Slate: Help! I Can’t Believe My Son’s Friend Fed Him Indian Food Without Calling Me First.

[Cooked Crack]

Quote

Q. Inappropriate food: My son, “Chris,” is 9. A few weeks ago, we decided to open our bubble to include the family of “Neil,” Chris’s best friend. Both of Neil’s parents are doctors, so this seemed like a safe decision. Both parents were born and raised in India. We let Chris have dinner at their place the other night since both boys were having a great time together. When we came to pick up Chris, Neil’s mom recounted to me how much chicken curry and lentils and vegetables Chris ate. I couldn’t believe that they served my son spicy curries without even calling to ask us if that would be OK! I was taken aback and gently mentioned that spicy foods can be hard on small tummies, but it didn’t seem to register. Thankfully Chris didn’t get sick. My wife says to drop it because any conversation will look racial in nature and to only let the boys play at our place. Please help.

https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/08/parenting-indian-food-bubble-covid-families-judgement.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheGoodBits]

Funny, I’ve been experimenting with cooking since the pandemic started and the single most popular dish I’ve made is butter chicken (yes yes I know the British invented it). But my chicken nugget and French fries eating kids will absolutely clean their plates and ask for seconds when I make butter chicken. 

[NoCalMike]

If she would have said her concern was possible food allergy related that would be one thing, but her specific complaint......eh.   I also assume if they kid found it too spicy he would have stopped eating it after a few bites. 

[wrilbo67]

Yeah- if this was about allergies or religious beliefs, I'd be on the letter-writer's side here.

 

Also, as an Indian American, lentil soup is the blandest thing on earth.  I hated it when my mom made me eat it as a kid.  I'm not sure what sort of voodoo those Indian parents did to convince a 9-year-old white kid to eat that.

[NoCalMike]

5 minutes ago, wrilbo67 said:

 

 

Also, as an Indian American, lentil soup is the blandest thing on earth.  I hated it when my mom made me eat it as a kid.  I'm not sure what sort of voodoo those Indian parents did to convince a 9-year-old white kid to eat that.

 

A little salt & pepper can actually work wonders! 

[PleaseBlitz]

The advice columnists response was spot on, not that this was a tough one.  

 

If my neighbors got my kid to eat Indian food, I would dance a jig.  She only eats like 5 things without a fight. 

[TradeTheBeal!]

Welp, now I’m hungry.

[Fan since a Fetus]

Please, get him back on Gerber where he is safe!!!

 

I can't help but wonder if he ate chicken wings down the street at Joey Baloney's house, if there would be the same outrage? But, the other side of that is that he let his child go to their house to begin with. This could be me expecting most things to have some sort of racial connection lately. Also, he says they're doctors. Who better to trust whether or not your child can eat a certain food without negative side effects?

 

Also, I love lentil soup. Like a lot of things, it depends on how you make it.

[No Excuses]

35 minutes ago, wrilbo67 said:

Also, as an Indian American, lentil soup is the blandest thing on earth.  I hated it when my mom made me eat it as a kid.  I'm not sure what sort of voodoo those Indian parents did to convince a 9-year-old white kid to eat that.

 

I used to be the same way when my mom made lentil soup but the key is to pair with a buttered roti and mint/cilantro chutney.

 

I feel bad for the kid in this story. It sounds like his family can't cook and he finally enjoyed a pleasant meal for the first time in his life.

[wrilbo67]

Yeah, lentil soup comes in a lot of varieties- but the daily traditional daal that a lot of people eat at home-- meh. My dad loves it though, so it was pretty regular in our weeknight eating.

 

Maybe the letter-writer's son got in on a special meal though, because we definitely weren't having chicken curry every day either.

[mammajamma]

Person from America (highest rate of obesity and diet related illnesses in the world) is scared their child is eating a dish from India (staple dishes are some of the healthiest dishes you can make). American "Exceptionalism" is such a turnoff

[Corcaigh]

I don’t think you are taking this experience seriously and how it might change the impressionable child.

 

The kid is lost to American values. He will now become a doctor or tech entrepreneur rather than become the lawyer or accountant that his parents dreamed of.

[TradeTheBeal!]

Undercover Brother laid all this out for us years ago.

[tshile]

My kids love Indian food. It’s a regular here. 
 

there are people that hold weird views on non-traditional American food. I’ve found myself in arguments with family when I tell them that, based on my traveling, “American” food sucks. 

[Destino]

My daughter has already learned to ask for a glass of milk before digging into food she suspects of being spicy.  It’s fun to watch her interrogate some of our friends about which item on her plate is spicy. “When I say spicy I mean to me, not you, ok?  So which one is spicy?  No lying!”  
 

Part of the magic and mystery of having a diverse group of friends is sitting at their dinner table wondering which item might make you cry.  Good times.

[Die Hard]

2 hours ago, wrilbo67 said:

Also, as an Indian American, lentil soup is the blandest thing on earth.  I hated it when my mom made me eat it as a kid.  I'm not sure what sort of voodoo those Indian parents did to convince a 9-year-old white kid to eat that.

Guilty admission. I eat Lentil soup 3x/week right now. I think it’s incredibly delicious when you find a good one (Recipe/restaurant). But I’ve had to try a few places before I found it. 
 

Same with roti.

[JCB]

Man, I thought she was gonna be pissed because she didn't get any.

 

We ordered in last weekend, had the most amazing mango-lime chicken and some dhosa that was FIRE.

[tshile]

If you don’t have at least one item on your weekly menu that somehow involves a tortilla you’re doing it wrong 

[TradeTheBeal!]

Whatever happened to that “Cuisines Ranked” thread?  Or was that just a RTT tangent?

[Bacon]

Not all Indian cuisine is that spicy. I made some excellent garam masala chicken naan with jasmine rice last night that was mild. 

 

My favorite part of this was the idea that opening up their personal bubble was OK just because the kid in question had parents that were doctors. That's all they needed to know. Additionally, "Neil" being in quotation marks like he's not a real person, rather than "bubble."