Posted on 01/22/2026 5:08:56 AM PST by DFG
'It was about making a point — that there are consequences to discriminating against Indians for their "Indianness."'
A 35-year-old Indian student says he was told that curry stinks, but sandwiches do not.
Aditya Prakash and his fiancée, Urmi Bhattacheryya, won a settlement of $200,000 from the University of Colorado Boulder in a story dripping with progressivism.
The BBC described the ordeal as a case of "food racism" while outlet Indian Express said Prakash was the "target of racism" over his microwaved food.
Ate crime
The couple reportedly claimed they faced a series of "microaggressions and retaliatory actions" after a staff member at the university — who was British, according to the BBC — complained about the "smell" of the food Prakash had in the microwave.
The staffer allegedly said the food was giving off a "pungent" odor and informed Prakash there was a rule against heating foods that have strong odors. Prakash reportedly claimed there was no such rule publicly stated and said, "It's just food. I'm heating and leaving."
The Indian also said he later inquired what foods were considered pungent. He was allegedly told that smelly foods included curry but not sandwiches.
In a pickle
The couple claimed they soon lost their research funding and teaching roles, and a lawsuit followed. Prakash claimed it was not about money, though.
"It was about making a point — that there are consequences to discriminating against Indians for their 'Indianness,'" he said.
Prakash also claimed he was a victim of "systemic racism" because his department "refused to grant" his Master's degree.
"That's when we decided to seek legal recourse," he said.
The May 2025 lawsuit alleged discriminatory treatment and a "pattern of escalating retaliation" but was settled with the university that September. The terms reportedly include giving the students their degrees while denying all liabilities and banning them from studying or working at the school in the future.
Paneer miss
The dish at the center of the controversy is called palak paneer, which, according to cooking website Hooked on Heat, contains some strong ingredients.
The main parts of the dish include spinach and paneer, a soft white cheese considered to be the Indian version of cottage cheese. Also added to the dish are onion, ginger, garlic, chili powder, garam masala (Indian spices), and more.
Prakash reportedly argued that his food only stinks according to some people.
"My food is my pride, and notions about what smells good or bad to someone are culturally determined," he posited.
Cruciferous context
A counterargument he allegedly faced was that even broccoli is not allowed to be heated because of its odor, but Prakash claimed that "context matters," before adding, "How many groups of people do you know who face racism because they eat broccoli?"
His fiancée says that President Trump's re-election has caused a "narrowing of empathy" toward foreigners.
"Institutions talk a lot about inclusion, but there is less patience for discomfort, especially if that discomfort comes from immigrants or people of colour," she claimed.
Currying favor
The university told BBC that while it cannot comment on the specifics of the claims due to privacy laws, it is "committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all students, faculty and staff regardless of national origin, religion, culture and other classes protected under U.S. laws and by university policies."
"When these allegations arose in 2023, we took them seriously and adhered to established, robust processes to address them, as we do with all claims of discrimination and harassment," the school continued. "We reached an agreement with the students in September [2025] and deny any liability in this case."
The couple has reportedly not since returned to the United States, with Prakash saying he is willing to start over.
"If this case can send out a message that this ('food racism') cannot be practiced with impunity, that we, as Indians, will fight back, that would be the real victory," he said, per Indian Express.
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Interesting because odors are a ADA issue. We had a lady who got flowers banned from her entire office. So it appears race trumps disabilities in the liberal lexicon.
So they have a right to cook stinky food?
I’d bring my smoker to work and cook brisket.
Nothing like the smell of cooking sacred cow.
$200,000 for “microaggressions.”
People _will_ live to be offended when stuff like this pays dividends.
I used to work with a Chinese guy who would stink up the microwave so badly nobody wanted to use the lunchroom.
The ADA needs to be fixed to address all of these silly issues. I am tired of every mentally ill person in the US using it as an excuse to get their way.
So they got their worthless degrees without having to do the work. Just like India!
Yeah, well, liberals run college campuses. The best you can do is slyly point out their consistent inconsistencies.
Problematic guy. This is the kind of person you hope you never make the mistake of hiring. This is the kind of person who gets beaten up in the parking lot. Likely got beaten up on the playground before.
Excellent comeback!
We had Pakis buy the house next to us. Maybe 20 ft between their kitchen window and sliding glass door and our backyard. They never used their ac...even in over 100 degree heat, and left all windows and doors open. When they cooked you couldn’t stand to be in our backyard because it smelled so bad. Now we have Nigerians across the street. When they cook we say...ahhhh goat head again. It never stops. lol
There are way too man Indians in America. Everyone of them is saturated with curry. Ugh.
I love the smell of curry every now and then... Would I want to smell it all day long... Nope! Put on a pot roast every now and then... The smell of cows being slowly cooked is much better.
Once years ago, I was in a Burger King that was nearly empty at the time. I got my food and sat down. Minutes later a person of apparent Indian descent sat down no more than 10 feet away from me. Instantly, a wave of foul, nauseating odor swept over me and I picked up my tray and moved as far away from that person as I could.
That’s when I learned my nose was racist. /s
We had a woman who would consistently burn popcorn in the microwave. She would set it to 5 minutes and walk away. After the 3rd time the smoke alarm went off, we concluded she was too stupid to use a microwave and banned her from having popcorn. It turned out she had an eating disorder.
I worked with a dude that was so poor he ate squirrel, microwaved squirrel.
Insanity rule Boulder.
Now he can stink up the streets by taking dumps on the sidewalk. Just like he would back home.
WE had either Indians or Pakis buy the house next door. They had ice cream trucks and let their lawn die so they could drive them into the backyard. Daughter was washing my car when an older lady came out of their house screaming in some language because water was running onto where they drove the trucks. I came out the garage and told the woman to gtf off my property. As she came towards me I could smell the stench. I’m telling her to get away and she just kept coming. So I picked up the water hose and sprayed her down. lol They never messed with me again.
You have to be careful. In today’s world, you would be arrested for assault and maybe charged with a hate crime.
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