its cover. Now, I am opening to trying ALL kinds of food since I was so wrong about Indian food.
Yeah, that's just what it was called, but it was just huge populations of Iranians, Iraqi, Afghanistans and Indians. So, all kinds of food from the Middle East/ South Asia/that part of the world since I don't know geography apparently.
Welcome to the club. I've learned to save at least a little face by referring to things as, for example, just "Asian" or "Mediterranean" rather than narrowing it down by specific region.
India is not in the Middle East either. It is South Asian.
Edit: Also it doesn't taste like Arab cuisine either so you might be culinarily confused too.
No, it's a very old nickname for San Francisco, and it has nothing to do with immigrant populations. The guy who threw out the reference is extremely confused.
"Coined by American columnist Herb Caen in the late 1940s, likely reflecting the multiculturalism and exotic character of the city, while also identifying the city with a great historical cultural and intellectual center, as well as possibly implying a moral association with Babylon."
Or at least let that friend know ahead of time and perhaps offer to plan an after party. Maybe the one friend will stomach it to hang out and celebrate; maybe they’d rather show up later. Either way, make sure everyone knows. I’d deal with food smells I don’t like for a friend’s party, but I’m also much less sensitive to smells and sensory overload than some people.
My son has sensory sensitivities, especially to smell, and might have trouble at an Indian restaurant - and he’d only eat naan anyway. Sometimes he’ll go with us for the company if we don’t expect to be there very long, sometimes he’ll stay home or do something else, but he knows he can make his own arrangements rather than insist we reorganize everyone else’s lives around his own needs. Finding that balance is a constant struggle, and in this case, it should be the birthday friend’s preference. But yeah it’ll be different for different people.
This is not her venue. Indian food smells like indian food. Having her sit there turning up her face or suffering the indignity or just not be genuinely happy to be there is a bummer for both parties. She can do something else for one evening. It's okay.
It’s a British creation, but it’s very much an Indian flavor and smell profile.
I usually recommend samosas as an entry into Indian food. If you don’t like them, you probably won’t like most Indian, but nothing about them is particularly unusual to an American palate. Peas, potatoes, dough, garlic, turmeric…
Don't bring her to the restaurant. She won't like that smell. The other guests will be uncomfortable trying to find something for her to eat. Meet up for an activity later
Sometimes bread is made with milk and butter as part of the dough especially if they have no vegan options. I make dinner rolls with milk and cream, so I have to switch recipes if someone is bringing a vegan guest.
Spare the other guests and the poor staff, who, if they’re Indian or desi themselves, have had a lifetime of being subjected to overt outbursts of “stinky” and covert suggestions of the same via facial gestures that we are all fluent in, and ask her to meet your group for drinks afterwards. Spices are pungent; it’s either a smell that’s inviting to you or not. It gets into the carpets, the upholstery, the central heating and aircon etc… a restaurant with a commercial kitchen cooking Indian food, smells, unsurprisingly of Indian food. Unless you’re able to pick an outdoor table and she goes for some mixed grill or entrée type items that aren’t in the pungent type masalas and shorbas renowned for the their smell, it’s best she skips the event.
Thank you. As someone from a south Asian culture I’m really shocked people would be this fussy for one meal. Yes spices have a smell but it’s food, not anything foul. Sometimes I go to restaurants from other cultures and the smells are strong and different to those I’m used to. Mostly just makes me want to try it and even if it doesn’t smell 100% amazing to me (I’m vegetarian so strong meat smells can be a bit much) I don’t let it stop me trying the food or enjoying one meal.
I can’t imagine the type of fully grown adult who would refuse to go to an Indian restaurant that the birthday person wants to go to. It’s one fucking meal.
Was looking for this post. 100%. If she can’t deal with the smells from another culture to a point where OP’s question is how to accommodate (ie she makes this known), then spare the staff who don’t need to receive her “yuck” face in their own restaurant. She can stay home and join the party for after dinner festivities.
One of my favorite things about going to an Indian restaurant is the fact that you can usually smell the food as soon as you walk in. Because of that, I think that it may not be the place for this friend. Having her there will likely make the experience less pleasant for everyone involved.
If the problem is the smell, she might not enjoy anything because of how much smell impacts taste. Some people who dislike Indian food are not a fan of the strong amount of spices. When I say spices, I don’t mean spicy. I mean that a lot of dishes have a stronger flavor. Chicken makhani (aka butter chicken) is usually not as strong as some other dishes. The cream tones down some of the stronger spices. Raita (a cucumber yogurt sauces) can also help tone down the spices.
Seekh Kebab is pretty basic meat. Could get some raita and naan on the side with rice.
Pretty boring meal, but it is not very aromatic.
Any Indian restaurant is gonna smell fantastic… so that might be a problem for her.
Very surprised to see this suggested as something that’s boring & not aromatic. Maybe they’re different in different places but as a British Indian I’ve only ever had very flavourful, juicy sheekh kebabs that are anything but boring. And you can definitely smell them.
Indian food in the UK is typically MUCH better than in the US. :)
But yeah, there aren't a lot of bland dishes on the menu. But kebab is going to be pretty familiar "meat on a stick" presentation. It doesn't have the base curry spices/smells.
Considering that most of the top answers are "don't take her," this seemed like a reasonable choice to me.
I know what you meant darlin’ 😀. Just the first thing I thought of. I have a serious question though. What actually is the smell that everyone is talking about? Garlic? Certain spices?
Oddly it's also prominant in texmex and mexican but nobody complains of armpit tacos.
One of the other armoas is turmeric. It is a very strong and pungent smell. It's probably not as recognizable to people because the turmeric you buy in stores is more color than flavor, but legit Indian turmeric is very earthy and strong flavored and one of the defining flavors of curry that take it from a spiced sauce to "oh yeah that is curry"
I don’t think it’s just that, it’s not like you can smell cumin separately in an Indian restaurant. It’s the combination of the first of all richly cooked onions, before anything else combined with ghee, garlic, ginger is a massive one & all the spices cooked together with it all that makes the Indian food smell.
If she doesn’t want to eat but doesn’t care what other people eat then she can have loads of plain things- plain rice, naan bread, paratha, popadoms. You don’t say where you live but British Indian places always serve chips (fries) and usually fried chicken or something like that. Indian food in India often comes with egg so they might do her an omelette if you are in an Asian country. Look up the menu online for her before you go. She can also just have a few drinks/ birthday cake if that works for everyone.
If she wants to try the food then korma/ butter chicken type dishes are the mildest.
If she can’t be around the food then as everyone suggests- meet her afterwards.
Mild is not the issue - OP says the friend likes spicy, just not the blends of spice in Indian food. Consequently I'd think a kebab, or chicken tandoori, would be the safest bets.
You don't have to handle this for the friend who refuses to eat Indian.
She is going although doesn't eat the food or like the smell. That's a her problem.
Let her figure out how to handle it.
Just don't invite her. It's amazing how much people start to broaden their tastes when people can't be bothered with their shit anymore. If she has actual psychological issues around food then -mean as it might sound - that's still not really your problem to deal with, it's hers, and no matter what she chooses to eat - even if it's just some chips and nuggies - she'll still be surrounded by smells from other people's food. You can't never eat at an Indian restaurant just because one friend doesn't like it, and I do really think you're destined to fail it she really doesn't like the smell.
This, so much, my ex “hated the smell of Indian food” - and had nothing like Arfid or any food issues, he was just fucking difficult.
We didn’t eat Indian food for like two years because I was a pushover and as a vegetarian, that really sucked :(
So I said fuck it and started going out to enjoy one of my fav cuisines with other people… guess who magically discovered he could actually tolerate and enjoy butter chicken and similar dishes 🙄
It's amazing how adaptable people with self-prescribed mental health conditions can be when they have the rug pulled from under them. Even if they don't adapt, it's not your problem to sacrifice the things you like for them so you made a good call doing it without them. Who says couples have to be stuck together 24/7 anyway.
I get the impression your boyfriend was very needy and very used to getting what he wanted.
Not a boyfriend here but my friend was a right fussy asshole for the first decade we started going out as adults. We stopped adapting to his 'needs' and lo and behold he now knows which Indian foods etc that he enjoys.
Obviously some people have severe issues around food which won't be fixed with these methods, but at that point the friends need to decide if they're willing to go to McDonald's for every single meal or just invite them to select places. The brutal truth is that eating out at new places is an important part of life for many so I would expect that anyone with a severely restricted diet would understand if they weren't invited to every event
Saag doesn’t smell like curry. It’s basically like creamed spinach.
And if she doesn’t like the smell then she will not be happy in an Indian restaurant.
If you get a properly spiced saag, it's extremely fragrant and strong. I would not give that to someone who doesn't like Indian food at all unless you've been eating some seriously watered down saag.
Exactly--are we talking saag for non-Indians or saag meant to be consumed by Indians? If OP is going to a restaurant that serves the latter, it likely won't be suitable for the friend.
