S1E36: Chinese sauces are popular in India; less so are their purveyors

The bitter aftertaste though, is the story of how Chinese Indians are struggling to fit in.  Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises.  There is a popular sauce in India, which involves massive amounts of green chillies, salt and Indian spices such as turmeric. And it is sold as a Chinese sauce, in Kolkata’s Chinatown. From paneer chilli to green chilli, Chinese sauces, adapted for Indian taste buds, are very popular in India. It is also a representation of how ethnic Chinese - their origins in Kolkata can be traced to the 18th century in India - have assimilated.   But that is not the complete story, for the community whose history has been fraught, from the fall-out from the 1962 war between India and China, to the after-effects of today’s border conflict.  In this episode, ST’s foreign editor Li Xueying chats with India correspondent Debarshi Dasgupta on the Chinese-Indian community’s hopes and fears.  Highlights (click/tap above): 0:48 What are Chinese-Indian sauces 1:59 Indian influences  3:13 A story of decline and atrophy 8:10 A painful history Read Debarshi Dasgupta's article here: https://str.sg/feZA Read ST's Letters From The Bureau: https://str.sg/3xRd Register for Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/stnewsletters Host: Li Xueying ([email protected]) Produced and edited by: Fa’izah Sani Follow Asian Insider here every month: Channel: https://str.sg/JWa7 Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8 Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaX Feedback to: [email protected] --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa --- Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX #STAsianInsiderSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.