Chef Ajay Chopra Slams Lack Of “Standard” Among Indians

In a recent interview with the IANS, popular chef and TV show host Ajay Chopra called out the Indian consumers’ lack of standards when eating out, blaming us for the sorry state of most local kitchens in our respective cities. And you need to hear him out because there is a lot we could learn from the chef’s arguments.

“We don’t follow the standards through. As consumers we are okay with eating our ‘paani puri’ the way it is served. We have never opposed if one doesn’t wear gloves while serving it or if the water is dirty. I don’t blame the vendor or the government but the consumer.”

“When smaller countries like Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam are managing to stick to food standards even on the streets, why can’t we,” he questioned, adding: “Quality food is what India needs at the moment”.

Chopra even slammed a bunch of popular Indian food brands for unkempt kitchens, adding that despite their “pathetic” state, “we’re happy with the way things are and we’re not ready to change”, said the former MasterChef India judge.

Image: YouTube

The chef also spoke about Indian cuisine, calling it progressive even. “Indian food is going through that phase where we classify our food either as classical or progressive. Innovation in any developing country comes with a set of challenges, wherein some elements about our cuisines will not remain exactly the same,” Chopra asserted.

Moreover, the Hi Tea host feels that tourism could be an excellent way of shining the spotlight on the country’s rich culinary treasures. “Unfortunately, our tourism industry has not woken up wide enough. They’re still talking about how beautiful our states are, but have not co-related tourism with food. For our country food is the second emotion. We should really be doing a lot more about spreading knowledge about our own food. The future of Indian food is the one where our regional food will take to higher places.”

Feature Image: PioneerChef