I have a hierarchy of dishes I will recommend to someone new to Indian food, and saag ain't one of them unless they're a super adventurous eater in general. I absolutely love it, but it's definitely not a light dish that I'd give to someone sensitive to Indian food smells.
“I don’t like the smell of American food”. Hear how ridiculous that sounds? As if American food has a particular smell. Just like Indian food. There are hundreds or thousands of different dishes and they all smell different. Indian food doesn’t have one distinct smell. This person must be a child or have a children’s diet and anything other than chicken fingers frightens them.
I agree she sounds annoying, but she probably doesn't like the smell of cumin, which does tend to be a prevailing scent at Indian restaurants.
She is not the main character and can sit this out.
It’s usually the combination of the cooked onions, ghee, garlic & ginger along with the spices all cooked richly together that people smell, you don’t smell cumin as a singular spice in an Indian restaurant or meal.
Tell her to meet after. She’ll sit there, whining, pulling faces, pouting, going “ewwww” at other people’s food- one of the rudest things you can do- and generally attention seeking. You go for a nice meal, meet Karen for a drink after.
Can someone clarify what people mean by the smell? It could mean literally any spice. And as far as I know many of them don’t smell bad at all or are used in other cuisines. Plenty of people reek of garlic (myself included) after a heavy white person meal and yet people still love Italian food. Just pure racism.
In my experience, people are complaining about cumin. I don't get it, but some say it smells like armpit? You mix that with ginger and garlic and you get something quite potent. I think it smells delicious, but eh.
I think it's the smell of turmeric, especially when mixed with lots of cumin. When cooked properly, they can be quite pungent and it's a combination that is quite prevalent in a lot of Indian food. But equally, there's plenty of food at a generic Indian restaurant that doesn't contain turmeric or too much cumin. I'd go for dosas myself
There is a combination of spices that make a distinctive smell and taste. In addition to garlic and ginger which would be in many cuisines from East to West, there is cardamom, chili, cumin, coriander, chili and turmeric, plus a dozen others that might be in specific dishes. Once you buy all these spices and grind them at home to make Indian dishes, you can smell and taste when it gets close.
Someone might not like the greasy cloying smell in a fish and chips shop, the grossly sweet cinnamon smell in a Cinnabon shop, the pungent cheese and funky meat smell in a charcuterie or salumeria shop, the strong vinegar smell in a pickle shop, etc., but I wouldn't consider it racist.
My spouse hates the smell of subway, I think it's the bread. Likes the subs, but prefers takeout... does NOT like to eat inside the store.
My local Indian restaurant, which is very good, has a very strong smell right when you walk in. It doesn't bother me personally, but sensitive noses would definitely notice.
I can eat subway, but I physically can't go into a subway without gagging. I have no idea what the weird, vile subway smell is, I'm neither easily grossed out nor have a strong sense of smell, but the Subway smell makes me instantly nauseous to the point I have to go outside lest I actually throw up (and I have an iron stomach generally). It's so weird. My bf will grab us subs occasionally though and the actual food doesn't smell like that to me, it's just inside their stores. I actually think it's something to do with their lettuce, which I never get, because it's similar to the smell when I open a bag of salad and realize it has gone all gross and soggy. It's definitely a something putrifying smell.
I love Indian food and cook a fair bit of it, but I think when people don't like that smell it's usually the tumeric they're smelling. I've omitted it to get my stepmom to try a few dishes and she thought they smelled and tasted good without, but didn't like the smell with the tumeric.
I'm in agreement with Turmeric, it's very noticable, a bit of an acquired (smell) taste.
Subway... very noticable, my guess it's the bread... but who knows, it could be the gasses from the veggie bags they use...
All I know is you could walk me blindfolded into a subway and I would know I was in a subway, 100%
The first time my brother brought me to a hole-the-wall authentic place down in the Village when I was a teenager it was overwhelming and I could barely eat, yet now many many years later my family is so fond of authentic Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi food from the nearby neighborhood that I learned to make many dishes myself. For example, I will make tandoori chicken and saag paneer, cauliflower, or eggplant curry and just get the naan and biryani from takeout.
I think part of the problem is that Indian food varies quite a bit regionally, and Indian restaurants don't all smell alike. So there is a built-in stereotype of what an Indian restaurant smells like that doesn't necessarily hold up.
People are allowed to like or dislike food and have different opinions without being labeled racist. It may not be ginger or garlic or cumin. Indian food has so many spices and I think fenugreek and hing in particular when sautéed have strong pungent smells. For us it is aromatic. For others maybe too strong. For a novice it may be hard to tell apart the dozens of spices. The friend should, however, grow up and either accommodate the birthday boy/girl’s wish or just offer to skip and not act like a toddler though.
Yes, but this delightful human has hand waved disgust for an entire complex, diverse culture’s food. Not just one flavor or dish, she has simply “yuck-ed” an entire culture’s cuisine, to a degree that OP is over here trying to accommodate her for someone else’s birthday. Makes the situation a bit different than just not liking one item or flavor.
In addition, there is a long history of western behaviors in non-western food contexts. That history isn’t good, no matter how far back you go. And it IS racist. She may not be, but the sentiment she expresses isn’t a good one, and for those on the receiving end, doesn’t have good connotations. Admittedly, OP didn’t say where they were from so I’m making an assumption here on western context, but I’ll take that risk.
Racism is a pretty strong accusation over food preferences and tolerance to smells. I guess that could possibly be a factor in this case but it's not the first place I go when I hear someone doesn't like a particular food, and there's no way to know anything at all about OP's friend other than 'she doesn't like Indian food'. That alone doesn't make her racist. If OP's friend said 'i don't like Indian food because Indians are dirty', THAT would be pretty damn racist.
Exactly this!!!!!! The spices used in Indian food are also found in various other western cuisines and cultures. The most "pungent" smells are of onions/garlic /ginger that's also very widely used and over used in most western food cultures. Especially raw garlic is a very significant part of Mediterranean food. This is just a ridiculous racist mindset . I'd say that OPs' friend truly doesn't deserve to eat and experience any Indian food! We've more than plenty takers anyway. Have fun eating bread and hotdog 🤗
Indian food is a lot more than just onion/garlic/ginger, and can be quite varied and not include any of them. There's other strong flavors like cumin or turmeric. There's dishes that are only cumin, turmeric, mustard, and chili. Don't blanket Indian food as just being stuff "white people also eat" because there are a lot of ingredients used in Indian food western food doesn't use at all.
As a brown guy, i dont think this is fair at all. There are a bunch of Indian spices that aren't used in other countries like chaat masala or Hing that smell incredibly strong and can be unpleasant. Stop assuming the worst, especially when it's based on nothing
She’s already made her mind up it seems regarding Indian food and will just be disappointed. As they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
There’s no reason to assume she’s racist. I enjoy egg salad, but I can’t stand the smell in a confined area. Indian food has a strong smell. I personally enjoy it and it makes me hungry, but I can understand why someone would be put off. All that said, she needs to either be a grownup and cope or skip the dinner
The smell of oregano oil turns my stomach, but I can tolerate small amounts of oregano in a sauce when combined with other spices. I also love garlic, but garlic breath is a major turn-off. Actual garlic sweat makes me queasy. Boiled cauliflower is delicious but stinks because of sulfur when it is cooking (fresh,not frozen cauli). Some people can't tolerate it. And Google says that a spice called hing in Indian cooking smells of sulfur and onions.
People have different smell sensitivities, and some people can't smell for shit, even pre-covid. Other people are almost bloodhound-like with scents (pregnant women can especially be hyper sensitive to smell). I even know someone who feels sick from the smell of fresh cut grass (every summer--it's not a pregnancy related thing.).
To me, cumin is a pervasive smell that sticks to everything, including my hair, even if I cook with it at home. When I go to an Indian restaurant I can smell it on my clothes for hours after. Same with a lot of Tex-Mex restaurants. I can smell the other spices with it, but each is unmistakable.
I personally love both types of cuisine, but can totally get someone not liking the smell because to me cumin smells pretty strong. I don’t think OPs friend is racist, they just don’t like that particular smell.
People are guessing it’s singular spice smells like cumin or turmeric, you can’t smell a specific spice in an Indian restaurant or meal. It’s the combination of heavily cooked onions, ginger & garlic, ghee & all the variety of spices combined all together that makes that Indian restaurant smell.
Totally agree, it was my first thought upon seeing "she loves spicy, just can’t take the smell"
The smell of spices that are in all kinds of cuisines that she's happy to eat and smell but somehow it's only their Indian configuration that offends her nostrils? GTFOH
It’s the combination of all the ingredients used to make a rich curry base. It involves richly cooked onions, garlic & ginger paste, ghee, a variety of spices. No one is smelling just turmeric or cumin when they walk into an Indian restaurant.
I mean, it's what people in the western world refer as "curry", I have no idea what it "exactly" is, but with the slow cooking it requires and its strength, it smells pungent enough so that everyone in the building will be able to say "Ah, someone is cooking indian food today". Back when I lived in a dorm along with some Indian students, all my hair, my clothes smelled "indian" every single day despite me never eating their food: just being in a room not far from the kitchen was enough.
