Gaggan Anand has revealed that he once kicked a Thai woman out of his restaurant for saying that she did not like Indian food. The celebrated chef behind the progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan in Bangkok, which has topped the list of Asia’s best restaurants five times, recalled this little-known story during a podcast with Vir Sanghvi.
During the conversation, the topic shifted to Gaggan Anand’s well-known temperamental nature. As Sanghvi questioned him about his “arrogance”, the Kolkata-born chef replied, “My problem is when I, when I meet someone and the energy's not right, I feel wrong.”
Asked to elaborate, Gaggan Anand cited the example of the woman he once kicked out of his restaurant.
The incident
“There was this Thai lady, and she came to me and said, ‘I don’t like Indian food, but I like your food’,” the Indian chef recalled.
Gaggan was so upset by this remark that he refused to serve her. “I kicked her out of my restaurant. She was the first guest, I kicked her out,” he told Sanghvi. “I told her ‘I don’t want to serve you anymore’.”
(Also read: A mouthful of sky: Vir Sanghvi interviews chef Gaggan Anand)
{{/usCountry}}(Also read: A mouthful of sky: Vir Sanghvi interviews chef Gaggan Anand)
{{/usCountry}}With the benefit of hindsight, Gaggan acknowledges that he might have been too harsh.
“At that time I was young. And I took it very sensitively. I would not have done it now,” he conceded.
Elsewhere during the conversation, the chef also lashed out at influencers who expect free meals.
On influencer culture
He said that 15 years ago, restaurant reviews mattered. Today, however, that is not the case. “Now a 21 year old with 5 million followers, who's a complete f****g bimbo, has more authority over food,” said Gaggan.
His use of the word “bimbo” drew some backlash on Instagram, where a section of the internet accused him of using misogynistic and derogatory language.
(Also read: The Taste by Vir Sanghvi: The rise of culinary innovators in India)
Gaggan addressed the accusations directly in an Instagram comment. “It’s not about gender!! It’s about a person who comes to my restaurant.. it can be a male or female who is 21 with 5 millions + followers looking for a collab post and free meal that’s a bimbo,” he wrote in response to one critical comment.
“The term often implies someone vain or obsessed with appearance — not about the restaurant and busy taking selfies and ignoring the food and stories we represent. Please don’t misunderstand me, half my team is women who I respect and live equally,” he clarified.