[rudiv]

> the Indian food in Britain is the best in the world

Got about a billion people here who'd like to disagree. In fact, of all the crimes against humanity the British visited on India, I think that assertion might just be the worst.

[_jgdh]

You’re being heavily downvoted but I can’t imagine by who or why. Certainly not by people who’ve eaten Indian food in both India and the UK.

While there are a few good restaurants, most Indian restaurants in the UK are bland beyond reason, catering to the common palate. There’s nothing wrong with liking bland food or restaurants catering to that preference, but let’s not make this extraordinary claim that it’s better than the food in India. For most part the food is plain and plays it safe. For example, it’s rare to find Indo-Chinese, a cuisine nothing like Chinese or Indian but a staple of cuisine in India.

[threedots]

It's funny to read a thread of people arguing over how good certain food is, as if that was some kind of objective matter amenable to resolution.

[_jgdh]

This isn't an argument over say Italian vs French cuisine. That's undecideable.

This is an extraordinary claim that by taking Indian food to the UK, stripping it of it's spice to suit the locals somehow made it better. It'd be like claiming Italian cuisine became better without the tomatoes or Mexican cuisine better without the beans.

[rudiv]

.

[rudiv]

TBH I am sick to death of this website and am therefore clearing this comment. Apologies to the commentor responding below - I posted a response to your comment in a previous edit of this comment. Somebody please invite me to the land of crustaceans.

[unmole]

> We've taken to calling that Punjabi Chinese recently, because that seems more accurate

Indian Chinese cusine was developed by the ethnic Chinese community in Kolkata. I really don't see any distinctive Punjabi influence.

[Symbiote]

The comment doesn't appear downvoted now, but it was possibly because "No it's not!" isn't much of an argument.

Maybe you find British Indian food too bland, too dry, too sweet, to have a lack of variety or to use low quality ingredients. Whatever it is, it could more usefully continue the discussion.

However, I think even people who've tried food in both countries (I haven't) will often find themselves arguing, based on their experience. The majority of "Indian" restaurants in Britain are cheap -- a step above a takeaway. Like similar restaurants in Britain, they have a menu based on combining pre-prepared ingredients/sauces to lower costs. There are also middle and some high-end Indian restaurants. I can easily imagine people experiencing "takeaway+" and assuming this standard of food is universal in Britain, or (especially on HN) someone on a business trip to London being taken to a high-end restaurant and generalizing from there.

[bryanrasmussen]

Perhaps we should just go out for an English then https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huSP7PtctC4