The Taste of Hypocrisy: How Western Media Justifies Their Mockery of Indian Cuisine

It’s ironic how the people who eagerly queue outside Dishoom and Masala Zone to eat their ‘favourite’ butter chicken masala are the same ones who don’t miss an opportunity to mock Indian cuisine, particularly the street food, online. Recently, social media platforms including Tiktok and Instagram have been filled with content creators either upbraiding the procedure and hygiene of Desi street food or demeaning the vendors who sell it under the guise of constructive criticism. Although this trend is concerning, it is unsurprising, as it proves Edward Said’s theory of Orientalism, where the West (The Occident) creates a distorted view of the East (The Orient) as uncivilised, exotic and backward. 

Indian street food, with its vibrant flavours and diverse masalas is deeply embedded in the country’s culture, reflecting its heritage, history and communal way of living. Since iconic dishes like samosas, pani puri, and vada pav have found their way into menus across the world, the influx of hatred they’re receiving is perplexing. However, this criticism can be traced to the influence of Western colonial hegemony in shaping “authentic” food in the West. Many of these restaurants cater to Western eating practices which echo Said’s concept of the Orient as a construct defined by its binary: the Occident. Thus, when the West encounters media that challenges their pseudo concept of street food—like vendors cooking in street stalls—they resort to shaming it instead of respecting it. This reaction perpetuates a fundamentally harmful practice of removing food from its cultural context and dismissing traditions that don’t align with Western ideals, further reinforcing a hierarchy where non-Western practices are viewed as unclean and devalued.  

Social media posts of street vendors cooking without washing their hands or stepping on food materials triggered this trend. And though it initially raised sincere questions regarding the health and safety of the customers, people soon started using it as an excuse to be racist. By making words like ‘unhygienic’, ‘strange’, and ‘disgusting’ synonymous with street food, and associating those viral videos with street food culture in India, Western media is once again ‘denuding the humanity of another culture, people or geographical region’ (Said, Orientalism). For instance, the YouTube video of this woman serving juice and this man preparing a local dish received backlash for ‘not wearing gloves’ and ‘cooking unhygienically’. Although the comments about the cleanliness (in the videos) could be written out of genuine concern, other comments stereotyping the entire country are blatantly prejudiced and demeaning. Furthermore, meme accounts on Instagram often post videos like Phobia Test: Indian Street Food to stay ‘relevant’ at the cost of tarnishing the Orient’s culinary image. 

Viral videos like this vendor kneading parotta dough with his hands received over 19.4 million views, fuelling debates between people comparing it to American bakers using their hands and others calling it a risk to their health. The ridiculously large engagement of such posts influenced numerous creators to purposely repost viral videos on their page which not only increase their following, but spread anti-Indian propaganda. Moreover, influencers labelled street food of other South Asian countries as Indian, instigating the spread of misinformation and erasing the individual identity of South Asians. 

From Instagram users describing authentic street food as ‘disgusting but delicious’ to YouTubers calling it ‘nasty’, this trend places the cultural procedures and hygiene standards of the ‘exotic Indian other’ as inferior compared to countries in the West. The broader implications of this trend place it under a deep rooted issue in cultural imperialism where Western (culinary) standards are imposed upon the East. Similar to how Western media uses its comments to project their internalized racism towards Indian food, the Occident in Said’s theory exoticises the Orient in an attempt to solidify its supremacy. Furthermore, the hypocrisy of content creators reveals the backward, orientalist mindset that they hide between their pseudo ‘inclusive’ and ‘open-minded’ face. 

It is at moments like these where social media acts more as a bane than a boon. Despite the so-called ‘woke’ culture of modern society, it’s appalling how people can’t seem to move past the hygiene of a country they don’t even belong to. Is the West genuinely concerned about the hygiene levels of Indian street food? Or are they unable to fathom the cuisine being more than the naan breadand chai tea being served at their ‘authentic’ Michelin star Indian restaurants?

• critique
• cuisine
• culture
• food
• Indian food
• orientalism