My house smells like curry. As an Indian-American who grew up in New Jersey, I am painfully aware of the stereotypes many Americans hold about Indians. Laura Loomer, a far-right figure and Trump supporter, once commented that if Kamala Harris won the election, “the White House would smell like curry.” My first thought: why is that a bad thing? America’s strength lies in its diversity, so why mock something that symbolizes it? As I learned more about America’s complicated past with immigration, I learned that her view was not the exception, but the rule.
Even though my preferred candidate lost the US election, it remains doubly important to fight back against discrimination and build bridges wherever possible. My dad has been a bridge builder since he moved to the US in 1989. As a 14 year old, he and his family moved to the US with no money. Within a decade, he worked his way through university and started his entrepreneurial journey. For the past 15 years, he has owned and operated an Indian restaurant in downtown Manhattan. He employs Jamaican, Mexican, and Ethiopian immigrants to make Indian street food. I remember him proudly telling me, “if that isn’t a melting pot, I don’t know what is!”. Conservatives like Loomer and Trump might find this a threat to their vision of America; her “curry” comment suggests we’re still seen as outsiders, no matter how long we’ve lived here or how much we’ve contributed. Our culture is reduced to something exotic, even undesirable. Even if it was a joke, I have heard comments like this my entire life. They do more than just mock our food—they suggest we are somehow less American. The irony is that Indian Americans and other immigrants have been vital to America’s fabric—through business, medicine, technology, and yes, food.
Simply put, America is a land of immigrants that hates immigrants. From the time European and Chinese immigrants started coming ashore, “native” Americans have feared the “other”. First generation immigrants often could not speak English confidently and had to adapt their food to available ingredients. They looked different, practiced different faiths, and their world may have smelled different. Some groups have had more success blending into the American fabric. English and German immigrants helped define Americanness in the 18th century, then the Irish and Italians redefined it in the 19th century, and then Indians added some masala in the 20th century. These immigrants have become critical in the economic growth of America, from hospitality to technology. For example, Indian-Americans dominate the motel, software development, and medical industries. They worked hard to assimilate, slowly climbing the social ladder. Now many of the most powerful CEOs are Indian and many politicians like Vivek Ramaswamy are normalizing our presence in government.
One of the main reasons Trump won this election was that the Democrats lost sight of what is most important to people – making a better life for their family. This is the immigrant ethos. However, with unchecked illegal immigration and willful blindness to increasing crime rates in our cities, views on immigration have hardened in general. Even sanctuary cities like New York City have begun to crack under the pressure of holding true to the principle engraved into the Statue of Liberty – “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”. Immigration must be compassionate but it cannot alienate people so much that people like Trump and Loomer can exploit prejudices. To make a curry, we need the right balance of ingredients. Too much of one can ruin it. Unchecked illegal immigration has done just that.
Ultimately, the “curry” comment reflects the kind of country America wants to be. Do we want an America that’s afraid of change or one that embraces diversity? We must embrace progress to create an environment where people like Kamala Harris, who embodies multiple heritages, can rise to positions of power. Although she was unsuccessful in this election, people like her should have the ambition to bring about a more equitable society. The White House smelling like curry wouldn’t be something to mock; it’d be something to celebrate. It would signify America’s acceptance of what it is: a nation built on those who had the courage to seek the new.
