Padma Lakshmi, actress, model, Top Chef host and author, came down on Gene Weingarten for disrespecting Indian culture and cuisine saying it's "based entirely on one spice."
Weingarten's opinion column is generally humorous.
This week, The Washington Post column titled "You Can't Make Me Eat These Foods" focused on Weingarten's distaste for certain foods and ingredients, like sweet pickles and balsamic vinegar.
However, he also wrote Indian foods are "the only ethnic cuisine in the world insanely based entirely on one spice."
He continued:
"If you think Indian curries taste like something that could knock a vulture off a meat wagon, you do not like Indian food."
"I don't get it, as a culinary principle."
When Padma Lakshmi read the article, she aired her problems with it on Instagram and Twitter.
The Instagram caption read:
"There is truly no need for something like this to be published in 2021 (or ever)."
"It's racist and lazy at best."
"My issue is not this person's performative contrarianism (although it is tedious) or that he didn't enjoy the Indian cuisines he's tasted."
"My problem is in this attempt at a comedic piece he's actually just regurgitating old colonizer tropes, gleefully reducing the culture and country of 1.3 billion people to a (frankly) weak punchline- and that the @washingtonpost published it."
Lakshmi called out The Washington Post for even approving this to be published.
Is this really the type of colonizer 'hot take' the @washingtonpost wants to publish in 2021- sardonically charact… https://t.co/zEHIKqs21N— Padma Lakshmi (@Padma Lakshmi) 1629738025.0
Her tweet garnered the attention of thousands.
@PadmaLakshmi lol. i loved this piece, it put some foods in perspective for me. https://t.co/w2aSN1pZyU— Adam (@Adam) 1629734487.0
@AdamSwinson @PadmaLakshmi Wow this article really explained the behavior of a lot of white men in a grilling and s… https://t.co/rCOa94cRKm— Jill Dobel (@Jill Dobel) 1629742081.0
@foundbeautyvt @PadmaLakshmi Well at least he admits it’s more than one spice. He should stick to unseasoned chicke… https://t.co/ZLvcqqoYY5— Seana Lyn (@Seana Lyn) 1629735100.0
@PadmaLakshmi @LisaMcCray Trying to figure out which one spice Indian cuisine is entirely based on… https://t.co/wJwubjBV1c— Tim Broyle, MD (@Tim Broyle, MD) 1629733681.0
@PadmaLakshmi "ONE SPICE?" Which one? cumin? coriander? turmeric? kalonji? ajwain? cardamom? paprika? amchur? must… https://t.co/bjeHKcNv36— AZ (@AZ) 1629737878.0
@bessbell/Twitter
@PadmaLakshmi Literally the whole reason Columbus put his colonizer behind on a boat (misnaming Native peoples of t… https://t.co/vM8eKYIJJn— Maria (@Maria) 1629771724.0
Lawyer Meena Harris, niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, and writer/actor Mindy Kaling chimed in on Weingarten's piece as well.
Even Columbus knew it was more than one spice— Meena Harris (@Meena Harris) 1629782469.0
You don’t like a cuisine? Fine. But it’s so weird to feel defiantly proud of not liking a cuisine. You can quietly not like something too— Mindy Kaling (@Mindy Kaling) 1629757868.0
Since the immense backlash, The Washington Post has made a correction to the article.
At the top of the column it reads:
"A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Indian cuisine is based on one spice, curry, and that Indian food is made up only of curries, types of stew."
"In fact, India's vastly diverse cuisines use many spice blends and include many other types of dishes."
"The article has been corrected."
Someone in Lakshmi's comments pointed out Weingarten's since deleted tweet.
@PadmaLakshmi The doubling down is not a good look, my dude. https://t.co/D4N1U48QKO— L Hale (@L Hale) 1629734352.0
He attempted an apology tweet as well.
From start to finish plus the illo, the column was about what a whining infantile ignorant d---head I am. I should… https://t.co/Bj4sKM9YF0— Gene Weingarten (@Gene Weingarten) 1629747162.0
It's hard to say if this latest attempt was genuine or not.