I Tried Authentic Indian Cuisine and Lost Badly. Food Adapted for Japanese Tastes Was Better for Me After All

Today, I went to an authentic Indian restaurant in my neighborhood.

The restaurant serves food prepared by Indian chefs that is quite close to what you would find in India.

I am cautious about casually opening the door to immigration, but I have no objection whatsoever to foreign nationals who follow the proper procedures, work in Japan, and put their professional skills to use. If they serve delicious food, they are more than welcome.

Now, on to the food itself.

Normally, I would order curry and naan adapted to Japanese tastes. Today, however, I decided to be a little adventurous and try more authentic Indian cuisine.

The result was a crushing defeat.

I Had Assumed That All Indian Food Was Curry

It was not so bad that I could not eat it. Some dishes were delicious.

To be honest, though, there were also dishes that made me think, “This is a bit much…”

Both the seasoning and the use of spices were quite different from the Indian food I usually eat. They simply did not suit my palate.

Still, I made one interesting discovery.

Not all Indian food is curry.

When Japanese people see a heavily spiced Indian dish, we are tempted to call it curry. In reality, however, there are many Indian dishes that are distinct from curry.

When you think about it, this should be obvious. India is a vast country. Its people cannot possibly eat some form of curry at every meal, every day.

To an Indian person, the Japanese habit of treating every Indian dish as curry may be rather like a foreigner calling every Japanese dish “sushi.”

Authentic Does Not Necessarily Mean Most Delicious

This experience reminded me of something.

An authentic taste and a taste that is delicious to me are not the same thing.

For example, sushi overseas includes creations such as California rolls made with mayonnaise and avocado.

Japanese people may want to protest, “That is not sushi,” but local diners probably find those versions more delicious.

After all, food has value only when the person eating it enjoys it.

I suspect Indian food became so widespread in Japan precisely because it was modified over time to suit Japanese tastes.

Faithfully reproducing an authentic flavor and pleasing the customer are not necessarily the same thing.

Indian Food Adapted for Japanese Tastes Was Enough for Me

This experiment taught me a great deal about my own preferences.

Learning what authentic Indian food was like was interesting, and experiencing the difference between food cultures was worthwhile.

Next time, however, I intend to order the curry and naan adapted to Japanese tastes without trying to be clever about it.

There is no reason to keep paying money to challenge myself with food that does not suit my palate.

Trying authentic Indian food made me appreciate just how good the versions adapted for Japanese tastes really are.

As an exercise in cross-cultural understanding, it was quite a meaningful experience.

My stomach, however, did not seem particularly eager for cross-cultural coexistence.