Indian Cuisine Preference

[opebo]

I realize there are many, many regional variations, but there seems to be a consensus that the North and the South are broad groupings.  If you want to get into anything more specific, vote 'other' and elucidate.

[opebo]

I love both, but prefer South Indian overall. 

[Senator Sbane]

South Indian for sure.

[Senator Clarence]

It is one of the few categories of food that I completely do not enjoy

[opebo]

It is one of the few categories of food that I completely do not enjoy

My parents would have agreed with you.  And, oddly enough so would a majority of Thais.

[opebo]

Four responses?  That's all I get??

[Prez Duke]

I don't know the difference and I dated an indian girl for 2 years. Otherwise, I'd vote in your poll.

[Grumps]

Northern because the owners of the restaurant I favor are from Northern India and the food is awesome.

[memphis]

To be fair, my experience is solely based on the restaurants in Memphis, and (as far as I know) there is only one Southern place, which I don't like as much. I have a huge sentimantal attachment to one Northern place in particular. It's around the corner from the zoo, which is free on Tuesday afternoons. In my younger days, we would always get high, tear up the lunch buffet, and then go see the animals. I guess it was around the same time as the Lord of the Rings movies, because I always used to refer to the Palak Paneer as "my precious." I haven't been there in a while. Need to get back to India Palace

[Lief]

I have no absolutely no idea what the difference between the two is. I like saag paneer though.

[Beet]

I've eaten American restaurant Indian, American homemade Indian, and Indian from three states in northern India, and I still don't know the difference, except that curry is supposedly more northern Indian, southern Indian is spicier, more vegetarian and if it has coconut it's definitely from the south.

[Boris]

South is terrible. Everything that's good is either North or British.

[Grumps]

To be fair, my experience is solely based on the restaurants in Memphis, and (as far as I know) there is only one Southern place, which I don't like as much. I have a huge sentimantal attachment to one Northern place in particular. It's around the corner from the zoo, which is free on Tuesday afternoons. In my younger days, we would always get high, tear up the lunch buffet, and then go see the animals. I guess it was around the same time as the Lord of the Rings movies, because I always used to refer to the Palak Paneer as "my precious." I haven't been there in a while. Need to get back to India Palace

If I visit Memphis I want to go there.......and to the noodle place you rave about

[opebo]

South is terrible. Everything that's good is either North or British.

Narrow taste there.

For those of you who don't know the difference, get out there and find out! Where is Lewis Trondheim when he is needed?

[Senator Sbane]

Dosa, Uthapam and Thalis are South Indian. If you see any dish with "malabar" in the name, that's South Indian as well. Coconut heavy dishes tend to be South Indian, but my mom makes some bomb coconut shrimp which is Bengali food, which would be considered northern. I don't know how prevalent South Indian specific restaurants are outside California, none in Nashville at least. If you are ever in the Bay Area, try out Saravana Bhavan in Sunnyvale. And if you are in Los Angeles go try out Tirupathi Bhimas in Artesia,CA. At the same time you can check out "little India", even though not many Indians actually live in the city but anyways...

Opebo, it's amusing that the Thais don't like Indian food. There are a lot of similarities, at least the stuff that is popular in America. Definitely with South Indian food there are similarities with the liberal use of coconut in their food. I guess they are still sensitive about the Cholas colonizing them, eh?

[Senator Sbane]

South is terrible. Everything that's good is either North or British.

Dude, I love home cooked South Indian food. Miss it so much...

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

South is terrible. Everything that's good is either North or British.

Britain has good food?

[Vasall des Midas]

Opebo, it's amusing that the Thais don't like Indian food. There are a lot of similarities, at least the stuff that is popular in America. Definitely with South Indian food there are similarities with the liberal use of coconut in their food.

Coconut, rice and lots of chili. And some deep fried meatless snacks. The Thai "don't like Indian food"? Well duh, they've been raised on an exclusively South Indian diet and would like a change when they go eating out.

[opebo]

...I don't know how prevalent South Indian specific restaurants are outside California, none in Nashville at least.

There was at least one in St. Louis, used to go there all the time.  But for sure, North-Indian is a lot more common around the country.

Opebo, it's amusing that the Thais don't like Indian food. There are a lot of similarities, at least the stuff that is popular in America. Definitely with South Indian food there are similarities with the liberal use of coconut in their food. I guess they are still sensitive about the Cholas colonizing them, eh?

No, its just that they think Indians have atrocious B.O., and that it may at least partially come from their food, which Thais also say 'mehn mack!!' (stinks badly).  The Thai food you get in the US is almost always the more 'Indianized' style dishes - in practice their cuisine is quite different from Indian - hotter but less 'heavily' spiced if you see what I mean - more of a 'fresh' taste, intense but not 'lasting', unlike Indian which you may be burping up or farting out for a few hours, and for sure exuding from your pores for a couple days.

For example, when I used to constantly eat Indian food in the US, and go visit the family, I usually arrived home after my father had gone to bed.  The next day he said he always knew whether I was home because he could smell Indian food (he hated Indian food of course, like most bedrock middle-americans).

[opebo]

Opebo, it's amusing that the Thais don't like Indian food. There are a lot of similarities, at least the stuff that is popular in America. Definitely with South Indian food there are similarities with the liberal use of coconut in their food.

Coconut, rice and lots of chili. And some deep fried meatless snacks. The Thai "don't like Indian food"? Well duh, they've been raised on an exclusively South Indian diet and would like a change when they go eating out.

No Lewis, its quite different.  The Indian influence in Thai cooking is not as big as you may think.  For example in most regions of the country coconut milk is rarely used.  Keep in mind what you get in the West is only a small part which suits Westerners palates better.

Thai food is definitely a lot simpler and less heavy.  Thais simply can't digest Indian food without a lot of complaints, and it does 'stink' by their standards.

[Big Wiggly Style]

My preference is no.

[Vasall des Midas]

Of course it's not identical. I doubt the Thais have all the ten-thousand-varieties-of-lentils stuff.

[Boris]

South is terrible. Everything that's good is either North or British.

Narrow taste there.

Ouch! Although I daresay I have consumed more South Indian food than anyone on this forum, sans Sbane. And maybe Lewis?

[opebo]

Of course it's not identical. I doubt the Thais have all the ten-thousand-varieties-of-lentils stuff.

No, they don't like lentils much at all.  They like meat.

I daresay I have consumed more South Indian food than anyone on this forum, sans Sbane. And maybe Lewis?

Why have you consumed so much South Indian food?  Are you an Indian?

[Simfan34]

I've never really tried South Indian, so North. Especially Bengali cuisine- really that as opposed to "north Indian".