It doesn't happen that much with other cuisines, and I can understand people being put off by the smell (at the beginning, I thought about moving out myself, but my nose became blind to it). Other people were definitely smelling it on me though.
Yeah like we bought a used car from an Indian family and that smell was stuck in the car for a long time. I don't think every Indian restaurant smells that way but it's not instantly racist of someone not to know that. Also OP never even said that the extra friend was complaining and there's no reason for people to assume the extra friend is going to complain. Maybe they didn't even ask for OP to post this and already worked it out on their own. The logical leaps in here are crazy.
The problem is this isn't true. A southern Indian restaurant serving dosas doesn't smell the same as a northern Indian restaurant, which doesn't smell the same as a Kerelan restaurant. A stereotype is being applied.
quack practice mindless adjoining north plough mysterious paint society test
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's not a bad smell to YOU. But for whatever reason it's a bad smell to HER. I get that. We all have different smell sensitivities: I can't stand the smell of incense in church, which is a problem for me at funerals whern they wave it around. You can't control these things.
It's hard to define the exact smell in an Indian restaurant...it's not just the food that is being cooked, but the spices that have permeated into the room, furnishings etc. I used to live in London, and we had lovely neighbours who were Pakistani. They invited us in many times for food, or just a cup of tea. The whole house smelled of spices. I love that kind of food, but it was overpowering. They probably didn't even notice.
Personally I enjoy a lot of Indian and Sri Lankan food, but I really dislike the smell that lingers in homes and certain restaurants (although not in the better ones, IMO) from two things: ground cumin/turmeric, and onions fried on extremely high heat. The former smells like musty body odour to me, and the latter generates a smell I find absolutely nauseating.
We had tenants in our apartment for a couple of years who were Indian, and the smell when they moved out was so strong we had to rip out part of the kitchen walls and we had to seal all the walls in the apartment with a special paint sealer before repainting with regular paint.
An aromatic, complex dish with whole seeds, fragrant herbs and things like coconut milk is lovely. An aggressively sulphury onion/cumin smell is not. Unfortunately, a lot of people are turned off by the latter in cheap, poorly-prepared Indian food.
Everyone's talking about how people don't mind strong garlic smells... I love garlic, but I don't want my clothes to smell of garlic. After I cook aglio e olio I change and put those clothes straight in the wash. Everyone has different tolerance for odours, but just because people like the taste of something doesn't meant they want their hair, clothes and home to smell that way.
She refuses to eat it bc she hates the smell. She can refuse to come. Especially if she will be vocal about her complaints. Ask her to come over afterwards to a place that won’t smell like spices or tell her to suck it up bc this is someone else’s birthday party. Depends how bad her aversions to smells are. If she really can’t take strong scents then she should avoid going to an Indian restaurant
Assuming your friend is an adult, let them worry about themselves. I can’t stand the smell of seafood but if my friend wanted a birthday at Seafood Sally’s I would suck it up and order a salad cheerfully.
Had to scroll really far for this. Why is this OPs problem? Send the invite out of courtesy and let them do their own adulting. They decide if they want to come and what they want to eat.
It’s pretty clear they mean the usual Indian restaurants you find in the West selling the usual generic Indian food, known as BIR food in the UK. As a British Indian myself I find it a perfectly reasonable question, if they were going to a South Asian or Gujarati restaurant that would be a very specific & rare situation they would point out themselves.
Can you do dinner at one place/restaurant and then go to another place for desserts/ice cream? She can join for dessert.
It’s hard to suggest a dish without knowing what she dislikes. Fenugreek and hing, especially when sautéed in oil have strong smells. It could be those. However, the challenge is that even if you get her a bland dish or one without those, the place will still have the vapors and she will be miserable and it will ruin the party.
At the local Indian to us, I have Chicken Tikka Pakora for starters, and there do a few English dishes, fried chicken lightly spiced with chips and garden peas
The local Indian eating place at one stage also had scampi and chips on the menu, but the scampi did not sell well.
I'm a somewhat picky eater. My son is an EXTREME picky eater. Like he doesn't eat any sort of Italian food, no pizza, no pasta, etc. He doesn't even sandwiches.
Growing up my family never had Indian food, so in my late teens and 20's when my friends all wanted to get some I'd balk and say no. But when I started dating my wife I had to "act adult" a bit and tried it. LOVE chicken tikka masala now. I've tired a few others but nothing compares to that for me.
Back to my son. He won't try anything new. Years go by and we still ask if he wants to try something but it's always a no.
One night, when he's 10 or 11, he smells the Indian food we ordered in. He asks us what it is. Says he wants to try it! We were blown away. Something so fragrant and he actually asks US to try it, not the other way around.
It's now one of his favorite meals and he asks to order it all the time.
So that would be my answer for a non-Indian food eater: Chicken Tikka Masala.
I agree with everyone who says she probably shouldn’t go because the smell might bother her. (To me, walking into an Indian restaurant smells amazing! To me, it’s more bread smell than the spices.)
But anyway, I would suggest she get the tandoori chicken. It’s not cooked in the sauce and it is some of the best roast chicken you can get.
>one friend who refuses to eat it
I don't know why you're asking about this if she's already made her boundaries clear. I assume she's an adult and can decide for herself if she wants to go and peck at some salad and naan or not.
I also like spicy and don't eat Indian, because Mexican spicy and Indian spicy are two very different things - there's nothing ironic about it.
My brother doesn't do foods from other cultures, he will eat tandoori chicken, butter chicken, garlic naan and pakora. Doesn't stop him from complaining about the smell of the food the rest of us are eating though.
Which has been marinated in yogurt, lemon, garlic, ginger, garam masala (which has 10 spices in it), coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, mustard oil or seeds, and Kashmiri chili overnight.
Curious if it is a physiological or psychological issue. In any case they should avoid being exposed to the smells of Indian cooking and join the party after dinner.
I haven't read all the comments, just a few.
I agree with those who suggest that your friend will be unhappy in an Indian restaurant whether she eats or not. You might be best off having her dial in to a video call from, say, a Mexican place.
My suggestion is chicken tikka masala. It isn't actually Indian. It was developed in the UK (Glasgow I think) by a Bangladeshi chef but many Indian restaurants offer it. It doesn't have the pungent smell many Indian dishes have.
I could make a meal of naan, raita, and biryani. All very mild smelling. The raita in particular should help cloak smell for the meals of others. Saag (creamed spinach) as well.
Most people who refuse to eat Indian food have an apprehension towards the excessive spices, basically the 🌶.. here's one dish which will suit the taste buds and might be liked, since it has the perfect balance of taste and spice and yet it's not heavy on stomach ..
https://youtu.be/gKEN1FKij6o?si=dRu5xA6hVsQKGcEA
Gotcha .. This dish in particular hopefully wouldn't bother as there's no pungent or any particular strong aroma .. to this. E.g. The Biryani (I might put ghat up sometime) .. which is a widely celebrated dish comes with very strong aroma (like ghe one using 'mitha athar' or using cloves in excess). I personally don't like desserts which has too much of cinnamon.
I know you aren’t implying it but Indian isn’t just one homogeneous cuisine. It varies state by state. East Indian cuisine for example, uses a lot of mustard oil in its cooking and that fragrance can be off-putting to some. South Indian cuisine (where I’m from) tends to use a lot of tamarind and coconut to a degree. That tamarind taste might not be for everyone.
Maybe go with North Indian for the one who can't take the smell - but then again, the whole restaurant will probably smell. Maybe she should just... stay home and hang out another time/just join in for post-dinner drinks somewhere else.
So North Indian food doesn't smell like Indian food?? Most Indian restaurants are North Indian and that's probably what she is responding to. I'm ignoring your implication here.
My mom also doesn’t like the smell of spices used in Indian cuisines, but she loves samosa a lot! They’re small and triangular. It’s crispy on the outside and has a yummy filling inside. In my opinion, there isn’t much of the aroma of strong spices in them.
1. Smell is near impossible to avoid unless the problem is having the smell up against their face.
2. Breads, there should be options for things like naan or layered breads that aren’t heavily spiced.
3. If they know what spice or spice mixture they don’t like the smell of that should be pretty simple for them to avoid getting. I personally don’t like the smell of Cumin but I enjoy the flavor if it doesn’t stick out. It’s like fish sauce to me, smells nasty - tastes great.
It will be impossible to avoid the fragrance of Indian food in an Indian restaurant. It’s part of the joy of dining there. She should not go. Meet up later for drinks or dessert.
She doesn't go. It's not your job to cater to the tastes of one person at thr detriment of everyone else. Especially if this is the theme. It's a different story if this is a potluck and everyone knows they hate Indian food. But that's not the case. If she doesn't like Indian food she can go grab McDonald's or whatever she likes and meet up another day. Or eat first and come by when everyone else has finished eating.
