Life

Indian Food Advice

Last week, with the ACC basketball tournament in town, was a big one for tourists, which means plenty of restaurant choices to determine. On Friday night I was walking on Connecticut Avenue in Woodley Park when I noticed a middle-aged couple standing looking across the street. They appeared to be looking, with some uncertainty, at the two Indian restaurants that sit next to each other. Finally, the couple’s mood brightened. An Indian man wearing a dark suit was a few steps in front of me.

“Excuse me,” the woman said to the Indian man, “we’re looking to eat Indian food tonight and we’re wondering which of those two restaurants you’d recommend.” (Because, you know, all Indians have a constantly-updated ranking system.)

The man paused then broke into a wide smile. “Indian food, it’s all the same! It doesn’t matter which one you choose!”

I couldn’t tell if he was kidding, but he seemed earnest enough, so I joined in. “If you want something similar but slightly different, the Afghan Grill is around the corner.”

“Yes, that’s very good,” the Indian man agreed. “But the Indian restaurants – they’re the same.”

I’m not sure we convinced the couple, who seemed a little surprised by the man’s reaction. Of course, both of us ended up heading to Chipotle, so perhaps our advice wasn’t to be taken anyway.