Curry in a Hurry

Friday, October 16, 2009

Once someone has determined / validated that I am of Indian ethnicity, I get this question.  So, do you eat Curry?  Depending on my mood of the day, my response has been varied.  Some of the ones that are printable are shared below

1. "in a hurry"
2. "I also eat other food you know"
3. "What is curry?" asked very innocuously
4. "yes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner".

This question - "So, do you eat Curry?" has been rivaled by another one. "How do you pronounce your name?"

My response to that has also been varied.

1. "With a lot of difficulty"
2  "Alternate letters are silent"
3. "very very slowly"

just to name a few of my responses.

Curry is one of the most misunderstood words.  Many people mistake curry to mean a powder, much like what masala is like.  Curry comes from the Tamil word "kari" and literally means a side-dish that is eaten with rice.  This "kari" could have gravy / sauce or sometimes it is dry.  The spices that are used to cook this "kari" also vary widely depending on the specific vegetables used, one's palate, dry or with gravy, influence from a specific region of India, regional tastes etc.

Today, a standard "curry powder" is sold that has included several spices in the ingredients.  This is basically the "masala powder" that is now being called curry, to market to the folks that are unaware of what curry really means.  All words go through semantic changes, i.e. change in meaning over time.  Curry has gone through a semantic change under our very noses!!