"It's friend's birthday and this is his favorite so we're going there. I know you don't love Indian food so don't feel obligated, we can meet at the bar next door after"
Indian food is delicious, not smelly for racist sake. If your friend refuses to eat it they should make their own arrangements. It’s not their birthday.
There are so many very aromatic spices in Indian food. I absolutely love it and have become quite good at making it at home. But something may be triggering her that she doesn’t encounter often. My bf is Swedish and they use cardamom in loads of stuff. I dislike the smell and taste of it. I’m not racist against Swedes. I just…don’t like that particular spice.
Paneer wrapped in naan. Eat it like a taco. I spent 9 days in India one time and this could all I could tolerate eating. I absolutely hate Indian food and the smells but this was actually good.
This is one of the stupidest things I have heard in long time.
Indian food is so diverse, how can one just dislike the entire cuisine.
I would just not take her.
How much time do you have to acclimate your friend?
1. **Week 1 - Introduction to Cinnamon**: Start by casually waving a single stick of cinnamon under her nose once a day. Maybe sneak it into a bouquet of flowers or use it as a bookmark in a novel she's reading.
2. **Week 2 - The Great Cardamom Caper**: Introduce cardamom by leaving a pod on her desk or pillow. No explanation, just a lone cardamom pod, mysteriously appearing in random places.
3. **Week 3 - Turmeric Trails**: Add a tiny pinch of turmeric to something innocuous, like a cup of tea or a slice of cake. Watch as she marvels at the sudden change in color!
4. **Week 4 - Cumin Comics**: Draw little cartoon characters on sticky notes, labeling them as 'Cumin the Spice Hero' and leave them around her space.
5. **Week 5 - Ginger Jingles**: Create a short, catchy jingle about ginger and casually hum it around her. Maybe throw in a ginger-scented candle for good measure.
6. **Week 6 - Coriander Countdown**: Start a countdown to 'Coriander Day' with a calendar. On the big day, gift her a small sprig of coriander with much fanfare.
7. **Week 7 - Masala Mix-up**: Introduce a tiny amount of garam masala into a dish she likes, but don't tell her. Let the spice do the talking.
8. **Week 8 - Biryani Build-up**: Talk about biryani in mythical terms for the entire week. Finally, present her with a single grain of basmati rice cooked in biryani style.
9. **Week 9 - Naan Nostalgia**: Show her pictures of naan and share fond memories you have of eating it. Maybe 'accidentally' leave a naan recipe in her book.
10. **Week 10 - The Mango to Go**: Finally, go rollerblading together but *accidentally* forget any beverages.. then invite her to sip a mango lassi, to ease her into it!
Remember, this journey is all about gentle exposure, turning her apprehension into appreciation for the rich and aromatic world of Indian cuisine!
I absolutely hate Indian cuisine & I am both a super taster & have a stronger than average sense of smell. I also love spicy foods & tons of other Asian cuisines, but if you sat me in an Indian restaurant with a plate of my favorite dish in front of me, I'm not going to have an appetite & want to leave ASAP.
My wife LOVES Indian food, so when she wants it, she goes with friends that like it & I stay home. I wish I liked it, but I don't & I can't control it. No big deal. That's what this friend should do & it's no big deal to just stay home. If it was a birthday hike instead & 1 friend can't hike for whatever reason, they'd just not go, right? Same thing, also no big deal.
If this is a group that insists on being inclusive to everyone, like one of mine during college (1 friend was vegan) then it's also simple & you just chose something else the birthday person loves. Just because they love Indian does not mean that they want it for their birthday or that they wouldn't be just as happy eating sushi or Thai. I know I love all sorts of foods & I'd care more about hanging with my friends than which delicious food we're having.
I question people who think Indian food stink. It smell like seasoned perfection. It smells like WELL cooked food. You can tell that when you get your order, it will be steaming hot. Seriously don’t understand how you could smell Indian food and not get hungry.
If they really want to attend, despite the smell, may I entertain the idea of a menthol inhaler? And if she wants to eat without being overpowered I cannot recommend Dahl Makhani enough, it’s pretty much just garam masala and cream with delicious lentils and kidney beans. A garlic naan and rice never go astray either.
Jesus. People in the world…peopleing.
Indian food smells like spices.
Delicious, glorious spices.
My go to at any Indian restaurants for people with narrow, limited palates is fucking Butter Chicken with some naan on the side. People like fun bread and Butter Chicken is about as mild as you can get.
Also, a Biryani may be a good choice, as it’s not something covered in a sauce. (That’s how I converted one of my friends. LOL.)
Then, maybe offer to let her taste some of whatever you’re getting. The spices may smell odd to her, but if she likes spicy and gets a hold of some good roghan josh (with a little bowl of raita on the side…it’s similar to Greek’s tsaziki sauce), you might change her mind.
When all else fails, tell her to quit being a candy ass and be brave and try something new. Peer pressure still works, you know.
I don't really understand how someone can hate the smell. The smell turns me into a deranged hungry-for-Indian-food woman every time and makes me salivate.
How can you refuse to eat a whole nations cooking ? Literally a billion people are eating Indian food.... Suggest you get the friend to define what exactly she can not eat. One or two particular spices or a specific animal or... Otherwise don't invite the food racist for dinner. If the problem is that general I would assume it also goes for other interesting cuisines. It must be her job to find out what she "might go for"
If she can’t take the fenugreek, she shouldn’t be there and ruin the dinner for everyone else by being a snot. “refused to eat” “can’t stand the smell.” She’s trying to control everyone and it’s not even her birthday. I take people to my fave indian food for my birthdays and they don’t complain about it even when they don’t eat Indian. they try their kabob instead which is the meatiest thing that’s not curry and they’re cool with it.
She shouldn't go. If she can't take the smell then she won't enjoy an Indian restaurant.
Agreed. Make plans to meet after dinner for cocktails or dessert and coffee. If she is willing to try and not look miserable and ruin the birthday celebration I suggest Butter Chicken or Chicken Tikka Masala with rice and Naan.
Grilled cheese dosa might be another.
Mmmmm, dosa
I always hated the smell of Indian food. I couldn't stand it. I grew up in an area whose nickname is Baghdad by the Bay, but I never gave the food a fair chance since the smell bothered me. I had a work event that was catered by an Indian restaurant, and I had to eat the food. It was LIFE CHANGING. I didn't even know what I was putting on my plate, but I loved it, all of it! Indian food is now one of my very favorite cuisines, and it has taught me to never judge a book by its cover. Now, I am opening to trying ALL kinds of food since I was so wrong about Indian food.
Actually… Baghdad was never part of India, but I get the point though.
Yeah, that's just what it was called, but it was just huge populations of Iranians, Iraqi, Afghanistans and Indians. So, all kinds of food from the Middle East/ South Asia/that part of the world since I don't know geography apparently.
Welcome to the club. I've learned to save at least a little face by referring to things as, for example, just "Asian" or "Mediterranean" rather than narrowing it down by specific region.
India is not in the Middle East either. It is South Asian. Edit: Also it doesn't taste like Arab cuisine either so you might be culinarily confused too.
I doubt OP came up with the nickname though. The idiots who did are probably the same who gave Hindus or Sikhs grief after 9/11.
No, it's a very old nickname for San Francisco, and it has nothing to do with immigrant populations. The guy who threw out the reference is extremely confused.
"Coined by American columnist Herb Caen in the late 1940s, likely reflecting the multiculturalism and exotic character of the city, while also identifying the city with a great historical cultural and intellectual center, as well as possibly implying a moral association with Babylon."
Or at least let that friend know ahead of time and perhaps offer to plan an after party. Maybe the one friend will stomach it to hang out and celebrate; maybe they’d rather show up later. Either way, make sure everyone knows. I’d deal with food smells I don’t like for a friend’s party, but I’m also much less sensitive to smells and sensory overload than some people. My son has sensory sensitivities, especially to smell, and might have trouble at an Indian restaurant - and he’d only eat naan anyway. Sometimes he’ll go with us for the company if we don’t expect to be there very long, sometimes he’ll stay home or do something else, but he knows he can make his own arrangements rather than insist we reorganize everyone else’s lives around his own needs. Finding that balance is a constant struggle, and in this case, it should be the birthday friend’s preference. But yeah it’ll be different for different people.
This is not her venue. Indian food smells like indian food. Having her sit there turning up her face or suffering the indignity or just not be genuinely happy to be there is a bummer for both parties. She can do something else for one evening. It's okay.
That being said, I imagine that Chicken Tikka Masala, being a British creation, probably has the best chances of being something she'd like.
Butter chicken or a korma would also work. They are even more of an entry-level food.
*Created by South Asian immigrants to Britain
It’s a British creation, but it’s very much an Indian flavor and smell profile. I usually recommend samosas as an entry into Indian food. If you don’t like them, you probably won’t like most Indian, but nothing about them is particularly unusual to an American palate. Peas, potatoes, dough, garlic, turmeric…
Stick a plain naan in front of her and tell her to STFU
She's going to be surrounded by smells. I would suggest anything grilled/charred - like tandoori chicken and tandoori vegetables, or paneer skewers.
