'Dunked Doughnut Delight': US-based Indian restaurant criticized for ‘whitewashing’ classic dishes

Bryan Ke
Updated ·3 min read
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An Indian restaurant in the United States is causing a massive buzz on Twitter after one user shared a screen shot of its menu’s attempt to westernize the names of Indian dishes.

The tweet, shared by user @Inika__ on Sunday, shows a screen shot of Indian Crepe Co.’s menu, which consists of south Indian dishes such as sambar idli and sambar vada that have been renamed to “Dunked Rice Cake Delight” and “Dunked Doughnut Delight.”

“Omfg,” the Twitter user solely wrote in the caption of their tweet, which has already received more than 20,400 likes.

The other dishes highlighted in their post include a plain dosa, which the restaurant calls a “Naked Crepe,” and a masala dosa, which was named "Smashed Potato Crepe."

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Another Twitter user, @Rapidsnail, commented on the tweet and shared two screen shots of the menu showing dosa and uttapam dishes, with their names “whitewashed” to “Mr. Spicy Crepe” and “Baby Cocktail Pancake.”

Some Twitter users expressed outrage at the restaurant’s attempt to westernize the names of popular Indian dishes.

“Why can't they use the original names? Others things can be given in explanation. Sushi is called sushi everywhere and not "Raw boneless fish chunks wrapped in celery,” one user wrote.

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“They whitewashed our dishes Im gon cry,” another user wrote.

“If Indians can pronounce croissant and bouillabaisse, western people can pronounce dosa, medu wada and idli,” another user said. “Use the real names of these dishes.”

Besides the outrage sparked by the dishes’ names, some Twitter users found the menu’s prices to be over the top, with one user writing that the money spent on a plate of vada from the restaurant (around $16) could buy enough vada to feed their entire joint family in India.

“Imagine telling a 99 variety dosa guy that they’re selling a masala dosa for 1500 Indian rupees (approximately $18),” another user wrote.

Featured Image via Sumitbanti (CC BY-SA 4.0)