BuzzFix: Indians and a Never-Ending Quest For 'Ghar Ka Khana' on Foreign Trips

For Indians, food is seldom just food. It’s an emotion! While ‘Do waqt ki Roti’ is sufficient for an Indian to get going on a normal day, our desire to have the same ‘rotis’ with that Desi touch on a trip abroad proves how finicky we are about food. This brings us to the question: why do we have a never-ending obsession with Indian and food abroad?

For example, one shouldn’t be surprised to meet a Gujarati on an international flight whose bag would be filled with countless Theplas that would sometimes exceed the number of clothes they’d be carrying for their foreign trip. People from all over India have this habit of packing ‘ghar Ka khana’ while being away from ‘ghar’. In fact, this obsession might even be limiting us to our comfort zones.

So, why does this happen? Why do we not want to give up on Indian food abroad and try something available locally? There could be a host of reasons.

Need For Spice

Desi uncles from all cultures tend to be food enthusiasts, but you wouldn’t find them sitting in an Italian or continental eatery unless their Gen-Z kids forcibly take them to try something new. Apart from the fact that we’re too comfortable in our own little zones, spices soothe our tongues like no other! We need a proper proportion of masalas in a dish that would entice us to take a bite.

This is what compels Indians to begin their tour preparations by deciding what food items should be taken along that would help them ‘sustain’ their holidays in a foreign country. Imagine a lady recommending to a woman a specific tour operator in Europe based on the fact that they served Indian food throughout the tour! Well, this just happened with a Twitter user who reacted by calling out Indians for absurdly attaching themselves to the Desi taste.

Nowadays, even NRIs have made cooking du jour all over again by inventing ways to Indianise whatever is available in the market. It’s their necessity that has driven them to the path of innovation. After all, getting fed up with the microwave dinners, pot noodles, and greasy takeaway food, they couldn’t help but yearn for ‘ghar ka khana‘ a little bit more.

Isme Humari (Indians) Expertise Nahi Hai, We Are Out

Indians seldom show interest in knowing about a country’s food habits, tastes, preferences, table manners, what side dish goes well with a main course, their food etiquette, and the likes. For instance, some of us are afraid of using chopsticks to have Chinese or Japanese food. It’s a safer bet to stick to the tried-and-tested food by opting for an Indian restaurant abroad.

Food Should Feel Heavy in the Stomach, Not on the Pockets

For Indians, every penny spent on food should prove to be worthwhile. Some of us really do not care to experiment, especially when on a foreign trip. Couple that with a tight budget for the tour, and experimenting with food starts to appear like a risk you’d rather not take.

People in general tend to prefer and pick what is known to them over something that might disappoint them. That is what compels eateries to come up with a range of options to excite tourists. For proof, even the smallest of tourist destinations in India, says Pushkar in Rajasthan, have specially-designed cafes with soft lighting, wooden fixtures, and vintage chairs that serve an authentic Italian menu to foreign travellers. Sticking to the comfort zone is a universal phenomenon and not limited to Desi culture alone.

Foreign tourists in general tend to be more open to experimentation when they visit India. You’d find them trying spicy delicacies, asking locals about the place’s popular dishes, and even experimenting with street food items that might be a rare sight in their own countries. They usually want to soak in the whole gamut of cultural experience- be it food or local art.

So, shouldn’t it be the same for us? While it’s completely a matter of choice, exploring new food would only elevate our experience of a foreign culture, even if sometimes it might disappoint our taste buds.

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