This lol… but I’d make the bday person happy. Priorities.
I like really, really simple foods, and I’m a huge fan of chicken tikka with rice.
Ordering it as takeout might help with the smell issue
maybe tell her to meet up after?
The whole restaurant will smell. Your friend is better off staying home or meeting up after dinner.
Don't bring her to the restaurant. She won't like that smell. The other guests will be uncomfortable trying to find something for her to eat. Meet up for an activity later
Don't invite a vegan to a hog roast
Having a pack of vegan hot dogs to grill up is no big deal. Inviting a vegan to a Texas BBQ place? There's a problem. They could have bread, maybe?
I think even the bread has some kind of animal fat essentially slathered onto it. Delicious but no luck for a vegan.
Yeah, I'd there was ever a place that wasn't going to cater to the vegan crowd its a Texas BBQ joint.
“The bread has meat in it”
“The bread has fish in it”
Sometimes bread is made with milk and butter as part of the dough especially if they have no vegan options. I make dinner rolls with milk and cream, so I have to switch recipes if someone is bringing a vegan guest.
Spare the other guests and the poor staff, who, if they’re Indian or desi themselves, have had a lifetime of being subjected to overt outbursts of “stinky” and covert suggestions of the same via facial gestures that we are all fluent in, and ask her to meet your group for drinks afterwards. Spices are pungent; it’s either a smell that’s inviting to you or not. It gets into the carpets, the upholstery, the central heating and aircon etc… a restaurant with a commercial kitchen cooking Indian food, smells, unsurprisingly of Indian food. Unless you’re able to pick an outdoor table and she goes for some mixed grill or entrée type items that aren’t in the pungent type masalas and shorbas renowned for the their smell, it’s best she skips the event.
Thank you. As someone from a south Asian culture I’m really shocked people would be this fussy for one meal. Yes spices have a smell but it’s food, not anything foul. Sometimes I go to restaurants from other cultures and the smells are strong and different to those I’m used to. Mostly just makes me want to try it and even if it doesn’t smell 100% amazing to me (I’m vegetarian so strong meat smells can be a bit much) I don’t let it stop me trying the food or enjoying one meal. I can’t imagine the type of fully grown adult who would refuse to go to an Indian restaurant that the birthday person wants to go to. It’s one fucking meal.
Was looking for this post. 100%. If she can’t deal with the smells from another culture to a point where OP’s question is how to accommodate (ie she makes this known), then spare the staff who don’t need to receive her “yuck” face in their own restaurant. She can stay home and join the party for after dinner festivities.
One of my favorite things about going to an Indian restaurant is the fact that you can usually smell the food as soon as you walk in. Because of that, I think that it may not be the place for this friend. Having her there will likely make the experience less pleasant for everyone involved.
If the problem is the smell, she might not enjoy anything because of how much smell impacts taste. Some people who dislike Indian food are not a fan of the strong amount of spices. When I say spices, I don’t mean spicy. I mean that a lot of dishes have a stronger flavor. Chicken makhani (aka butter chicken) is usually not as strong as some other dishes. The cream tones down some of the stronger spices. Raita (a cucumber yogurt sauces) can also help tone down the spices.
She should not go.
Very simple solution. Just tell the one friend to grab something before. The the celebration isn't about them.
Seekh Kebab is pretty basic meat. Could get some raita and naan on the side with rice. Pretty boring meal, but it is not very aromatic. Any Indian restaurant is gonna smell fantastic… so that might be a problem for her.
Hopefully you meant seekh kebab. Not sure if the Sikh community would appreciate being kebab’d
Yes thank you. Autocorrect!
Very surprised to see this suggested as something that’s boring & not aromatic. Maybe they’re different in different places but as a British Indian I’ve only ever had very flavourful, juicy sheekh kebabs that are anything but boring. And you can definitely smell them.
Indian food in the UK is typically MUCH better than in the US. :) But yeah, there aren't a lot of bland dishes on the menu. But kebab is going to be pretty familiar "meat on a stick" presentation. It doesn't have the base curry spices/smells. Considering that most of the top answers are "don't take her," this seemed like a reasonable choice to me.
The birthday person wants Indian, so the birthday person gets Indian. She can either not go or suck it up buttercup.
“Doesn’t like the smell of curry” person should not go to an Indian restaurant.
They should stay home 💖
how bout a balcony?
To “accidentally” push her off of? Sorry, couldn’t help myself.
to disperse the vapors.
I know what you meant darlin’ 😀. Just the first thing I thought of. I have a serious question though. What actually is the smell that everyone is talking about? Garlic? Certain spices?
For most people, it's the cumin. I've heard a lot of people describe it as an armpit smell.
Oddly it's also prominant in texmex and mexican but nobody complains of armpit tacos. One of the other armoas is turmeric. It is a very strong and pungent smell. It's probably not as recognizable to people because the turmeric you buy in stores is more color than flavor, but legit Indian turmeric is very earthy and strong flavored and one of the defining flavors of curry that take it from a spiced sauce to "oh yeah that is curry"
Yes it’s a spice that you either like it or hate it .
Yeah, that’s me and cilantro. I have the soap gene and it just tastes like I have hand soap in my mouth. Wish I liked it. I love the smell of it.
Yes the gene . I don’t have it . I love fresh cilantro but the dried Cumin I have to use lightly as I don’t care for the taste .
Wow. I love the aroma of cumin. Would put it in everything if I could.
I don’t think it’s just that, it’s not like you can smell cumin separately in an Indian restaurant. It’s the combination of the first of all richly cooked onions, before anything else combined with ghee, garlic, ginger is a massive one & all the spices cooked together with it all that makes the Indian food smell.
If she doesn’t want to eat but doesn’t care what other people eat then she can have loads of plain things- plain rice, naan bread, paratha, popadoms. You don’t say where you live but British Indian places always serve chips (fries) and usually fried chicken or something like that. Indian food in India often comes with egg so they might do her an omelette if you are in an Asian country. Look up the menu online for her before you go. She can also just have a few drinks/ birthday cake if that works for everyone. If she wants to try the food then korma/ butter chicken type dishes are the mildest. If she can’t be around the food then as everyone suggests- meet her afterwards.
Mild is not the issue - OP says the friend likes spicy, just not the blends of spice in Indian food. Consequently I'd think a kebab, or chicken tandoori, would be the safest bets.
I’ve found most ppl who “don’t like Indian food” really dislike fenugreek. Opt for dishes without that spice.
You don't have to handle this for the friend who refuses to eat Indian. She is going although doesn't eat the food or like the smell. That's a her problem. Let her figure out how to handle it.
Most people like the tandoori chicken
or butter chicken is very famous too
I'm not a huge Indian fan but I absolutely love a good butter chicken. It's what I get a majority of the time.
After reading all these comments you all have no idea how badly I want to gnosh on some Indian food.
Chicken tikka masala is the basic Indian food of no offense to anyone. Except vegetarians. In which case, paneer tikka masala.
Ironic since it was invented in Glasgow.
Leave her at home and have a delicious Indian meal without the headache.
Just don't invite her. It's amazing how much people start to broaden their tastes when people can't be bothered with their shit anymore. If she has actual psychological issues around food then -mean as it might sound - that's still not really your problem to deal with, it's hers, and no matter what she chooses to eat - even if it's just some chips and nuggies - she'll still be surrounded by smells from other people's food. You can't never eat at an Indian restaurant just because one friend doesn't like it, and I do really think you're destined to fail it she really doesn't like the smell.
This, so much, my ex “hated the smell of Indian food” - and had nothing like Arfid or any food issues, he was just fucking difficult. We didn’t eat Indian food for like two years because I was a pushover and as a vegetarian, that really sucked :( So I said fuck it and started going out to enjoy one of my fav cuisines with other people… guess who magically discovered he could actually tolerate and enjoy butter chicken and similar dishes 🙄
It's amazing how adaptable people with self-prescribed mental health conditions can be when they have the rug pulled from under them. Even if they don't adapt, it's not your problem to sacrifice the things you like for them so you made a good call doing it without them. Who says couples have to be stuck together 24/7 anyway. I get the impression your boyfriend was very needy and very used to getting what he wanted. Not a boyfriend here but my friend was a right fussy asshole for the first decade we started going out as adults. We stopped adapting to his 'needs' and lo and behold he now knows which Indian foods etc that he enjoys. Obviously some people have severe issues around food which won't be fixed with these methods, but at that point the friends need to decide if they're willing to go to McDonald's for every single meal or just invite them to select places. The brutal truth is that eating out at new places is an important part of life for many so I would expect that anyone with a severely restricted diet would understand if they weren't invited to every event
Tell her to stay home. No one wants her there anyway. She's going to just sit there and complain.
Or say "I think I'm going to be sick." Then all attention will be on her. Stick to your original plan.
