Don't stir the chauvinism pot

Indians have known for years that the eye-watering, spicy-hot concoctions that the British pass off as curry — with degrees of heat denoted by the words Madras, Korma and Vindaloo — has little to do with true subcontinental fare. Ditto for 'chicken tikka masala'. But we don't utter those devastating words 'cultural appropriation' every time we are offered some orangey hodgepodge redolent of garlic and garam masala, accompanied by poppadoms and mango chutney.

The same forbearance is not evident in some foreign origin students of exalted colleges in Britain, who have taken issue with the supposedly wilful misappropriation of their countries' signature dishes such as tagines and stews.

The students should understand that appropriation is the very essence of culinary advancement. There is scarcely a dish left that cannot claim some evolution, even if it's just a dash of chilli flakes. Unless they want to be fed only time-honoured British stodge — now rebranded as classics — such as shepherd's pie, bangers and mash and toad-in-the-hole, they should be more appreciative of their college cooks' attempts to tickle their palates with riffs on their traditional dishes. Even if they are revolted by the thought of tofu in a tagine — as, indeed, Indians might be about cauliflower korma — they should ingest it in (and with) the right spirit.