This skit from sketch show Goodness Gracious Me is essential viewing for anyone who wants to get an insight into the bizarre relationship between British people and South Asian food.
I was trying to explain to my Nepali friends the other day the British ritual of 'going for a curry' and this sketch came to mind. A British trip to an Indian restuarant is generally preceded by a visit to the pub, or, if you happen to be going to an unlicensed restaurant in Brick Lane, accompanied by lashings of cheap wine or beer from the nearest corner shop. The stereotypical Brit-in-an-Indian-restaurant will patronise the waiters, mispronounce all of the items on the menu and demonstrate his machismo by ordering 'the hottest thing on the menu'. Of course, not all of us are like this - I, for one, conduct myself with nothing but the greatest decorum when going to get my chicken tikka masala fix. However many glasses of dodgy bring-your-own rose may have accompanied it (stop laughing)
In this sketch, a group of Indians 'go for an English' after getting 'tanked up on lassis' and procede to patronise the waiter ('oooh! hasn't he got lovely pale skin.. it's really pasty'), over-order, misprounouce names of food ('I'll have the steak-and-kidney pieeeee')and of course, try to outdo one another by ordering 'the blandest thing on the menu'.
I would live to take this opportunity here on Mesocosm to apologise to all of the desis working in Indian restaurants in the UK for the revolting behaviour of my country's people.
Mesocosm Fun Fact: My fellow blogger James' nickname, Jameeeezzzz, comes from this sketch
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