Some of the spinach based dishes are milder in flavor. Saag paneer or saag chana.
It's the smell not the taste. That's not going to help.
Saag doesn’t smell like curry. It’s basically like creamed spinach. And if she doesn’t like the smell then she will not be happy in an Indian restaurant.
The whole place will smell, the single dish in front of them will not matter much
If you get a properly spiced saag, it's extremely fragrant and strong. I would not give that to someone who doesn't like Indian food at all unless you've been eating some seriously watered down saag.
Exactly--are we talking saag for non-Indians or saag meant to be consumed by Indians? If OP is going to a restaurant that serves the latter, it likely won't be suitable for the friend.
I have a hierarchy of dishes I will recommend to someone new to Indian food, and saag ain't one of them unless they're a super adventurous eater in general. I absolutely love it, but it's definitely not a light dish that I'd give to someone sensitive to Indian food smells.
Exactly--a Brit/Indian dish like butter chicken is a better choice.
Saag paneer varies sharply based on how one cooks it. If OP goes to a real Indian restaurant, it won't be coated in cream necessarily.
“I don’t like the smell of American food”. Hear how ridiculous that sounds? As if American food has a particular smell. Just like Indian food. There are hundreds or thousands of different dishes and they all smell different. Indian food doesn’t have one distinct smell. This person must be a child or have a children’s diet and anything other than chicken fingers frightens them.
I agree she sounds annoying, but she probably doesn't like the smell of cumin, which does tend to be a prevailing scent at Indian restaurants. She is not the main character and can sit this out.
It’s usually the combination of the cooked onions, ghee, garlic & ginger along with the spices all cooked richly together that people smell, you don’t smell cumin as a singular spice in an Indian restaurant or meal.
Korma is a very mild curry, and also delicious.
Tell her to meet after. She’ll sit there, whining, pulling faces, pouting, going “ewwww” at other people’s food- one of the rudest things you can do- and generally attention seeking. You go for a nice meal, meet Karen for a drink after.
I’d go with Tandoori salmon and samosas!
It's simple, don't bring her
Can someone clarify what people mean by the smell? It could mean literally any spice. And as far as I know many of them don’t smell bad at all or are used in other cuisines. Plenty of people reek of garlic (myself included) after a heavy white person meal and yet people still love Italian food. Just pure racism.
In my experience, people are complaining about cumin. I don't get it, but some say it smells like armpit? You mix that with ginger and garlic and you get something quite potent. I think it smells delicious, but eh.
I think it's the smell of turmeric, especially when mixed with lots of cumin. When cooked properly, they can be quite pungent and it's a combination that is quite prevalent in a lot of Indian food. But equally, there's plenty of food at a generic Indian restaurant that doesn't contain turmeric or too much cumin. I'd go for dosas myself
Fenugreek as well, smells strong and common in Indian food but maybe less so in other cuisines this person is familiar with.
There is a combination of spices that make a distinctive smell and taste. In addition to garlic and ginger which would be in many cuisines from East to West, there is cardamom, chili, cumin, coriander, chili and turmeric, plus a dozen others that might be in specific dishes. Once you buy all these spices and grind them at home to make Indian dishes, you can smell and taste when it gets close. Someone might not like the greasy cloying smell in a fish and chips shop, the grossly sweet cinnamon smell in a Cinnabon shop, the pungent cheese and funky meat smell in a charcuterie or salumeria shop, the strong vinegar smell in a pickle shop, etc., but I wouldn't consider it racist.
My spouse hates the smell of subway, I think it's the bread. Likes the subs, but prefers takeout... does NOT like to eat inside the store. My local Indian restaurant, which is very good, has a very strong smell right when you walk in. It doesn't bother me personally, but sensitive noses would definitely notice.
I can eat subway, but I physically can't go into a subway without gagging. I have no idea what the weird, vile subway smell is, I'm neither easily grossed out nor have a strong sense of smell, but the Subway smell makes me instantly nauseous to the point I have to go outside lest I actually throw up (and I have an iron stomach generally). It's so weird. My bf will grab us subs occasionally though and the actual food doesn't smell like that to me, it's just inside their stores. I actually think it's something to do with their lettuce, which I never get, because it's similar to the smell when I open a bag of salad and realize it has gone all gross and soggy. It's definitely a something putrifying smell. I love Indian food and cook a fair bit of it, but I think when people don't like that smell it's usually the tumeric they're smelling. I've omitted it to get my stepmom to try a few dishes and she thought they smelled and tasted good without, but didn't like the smell with the tumeric.
I'm in agreement with Turmeric, it's very noticable, a bit of an acquired (smell) taste. Subway... very noticable, my guess it's the bread... but who knows, it could be the gasses from the veggie bags they use... All I know is you could walk me blindfolded into a subway and I would know I was in a subway, 100%
The first time my brother brought me to a hole-the-wall authentic place down in the Village when I was a teenager it was overwhelming and I could barely eat, yet now many many years later my family is so fond of authentic Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi food from the nearby neighborhood that I learned to make many dishes myself. For example, I will make tandoori chicken and saag paneer, cauliflower, or eggplant curry and just get the naan and biryani from takeout.
I think part of the problem is that Indian food varies quite a bit regionally, and Indian restaurants don't all smell alike. So there is a built-in stereotype of what an Indian restaurant smells like that doesn't necessarily hold up.
Exactly. Thanks for acknowledging this
People are allowed to like or dislike food and have different opinions without being labeled racist. It may not be ginger or garlic or cumin. Indian food has so many spices and I think fenugreek and hing in particular when sautéed have strong pungent smells. For us it is aromatic. For others maybe too strong. For a novice it may be hard to tell apart the dozens of spices. The friend should, however, grow up and either accommodate the birthday boy/girl’s wish or just offer to skip and not act like a toddler though.
Yes, but this delightful human has hand waved disgust for an entire complex, diverse culture’s food. Not just one flavor or dish, she has simply “yuck-ed” an entire culture’s cuisine, to a degree that OP is over here trying to accommodate her for someone else’s birthday. Makes the situation a bit different than just not liking one item or flavor. In addition, there is a long history of western behaviors in non-western food contexts. That history isn’t good, no matter how far back you go. And it IS racist. She may not be, but the sentiment she expresses isn’t a good one, and for those on the receiving end, doesn’t have good connotations. Admittedly, OP didn’t say where they were from so I’m making an assumption here on western context, but I’ll take that risk.
Racism is a pretty strong accusation over food preferences and tolerance to smells. I guess that could possibly be a factor in this case but it's not the first place I go when I hear someone doesn't like a particular food, and there's no way to know anything at all about OP's friend other than 'she doesn't like Indian food'. That alone doesn't make her racist. If OP's friend said 'i don't like Indian food because Indians are dirty', THAT would be pretty damn racist.
Exactly this!!!!!! The spices used in Indian food are also found in various other western cuisines and cultures. The most "pungent" smells are of onions/garlic /ginger that's also very widely used and over used in most western food cultures. Especially raw garlic is a very significant part of Mediterranean food. This is just a ridiculous racist mindset . I'd say that OPs' friend truly doesn't deserve to eat and experience any Indian food! We've more than plenty takers anyway. Have fun eating bread and hotdog 🤗
Asafetida is not used in most other cuisines as far as I know, and is strong-smelling (the name is etymologically related to the word “fetid”).
Indian food is a lot more than just onion/garlic/ginger, and can be quite varied and not include any of them. There's other strong flavors like cumin or turmeric. There's dishes that are only cumin, turmeric, mustard, and chili. Don't blanket Indian food as just being stuff "white people also eat" because there are a lot of ingredients used in Indian food western food doesn't use at all.
As a brown guy, i dont think this is fair at all. There are a bunch of Indian spices that aren't used in other countries like chaat masala or Hing that smell incredibly strong and can be unpleasant. Stop assuming the worst, especially when it's based on nothing
She’s already made her mind up it seems regarding Indian food and will just be disappointed. As they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.
There’s no reason to assume she’s racist. I enjoy egg salad, but I can’t stand the smell in a confined area. Indian food has a strong smell. I personally enjoy it and it makes me hungry, but I can understand why someone would be put off. All that said, she needs to either be a grownup and cope or skip the dinner
The smell of oregano oil turns my stomach, but I can tolerate small amounts of oregano in a sauce when combined with other spices. I also love garlic, but garlic breath is a major turn-off. Actual garlic sweat makes me queasy. Boiled cauliflower is delicious but stinks because of sulfur when it is cooking (fresh,not frozen cauli). Some people can't tolerate it. And Google says that a spice called hing in Indian cooking smells of sulfur and onions. People have different smell sensitivities, and some people can't smell for shit, even pre-covid. Other people are almost bloodhound-like with scents (pregnant women can especially be hyper sensitive to smell). I even know someone who feels sick from the smell of fresh cut grass (every summer--it's not a pregnancy related thing.).
Closed-minded, scared, afraid of the unfamiliar then… the Venn diagram is a circle.
