New Delhi: It wasn’t the usual feedback of too much salt or not enough flavour that restaurants usually receive.
Michelin star Indian chef Gaggan Anand, who now runs an award-winning restaurant in Bangkok, took to Instagram Sunday to share a query rife with racism and Islamophobia from a prospective diner, and his cheeky response.
According to the Instagram post, the interested party first said that they were “allergic to the curry taste”, and asked whether “you can change to another dish such as grilled or fried with breadcrumbs lobster (sic)”. When the restaurant responded saying they have a new curry, the individual wrote: “We are allergic to the smell of curry, we will easily vomit, we are afraid of the taste of Muslim dishes, please help us. Thank you so much!”
The Kolkata-born chef, who was featured in the Netflix documentary Chef’s Table and once appeared as a guest judge on Masterchef Australia, chose to decline their reservation and talk about it with the hashtag, ‘I smell like curry’.
Social media users came to his support. One user commented, “Allergies now come with a dose of racism”, while internet personality Jon Yongfook wrote, “This person probably also makes reservations at Michelin star sushi restaurants and tells the chef they don’t like raw food.”
Who is Gaggan Anand?
Born in Kolkata to Punjabi parents, Gaggan Anand was dubbed “the most famous Indian chef in the world” by The New York Times. In Bangkok, he runs several acclaimed restaurants, including his namesake establishment, Gaggan Anand, which offers progressive Indian fare, Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh (a fusion of Mexican and Indian cuisines), and Gaggan at Louis Vuitton, a partnership with the luxury brand. While his restaurants have earned Michelin stars, Anand is known for his scepticism about the significance of such accolades.
His earlier restaurant ‘Gaggan’ ranked number 1 in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list four times. It also earned two Michelin stars.
This year, his restaurant ranked ninth in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2024.
Anand left India a decade ago to rise to prominence with his innovative approach to progressive Indian cooking, characterised by bold flavours and theatrical presentations.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)