American Professor Says ‘Indian Food is Terrible’ and Twitter Isn’t Having It
A White male professor has gone viral after his tweet critiquing Indian food sparked outrage online.
Tom Nichols, an international affairs professor at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island, shared his unsolicited opinions regarding “non-American” dishes, especially Indian cuisine, stating that, “Indian food is terrible and we pretend it isn’t.”
“I think people often pretend to like non-American cuisines as a way of showing sophistication,” he continued.
Indian food is terrible and we pretend it isn’t. https://t.co/NGOUtRUCUN
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 23, 2019
I think people often pretend to like non-American cuisines as a way of showing sophistication. I’m honest enough to say that my mostly Irish taste buds can’t handle whatever it is that is called “Indian” in the US and UK.
You may all continue with your outrage now.
/3x— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 24, 2019
Nichols was responding to a tweet from Jon Becker who originally wrote, “Please quote tweet this with your most controversial food opinion, I love controversial food opinions.”
Nichols ended his series of tweets with, “You may all continue with your outrage now.” And as he had anticipated, backlash ensued shortly, with prominent writer and political activist Shailja Patel calling this incident to be an example of “white male solipsism.”
Trips over himself with eagerness to spew racist bullshit in the name of “I’m going to say something controversial tee hee.”
Then chortles at the clapback: “People are tOuChY.”
Why yes, centuries of colonial slaughter, plunder, and mass starvation tend to have that effect.
— Shailja Patel (@shailjapatel) November 23, 2019
Several Twitter users also viewed his words to be blatantly racist and pointed out that his statement was an unfair generalization as India is a diverse country with a wide variety of cuisines.
Tom, you’re a prominent public intellectual. You casually insulted the food, and by extension the culture, of a country of 1.35 billion people, not to mention one that was formerly colonized. It was ignorant on several different levels. It shouldn’t be that hard for you to grasp.
— Alan Jennings Beard (@AlanJBeard) November 25, 2019
What you’re saying here is so absurdly ignorant that an intelligent response is basically impossible. I’ve shied away from using this phrase, but I think this is as good a time as any to just go ahead and say it. Ok Boomer. #OkBoomer
— richardparsons (@richardparsons) November 25, 2019
As Tina Fey said, in response to Christopher Hitchens’ “women aren’t funny”:
“We don’t fucking care if you like it. It is an impressively arrogant move to conclude that just because *you* don’t like something, it is empirically not good.”
— Shailja Patel (@shailjapatel) November 24, 2019
Do you not have tastebuds? https://t.co/o2IVYsrr8R
— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) November 24, 2019
Celebrity chef Padma Lakshmi also responded to Nichols, asking, “Do you not have tastebuds?”
Democratic politician Saira Rao further explained, “Having white people trash Indian food is extremely triggering as an Indian who has been told that I smell weird, that my food smells weird and that Indians shit on the street which is why everything we are smells bad. My whole life.”
Having white people trash Indian food is extremely triggering as an Indian who has been told that I smell weird, that my food smells weird and that Indians shit on the street which is why everything we are smells bad.
My whole life.
— saira rao (@sairasameerarao) November 24, 2019
In response, Nichols published an op-ed in USA Today, calling the outrage to be “lunacy” and “unhinged fury.”
He admitted in his piece that his tweet was aimed at being controversial, attempting to irk certain social media users on purpose.
“I decided to go for the gold and point out that I cannot stand the cuisine of over a billion people,” he wrote. “And just to be annoying, I added that no one else could possibly like it either.”
However, he apparently could not handle the volume of backlash that came his way.
“I was accused, in various states of unhinged fury, of playing into stereotypes about Indians and furthering a history of oppression,” he wrote.
He continued on, blaming social media for treating “everything that passes before our eyes as a deadly serious business worthy of extensive debate.”
It offended people because people on social media thrive on offense they way the rest of us need oxygen.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 26, 2019
I know why it offended some people and I think they’re being ridiculous. Maybe more of you should read what I wrote today and reflect on why you are such impossibly sensitive souls with such an insatiable appetite for self-referential (and self-reverential) outrage.
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 26, 2019
“So Privilege” was the name of my No Doubt tribute band, which I quit immediately https://t.co/1etVnBQUEw
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) November 26, 2019
Nichols has since shared his op-ed piece to his Twitter account, and continues to respond to criticisms online, feeling that his statement was blown out of proportion.
Feature Image via DeathOfExpertise
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