What is all the hullabaloo about food and clothes started by an NRI content creator in the US? Shivee Chauhan had only shared kitchen hacks to remove the smell of food from clothes after cooking. But, she had specified how Indian curry ingredients had the potential to linger on in your clothes, an entire day, if you were to move around in them.

For this, Chauhan from San Francisco had to take some flak as her video on ‘how to not smell like curry’, invited criticism for ‘reinforcing racial stereotypes tied to Indian culture’.

“I like my Indian food. But I also hate going out smelling like Indian food. The smell of the onion, garlic and spices really sticks to the clothes that you’re wearing. So it is worth it to have clothes that you cook in and always, always change out of office clothes as soon as you come back home,” Chauhan had said in the video, which had over 7.8 million views, suggesting ways to avoid the pungent smell from sticking to the clothes.

“If the smell sticks to your jacket, it’s just not going to go away till you dry clean your jackets. And even then, it might not,” she had said on why jackets should not be worn while cooking. Jackets must be left in closets with doors shut when cooking happens in the kitchen, she had stressed, for the smell of food to not get to them.

The comments section was flooded with a barrage of remarks, some favouring Chauhan for her practical tips, while some taking offense to what ought to be perceived as a sensitive subject involving people, culture and lifestyle. – editor@nrifocus.com