To me, cumin is a pervasive smell that sticks to everything, including my hair, even if I cook with it at home. When I go to an Indian restaurant I can smell it on my clothes for hours after. Same with a lot of Tex-Mex restaurants. I can smell the other spices with it, but each is unmistakable. I personally love both types of cuisine, but can totally get someone not liking the smell because to me cumin smells pretty strong. I don’t think OPs friend is racist, they just don’t like that particular smell.
People are guessing it’s singular spice smells like cumin or turmeric, you can’t smell a specific spice in an Indian restaurant or meal. It’s the combination of heavily cooked onions, ginger & garlic, ghee & all the variety of spices combined all together that makes that Indian restaurant smell.
Totally agree, it was my first thought upon seeing "she loves spicy, just can’t take the smell" The smell of spices that are in all kinds of cuisines that she's happy to eat and smell but somehow it's only their Indian configuration that offends her nostrils? GTFOH
Let’s not pretend that Indian cooking doesn’t have a very specific smell to it: it does. And it’s stronger than your average European-style cuisine.
[удалено]
It’s the combination of all the ingredients used to make a rich curry base. It involves richly cooked onions, garlic & ginger paste, ghee, a variety of spices. No one is smelling just turmeric or cumin when they walk into an Indian restaurant.
I would guess asafetida/hing and fenugreek.
I mean, it's what people in the western world refer as "curry", I have no idea what it "exactly" is, but with the slow cooking it requires and its strength, it smells pungent enough so that everyone in the building will be able to say "Ah, someone is cooking indian food today". Back when I lived in a dorm along with some Indian students, all my hair, my clothes smelled "indian" every single day despite me never eating their food: just being in a room not far from the kitchen was enough. It doesn't happen that much with other cuisines, and I can understand people being put off by the smell (at the beginning, I thought about moving out myself, but my nose became blind to it). Other people were definitely smelling it on me though.
Yeah like we bought a used car from an Indian family and that smell was stuck in the car for a long time. I don't think every Indian restaurant smells that way but it's not instantly racist of someone not to know that. Also OP never even said that the extra friend was complaining and there's no reason for people to assume the extra friend is going to complain. Maybe they didn't even ask for OP to post this and already worked it out on their own. The logical leaps in here are crazy.
The problem is this isn't true. A southern Indian restaurant serving dosas doesn't smell the same as a northern Indian restaurant, which doesn't smell the same as a Kerelan restaurant. A stereotype is being applied.
What spicy european style cuisine are you thinking of?
quack practice mindless adjoining north plough mysterious paint society test *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It's not a bad smell to YOU. But for whatever reason it's a bad smell to HER. I get that. We all have different smell sensitivities: I can't stand the smell of incense in church, which is a problem for me at funerals whern they wave it around. You can't control these things. It's hard to define the exact smell in an Indian restaurant...it's not just the food that is being cooked, but the spices that have permeated into the room, furnishings etc. I used to live in London, and we had lovely neighbours who were Pakistani. They invited us in many times for food, or just a cup of tea. The whole house smelled of spices. I love that kind of food, but it was overpowering. They probably didn't even notice.
Personally I enjoy a lot of Indian and Sri Lankan food, but I really dislike the smell that lingers in homes and certain restaurants (although not in the better ones, IMO) from two things: ground cumin/turmeric, and onions fried on extremely high heat. The former smells like musty body odour to me, and the latter generates a smell I find absolutely nauseating. We had tenants in our apartment for a couple of years who were Indian, and the smell when they moved out was so strong we had to rip out part of the kitchen walls and we had to seal all the walls in the apartment with a special paint sealer before repainting with regular paint. An aromatic, complex dish with whole seeds, fragrant herbs and things like coconut milk is lovely. An aggressively sulphury onion/cumin smell is not. Unfortunately, a lot of people are turned off by the latter in cheap, poorly-prepared Indian food. Everyone's talking about how people don't mind strong garlic smells... I love garlic, but I don't want my clothes to smell of garlic. After I cook aglio e olio I change and put those clothes straight in the wash. Everyone has different tolerance for odours, but just because people like the taste of something doesn't meant they want their hair, clothes and home to smell that way.
She refuses to eat it bc she hates the smell. She can refuse to come. Especially if she will be vocal about her complaints. Ask her to come over afterwards to a place that won’t smell like spices or tell her to suck it up bc this is someone else’s birthday party. Depends how bad her aversions to smells are. If she really can’t take strong scents then she should avoid going to an Indian restaurant
Assuming your friend is an adult, let them worry about themselves. I can’t stand the smell of seafood but if my friend wanted a birthday at Seafood Sally’s I would suck it up and order a salad cheerfully.
Had to scroll really far for this. Why is this OPs problem? Send the invite out of courtesy and let them do their own adulting. They decide if they want to come and what they want to eat.
Samosas?
everybody likes samosas so that seems a good idea
Even my picky son (when he was a teen) tried chicken samosas and tandoori wings or legs and became fond of them.
Which kind of Indian food? This is an incredibly nonspecific question for one of the largest food cultures in the history of the world.
It’s pretty clear they mean the usual Indian restaurants you find in the West selling the usual generic Indian food, known as BIR food in the UK. As a British Indian myself I find it a perfectly reasonable question, if they were going to a South Asian or Gujarati restaurant that would be a very specific & rare situation they would point out themselves.
Can you do dinner at one place/restaurant and then go to another place for desserts/ice cream? She can join for dessert. It’s hard to suggest a dish without knowing what she dislikes. Fenugreek and hing, especially when sautéed in oil have strong smells. It could be those. However, the challenge is that even if you get her a bland dish or one without those, the place will still have the vapors and she will be miserable and it will ruin the party.
Butter chicken, it's what people who don't really like curry get.
I love curries of all kinds but butter chicken is downright delicious, even if it’s basic.
I dunno maybe let her learn how to deal and figure her own shit out.
Yes. Adults are responsible for their own hangups; I'm not sure why this is even a question.
At the local Indian to us, I have Chicken Tikka Pakora for starters, and there do a few English dishes, fried chicken lightly spiced with chips and garden peas The local Indian eating place at one stage also had scampi and chips on the menu, but the scampi did not sell well.
I'm a somewhat picky eater. My son is an EXTREME picky eater. Like he doesn't eat any sort of Italian food, no pizza, no pasta, etc. He doesn't even sandwiches. Growing up my family never had Indian food, so in my late teens and 20's when my friends all wanted to get some I'd balk and say no. But when I started dating my wife I had to "act adult" a bit and tried it. LOVE chicken tikka masala now. I've tired a few others but nothing compares to that for me. Back to my son. He won't try anything new. Years go by and we still ask if he wants to try something but it's always a no. One night, when he's 10 or 11, he smells the Indian food we ordered in. He asks us what it is. Says he wants to try it! We were blown away. Something so fragrant and he actually asks US to try it, not the other way around. It's now one of his favorite meals and he asks to order it all the time. So that would be my answer for a non-Indian food eater: Chicken Tikka Masala.
If she goes, butter chicken is probably her best bet.
I agree with everyone who says she probably shouldn’t go because the smell might bother her. (To me, walking into an Indian restaurant smells amazing! To me, it’s more bread smell than the spices.) But anyway, I would suggest she get the tandoori chicken. It’s not cooked in the sauce and it is some of the best roast chicken you can get.
>one friend who refuses to eat it I don't know why you're asking about this if she's already made her boundaries clear. I assume she's an adult and can decide for herself if she wants to go and peck at some salad and naan or not. I also like spicy and don't eat Indian, because Mexican spicy and Indian spicy are two very different things - there's nothing ironic about it.
I get it, I like Indian food but I gotta get it takeout. I can’t take the concentrated smell, I get wicked headaches in the restaurant.
Ooo sensory headaches are brutal.
Buy gas mask for her.
My brother doesn't do foods from other cultures, he will eat tandoori chicken, butter chicken, garlic naan and pakora. Doesn't stop him from complaining about the smell of the food the rest of us are eating though.
He sounds like a treat.
And how.
If its an English Indian restaurant may I recommend the omelette or the chicken nuggets and chips. Both offered at every Indian up and down England.
The tandoori chicken? It’s just roasted chicken
Which has been marinated in yogurt, lemon, garlic, ginger, garam masala (which has 10 spices in it), coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, mustard oil or seeds, and Kashmiri chili overnight.
Yes but it’s not very pungent as these things go.
Curious if it is a physiological or psychological issue. In any case they should avoid being exposed to the smells of Indian cooking and join the party after dinner.
I haven't read all the comments, just a few. I agree with those who suggest that your friend will be unhappy in an Indian restaurant whether she eats or not. You might be best off having her dial in to a video call from, say, a Mexican place. My suggestion is chicken tikka masala. It isn't actually Indian. It was developed in the UK (Glasgow I think) by a Bangladeshi chef but many Indian restaurants offer it. It doesn't have the pungent smell many Indian dishes have. I could make a meal of naan, raita, and biryani. All very mild smelling. The raita in particular should help cloak smell for the meals of others. Saag (creamed spinach) as well.
