2021 Paper 1 Sample Response 3 (Tandoori Food)

         In the United States, Indian food is not particularly popular. It is also often stereotyped as simply being “curry” by people who know little about Indian culture and culinary dishes. People are also naturally uncomfortable with the smell of Indian food as it is unfamiliar to them. This article challenges that view and aims to bring some insight on the underrated Indian foods. Given that this webpage was published in the New York Times and contains references to American lifestyle, it likely appeals to an American audience. It aims to educate Americans on the beauty of Indian food and implores them to experience it. Julie Sahni effectively enlightens the audience of Americans by initially establishing the tandoori dish as delicious and appetizing. She then informs the audience of tandoori’s history to garner more appreciation for it, and finally she provides instruction for home-cooking, inviting those reading the article to try tandoori for themselves.

Sahni leads the article by establishing the tandoori meal as extremely delicious. In the title, she refers to it as “India’s soul food”, which gives an initial impression of this food’s important role in Indian culture. The use of the term “soul food” implies not only the physical taste being amazing, but also the emotional joy, figuratively filling people’s souls. She then uses a simile to compare it with American food, “Like Sunday supper for some Americans.”  This simile allows the reader to envision the similarity between tandoori to Indian culture and a personal experience they can relate to. This makes it much more accessible to American readers. She then reminisces of an anecdotal experience of her enjoying tandoori with friends and family. This allows readers to understand the sheer emotional joy that tandoori has brought Sahni, and appreciate its importance in Indian culture. Sahni then anchors an image of tandoori chicken alongside the first paragraph, allowing readers to visualize the beauty of the meal as they read about it. The picture is bright orange, appetizing and as such helps to attract readers towards potentially trying the dish. In the next paragraph, she continues to garner attraction for the dish through multiple types of imagery. “The meat was tender and moist imbued with a sweet smoky aroma and rich flavors.” This combination of olfactory and gustatory imagery effectively conveys the deliciousness of the dish, almost as if to make the audience’s mouth water. These descriptions of the tandoori all set an initial attractive impression which tempts audiences to try the dish.

Sahni then switches to a more informative tone, educating the audience on the history of tandoori. “Tandoori” and “Tandour” are uses of Indian colloquial language which already helps the reader connect with Indian culture. Sahni starts the second paragraph by addressing common misconceptions, “Although tandoori cooking may become synonymous with India, it is not an Indian invention.” This introduction to the history likely already informs the reader of something they previously had not known, and this makes them more inclined to read on to learn more, and in doing so gain more appreciation for Indian culture. Sahni then expands on the origin of the orange color, “To ensure it was mistaken for no other they colored it bright orange.” This then informs readers of the unique nature of tandoori and how it is really considered a special dish in Indian culture. This then further incentivizes readers to try the tandoori. Sahni then goes over how upper classes would eat tandoori, “Eventually however many members of the upper class drove in limousines to the narrow alleyways.” This shows how even the rich enjoyed tandoori in India, which offers even more credibility to the dish. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of ‘limousines’ and ‘narrow alleyways’ speaks to the absurdity of the situation, reinforcing the idea that tandoori really is special. By showing the origins of the dish, Sahni effectively garners more appreciation for tandoori as readers learn its cultural significance.

Sahni then moves on to instruction for making tandoori at home, essentially inviting Americans to experience the culture firsthand, albeit slightly adapted. She starts by reassuring the reader, “Tandoori cooking is simple. It requires little time, effort or skill.” This preemptive reassurance to the reader helps to mitigate their fear of taking on a new experience, making it that much more accessible for readers. She then dismisses another misconception, “in fact, a traditional tandoori oven is not necessary for its preparation…a normal grill with an adjustable air vent is essential for this.” This once again reassures readers that it’s very possible for them to try tandoori themselves. By ensuring that a normal grill works fine, people will be more inclined to attempt tandoori cooking themselves. Sahni then promotes even more inclusion: “Tandoori cooking need not be restricted to meat and poultry alone.” This statement really shows the inclusivity of the article, it invites every and any person to attempt tandoori cooking, whether they be vegetarian or have religious restrictions. The true ease of access to tandoori is reinforced throughout, and effectively tempts people to try it for themselves, serving as an open invitation that is extremely tantalizing.

In conclusion, tandoori serves as an embodiment of Indian culture, its rich and full of history. Sahni uses this article as an open invitation for any American who wants to be more open-minded and take on a new and daunting food, as tandoori is more likely very different compared to anything they’ve tried before. Sahni has created a very strong, inviting impression of Indian culture, and allows the average American reader to gain appreciation for it.  In the United States, there are sometimes negative connotations surrounding Indian food, which likely extends to other obscure cultural food. Sahni aims to break this negative stereotype, and uses food as a gateway to connect cultures, in hopes that Americans can try more than steak and potatoes.                                                              

Word count: 970