Dulwich tandoori police raid

[uncleglen]

There was a programme on tv a few months ago which showed a training school for young people in the UK to train as Indian food chefs (in order to try to address the shortage I daresay). The greatest difficulty the trainee chefs had was a communication problem as they were working with people who could not or did not speak English. All the trainees dropped out except one.

[*Bob*]

I'll ask Steve tonight - over dinner.

Let's get this sorted once and for all.

[Mick Mac]

Is dinner finished yet bob ? I've been waiting.

[*Bob*]

It has, Mick. Sorry about the delay - we got talking about old times.

Well I told Steve all about it - about the harmless banter about illegal immigrants from the Asian subcontinent smelling so strongly of curry than they were able to use their underwear to flavour the food - and he found it hilarious. Would you believe it?

He then proceeded to smother his face in squid in and sing 'Mammy'.

Needless to say I was flabbergasted.

[*Bob*]

ink

[Otta]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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>the suggestion that indian

> restaurants need illegal immigrants for their

> underpants as the secret ingrediant to a korma recipe funny.

I'm not entirely sure anyone ever actually suggested that Indian restaurants "needed" anything.

[DJKillaQueen]

Really...we're flogging this to death now. UncleBen said business would be affected if the illegal migrants were removed as their underpants were used to flavour the korma sauce. It's perfectly clear what was meant and what is offending by it.

[Jeremy]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> There was a programme on tv a few months ago which

> showed a training school for young people in the

> UK to train as Indian food chefs (in order to try

> to address the shortage I daresay).

Yeah, I saw that. And I'm sure you're right. Behind all the schoolboy jokes and OTT outrage here, there's actually a topic worth discussing. Curbs on immigration are making it much harder for companies to employ qualified staff, whether it's chefs, software developers, or engineers.

[DJKillaQueen]

But with millions unemployed and many of them graduates, it should be possible to fill those gaps. One of the worst things to happen in the UK is the demise of apprenticeships, and properly paid vocational training.

Just to pick up on UBs point above about language. Absolutely it should not be a barrier to employment, but there has always been a tradition within small family run businesses to employ from within a culture. And just as the local Chinese restaurant tends to employ Chinese employees, the family run small building company tends to employ from it's own immediate family and circle of friends/ colleagues too. I'm not sure how we can change that.

[Dopamine1979]

I quite fancy a curry now.

[uncleglen]

One massive reason for the shortage of chefs is that the Asian children are encouraged in school to aspire to much more than the life of a drudge in a take-away kitchen or restaurant thereby creating a vacuum. The builders, gardeners etc. will encourage their kids to work in the family business in the main- I come across this all the time in my teaching job.

[SCSB79]

I saw DJKQ today.

[SCSB79]

DJKillaQueen Wrote:

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> Er SCS I did say exactly why it is offensive in

> two posts on thread neither of which you have

> bothered to read obviously.

>

> Otta, I have worked with Stephen Fry. He would

> absolutely not find the suggestion that indian

> restaurants need illegal immigrants for their

> underpants as the secret ingrediant to a korma

> recipe funny.

No you didn't. You said "if you can't see why it is offensive blah blah blah".... and then something about your Indian friends would find it offensive.

You didn't actually say WHY it offended YOU.

As per most people getting offended these days, I think that you think that you SHOULD find it offended just "because".

What's the damage to you? Are you injured? Can you carry on in life? I think you'll be ok petal.

[StraferJack]

Several mosques have been bombed lately

I am not damaged (directly)

I am not injured (directly)

I will carry on in life just fine

But it's not ok. Those are not the criteria I use to judge something

[SCSB79]

StraferJack Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Several mosques have been bombed lately

>

> I am not damaged (directly)

> I am not injured (directly)

> I will carry on in life just fine

>

> But it's not ok. Those are not the criteria I use

> to judge something

Slightly different and you know it.

[Annette Curtain]

SCSB79 Wrote:

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> I saw DJKQ today.

DJKQ

I wouldn't stand for THAT

It's time to unleash your annual weapon of mass offence (you know, the 'lady painting' one)

*covers eyes*

[StraferJack]

Exaggeration for effect scsb

Your reasoning about why it shouldn't matter to other people is flawed

There are good good people standing up for the original joke, but you would hazard a fair guess they wouldn't make it themselves. And they would know why they wouldn't make it

[fl0wer]

Any possibility you could spell out 'why they wouldn't make that joke' StraferJack?

[StraferJack]

Because the realise its distasteful at best?

[fl0wer]

OK, thanks - agree

[Jeremy]

To be honest the chances are that at some point I HAVE joked about staff in Indian restaurants "contaminating" food. Nothing to do with their nationality, but because they're in fairly low paid jobs, often dealing with boorish drunken customers.

Whether I'd make a similar joke on here... probably not. Not because I believe it's morally wrong, but because a) it's not very funny and b) it's inevitable that a few people will zero in on one particular aspect of the story and turn it into something it's not.

[UncleBen]

StraferJack Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Several mosques have been bombed lately

>

> I am not damaged (directly)

> I am not injured (directly)

> I will carry on in life just fine

>

> But it's not ok. Those are not the criteria I use

> to judge something

Completly out of context. You should know better and probably do. Maybe the joke has highlighted the 'how very dare yous' own prejudices and they can only cope by attacking.

[StraferJack]

You think I'm attacking? You haven't read my posts

[LadyDeliah]

I found it offensive because saying illegal Asian immigrants flavour the Korma with their underpants appears to me that UncleBen is trying to infer the following:

1. Illegal immigrants are dirty (clean underwear wouldn't flavour anything);

2. Asian food tastes bad because the people cooking it are dirty;

3. He is contemptuous of Asians because he's above them (being white n all).

You may not agree with me, but I think judging by his contribution to this thread and past performance, his 1980's attitude often has sexist or racist undertones.

I find him regularly offensive and occasionally say so.

[UncleBen]

LadyD. Proves my point perfectly. They are your own prejudices. Nothing else needs to be said.