Topic: How Old Do You Have to Be?

[Cory Ander]

I'm often bemused (because I check alleged ages) by members saying that they are trying to replicate curries from the 70s and 80s.

I'm in my early 50s, and to my mind, I can JUST relate to curries of the LATE 70s (because I started eating BIR curries in my late teens...probably quite normal?). 

Therefore, unless I'm missing something, you'd now have to be aged roughly as follows:

• over 60 to relate to curries from the late 60s and early 70s
• over 50 to relate to curries from the late 70s and early 80s
• over 40 to relate to curries from the late 80s and early 90s
• over 30 to relate to curries from the late 90's and early 2000s

So, anyone under the age of about 40 is unlikely to have experienced much in the way of BIR curries prior to the early 90s (when, arguably, not that I necessarily believe it, much may have changed)....or am I missing something? 

[Malc.]

Sounds about right to me CA, my earliest experiences of Indian Cuisine go back to '88 when I was 18. Nothing like soaking up all that Stella with a Keema Naan, Onion Bhaji, Pilau Rice and a Chicken Korma.

They were the days [sigh] ;D

[Domi]

So, anyone under the age of about 40 is unlikely to have experienced much in the way of BIR curries prior to the early 90s (when, arguably, not that I necessarily believe it, much may have changed)....or am I missing something? 

Well I'm 39 and started eating curries in the late 70's...then again I'm the youngest of 8 kids and the eldest is 17 years older than me so I started eating curries when they did lol ;D By your measure I'm out by 10-20 years

[Cory Ander]

Well I'm 39 and started eating curries in the late 70's

So you were under 9 Domi?    And you remember them well enough?

[Malc.]

CA don't be too surprised about that, my two daughters are 13 and 10 and they have been eating Indian Cuisine for several years. My youngest would therefore have been 8 years old when she first tried it.

Whether they will remember the exact flavours in years to come is another thing but my eldest has a very discerning palette. Of course it all depends on what it means to her and how she remembers it.

[Domi]

Well I'm 39 and started eating curries in the late 70's

So you were under 9 Domi?    And you remember them well enough?

Yes CA - some things we never forget lol - not forgetting that a curry has been a weekly/twice weekly event ever since then...I remember my first restaurant Indian meal in Shababs in Hudds town centre when I was seven like it was yesterday (then again I remember my first taste of Spangles too).

[Razor]

My own experience would have been when I was about 16, so 1986.  It was a dhansak, and it was lush.  It wasn't as mild as the dhansaks of today.

But before that, I remember walking home from a fair that I'd been to with my older sister, and we called into an Indian takeaway.  It was a milion miles away from the neon lit affairs that we see today.  It was nothing more than a doorway with a counter approx 3 foot away from the door.  There was no menu on the wall, and the walls was covered with real wood looking plywood.

Behind the counter was a little Asian lady, with little or no English.  My sister ordered a seekh kebab, which was served wrapped in some sort of edible leaves, with a sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of an old lemon.  Served in a small type chippy tray.

It was absolutely wonderful and very different from the seekh kebabs of today.  I was 9 yrs old, at the time.  I remember it very well, because I arrived home to watch United get beat 3-2 off Arsenal, in the 1979 FA cup final (god damn it)  which was a couple of days after my ninth birthday (gutted.com)

Ray

[976bar]

1977 and it was a Lamb Korma in the Palash Tandoori in Hayes Middlesex, blew my head off, proper sweating!!! lol but hooked for life...... and to be honest it was probably only in the early 80's that I went onto a Lamb Bhuna and that has been my favourite dish of all time, when cooked correctly of course

Nowadays, Korma is far too mild for me and having tried Korma recently tastes nothing like back then..... so now my other favourite dish is a Garlic Chilli Chicken Masala.... fantastic  

So Cory, I'm in the same age bracket as you

[Mikka1]

Interesting topic. :
This is one reason I tell the machine nothing or very little. There are always folks around that have more than enough time on their hands to bracket people and designate them into nice little piles.

Does it matter what age you are if you can cook good food?
Not having a go but...........
Well yah know?
 ;D

[Cory Ander]

Mikka, I'm not even sure why I'm even bothering to reply to you 

My post is nothing to do with "machines".  It is nothing to do with "bracketing people".  It is nothing to do with "nice little piles".  And it is nothing to do with "cooking good food".

My opinion is that it is useful to put members' comments about the "benchmark" they use when trying to replicate BIR curries into perspective.

And, in my opinion, when members refer to trying to replicate BIR curries from the 70s or 80s, I, for one, treat their comments somewhat sceptically if they are under the ages of 50 (when referring to BIR curries of the LATE 70s) or under the age of 40 (when referring to BIR curries of the LATE 80s).

Just my take on it Mikka.  You, of course, will have yours......