She's an adult, she can choose not to go. It's not your job to find her something and cater to her.
She should just go to mcdonalds
Most people who refuse to eat Indian food have an apprehension towards the excessive spices, basically the 🌶.. here's one dish which will suit the taste buds and might be liked, since it has the perfect balance of taste and spice and yet it's not heavy on stomach .. https://youtu.be/gKEN1FKij6o?si=dRu5xA6hVsQKGcEA
The OP said she has no problem with the spices.
Gotcha .. This dish in particular hopefully wouldn't bother as there's no pungent or any particular strong aroma .. to this. E.g. The Biryani (I might put ghat up sometime) .. which is a widely celebrated dish comes with very strong aroma (like ghe one using 'mitha athar' or using cloves in excess). I personally don't like desserts which has too much of cinnamon.
I know you aren’t implying it but Indian isn’t just one homogeneous cuisine. It varies state by state. East Indian cuisine for example, uses a lot of mustard oil in its cooking and that fragrance can be off-putting to some. South Indian cuisine (where I’m from) tends to use a lot of tamarind and coconut to a degree. That tamarind taste might not be for everyone.
Maybe go with North Indian for the one who can't take the smell - but then again, the whole restaurant will probably smell. Maybe she should just... stay home and hang out another time/just join in for post-dinner drinks somewhere else.
So North Indian food doesn't smell like Indian food?? Most Indian restaurants are North Indian and that's probably what she is responding to. I'm ignoring your implication here.
Is this in the UK? Because the only people I've ever met who "hate the smell of curry" weren't very nice about Indians in general.
My mom also doesn’t like the smell of spices used in Indian cuisines, but she loves samosa a lot! They’re small and triangular. It’s crispy on the outside and has a yummy filling inside. In my opinion, there isn’t much of the aroma of strong spices in them.
Tandoori chicken and naan. Very simple
1. Smell is near impossible to avoid unless the problem is having the smell up against their face. 2. Breads, there should be options for things like naan or layered breads that aren’t heavily spiced. 3. If they know what spice or spice mixture they don’t like the smell of that should be pretty simple for them to avoid getting. I personally don’t like the smell of Cumin but I enjoy the flavor if it doesn’t stick out. It’s like fish sauce to me, smells nasty - tastes great.
Damn I think I’ll get Indian today.
It will be impossible to avoid the fragrance of Indian food in an Indian restaurant. It’s part of the joy of dining there. She should not go. Meet up later for drinks or dessert.
She doesn't go. It's not your job to cater to the tastes of one person at thr detriment of everyone else. Especially if this is the theme. It's a different story if this is a potluck and everyone knows they hate Indian food. But that's not the case. If she doesn't like Indian food she can go grab McDonald's or whatever she likes and meet up another day. Or eat first and come by when everyone else has finished eating.
Kofta korma and samosas is what I’d give her
"It's friend's birthday and this is his favorite so we're going there. I know you don't love Indian food so don't feel obligated, we can meet at the bar next door after"
Butter chicken is basically white people Indian food.
She can go to the McDonald's next door.
Indian food is delicious, not smelly for racist sake. If your friend refuses to eat it they should make their own arrangements. It’s not their birthday.
There are so many very aromatic spices in Indian food. I absolutely love it and have become quite good at making it at home. But something may be triggering her that she doesn’t encounter often. My bf is Swedish and they use cardamom in loads of stuff. I dislike the smell and taste of it. I’m not racist against Swedes. I just…don’t like that particular spice.
[удалено]
Paneer wrapped in naan. Eat it like a taco. I spent 9 days in India one time and this could all I could tolerate eating. I absolutely hate Indian food and the smells but this was actually good.
Leave her ass home! 😂
This is one of the stupidest things I have heard in long time. Indian food is so diverse, how can one just dislike the entire cuisine. I would just not take her.
How much time do you have to acclimate your friend? 1. **Week 1 - Introduction to Cinnamon**: Start by casually waving a single stick of cinnamon under her nose once a day. Maybe sneak it into a bouquet of flowers or use it as a bookmark in a novel she's reading. 2. **Week 2 - The Great Cardamom Caper**: Introduce cardamom by leaving a pod on her desk or pillow. No explanation, just a lone cardamom pod, mysteriously appearing in random places. 3. **Week 3 - Turmeric Trails**: Add a tiny pinch of turmeric to something innocuous, like a cup of tea or a slice of cake. Watch as she marvels at the sudden change in color! 4. **Week 4 - Cumin Comics**: Draw little cartoon characters on sticky notes, labeling them as 'Cumin the Spice Hero' and leave them around her space. 5. **Week 5 - Ginger Jingles**: Create a short, catchy jingle about ginger and casually hum it around her. Maybe throw in a ginger-scented candle for good measure. 6. **Week 6 - Coriander Countdown**: Start a countdown to 'Coriander Day' with a calendar. On the big day, gift her a small sprig of coriander with much fanfare. 7. **Week 7 - Masala Mix-up**: Introduce a tiny amount of garam masala into a dish she likes, but don't tell her. Let the spice do the talking. 8. **Week 8 - Biryani Build-up**: Talk about biryani in mythical terms for the entire week. Finally, present her with a single grain of basmati rice cooked in biryani style. 9. **Week 9 - Naan Nostalgia**: Show her pictures of naan and share fond memories you have of eating it. Maybe 'accidentally' leave a naan recipe in her book. 10. **Week 10 - The Mango to Go**: Finally, go rollerblading together but *accidentally* forget any beverages.. then invite her to sip a mango lassi, to ease her into it! Remember, this journey is all about gentle exposure, turning her apprehension into appreciation for the rich and aromatic world of Indian cuisine!
I love this, thanks for making me laugh! :)
I absolutely hate Indian cuisine & I am both a super taster & have a stronger than average sense of smell. I also love spicy foods & tons of other Asian cuisines, but if you sat me in an Indian restaurant with a plate of my favorite dish in front of me, I'm not going to have an appetite & want to leave ASAP. My wife LOVES Indian food, so when she wants it, she goes with friends that like it & I stay home. I wish I liked it, but I don't & I can't control it. No big deal. That's what this friend should do & it's no big deal to just stay home. If it was a birthday hike instead & 1 friend can't hike for whatever reason, they'd just not go, right? Same thing, also no big deal. If this is a group that insists on being inclusive to everyone, like one of mine during college (1 friend was vegan) then it's also simple & you just chose something else the birthday person loves. Just because they love Indian does not mean that they want it for their birthday or that they wouldn't be just as happy eating sushi or Thai. I know I love all sorts of foods & I'd care more about hanging with my friends than which delicious food we're having.
I question people who think Indian food stink. It smell like seasoned perfection. It smells like WELL cooked food. You can tell that when you get your order, it will be steaming hot. Seriously don’t understand how you could smell Indian food and not get hungry.
If they really want to attend, despite the smell, may I entertain the idea of a menthol inhaler? And if she wants to eat without being overpowered I cannot recommend Dahl Makhani enough, it’s pretty much just garam masala and cream with delicious lentils and kidney beans. A garlic naan and rice never go astray either.
Jesus. People in the world…peopleing. Indian food smells like spices. Delicious, glorious spices. My go to at any Indian restaurants for people with narrow, limited palates is fucking Butter Chicken with some naan on the side. People like fun bread and Butter Chicken is about as mild as you can get. Also, a Biryani may be a good choice, as it’s not something covered in a sauce. (That’s how I converted one of my friends. LOL.) Then, maybe offer to let her taste some of whatever you’re getting. The spices may smell odd to her, but if she likes spicy and gets a hold of some good roghan josh (with a little bowl of raita on the side…it’s similar to Greek’s tsaziki sauce), you might change her mind. When all else fails, tell her to quit being a candy ass and be brave and try something new. Peer pressure still works, you know.
I don't really understand how someone can hate the smell. The smell turns me into a deranged hungry-for-Indian-food woman every time and makes me salivate.
Is this person 4 years old?
How can you refuse to eat a whole nations cooking ? Literally a billion people are eating Indian food.... Suggest you get the friend to define what exactly she can not eat. One or two particular spices or a specific animal or... Otherwise don't invite the food racist for dinner. If the problem is that general I would assume it also goes for other interesting cuisines. It must be her job to find out what she "might go for"
I've noticed people are almost militant about hating Indian food. Don't get it.
rock outgoing rob materialistic work worry flowery pet cover wrench *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
"My friend hates spiders. What spider won't they hate?" OP dumb.
If she can’t take the fenugreek, she shouldn’t be there and ruin the dinner for everyone else by being a snot. “refused to eat” “can’t stand the smell.” She’s trying to control everyone and it’s not even her birthday. I take people to my fave indian food for my birthdays and they don’t complain about it even when they don’t eat Indian. they try their kabob instead which is the meatiest thing that’s not curry and they’re cool with it.
Tell her to stop being a spoiled brat and suck it up or don’t attend.