Watch Stephen Colbert try – and mostly fail – to learn Indian cooking on 'The Late Show'
"There are no cultural differences that cannot be bridged by a giant stick of butter"
It's ghee, not gee, Stephen. But hey, you did a great job in showing us that Yamini Joshi can dance as well she can cook (we're trusting you on that).
It's wonderful that, as the host of The Late Show, you spoke to Lisa Gross, director of the League of Kitchens, the organisation that uses immigrant cuisine to bridge the cultural divide between those who migrated to the USA over 200 years ago and those who have been there maybe 200 days.
And that you chose Joshi, an Indian-American, to show your audience what Indian cooking and Indian food is like, also warmed our hearts. Another matter that it was more about jokes and fun than about the food, but we did get a look at how classic Indian kitchen equipment is being used in your country.
"What do I need to know about Indian food?" you asked.
"All I know is that it's spicy and you are not allowed to eat cow," you answered, sitting down to your vegetarian lunch, at which your host steadfastly refused to serve meat or anything resembling meat.
(Just so you know, Stephen, more Indians eat meat than those that don't.)
Once in the kitchen, you poked gentle fun at Joshi: - "Are all Indian spices named after Game of Thrones characters?" - "Is it easier to eat Indian food after you've pulled your teeth out?" - "At what point are we supposed to break out into the dance or is that just in the movies?"
After which both of you did break into a Bollywood style dance.
Later, of course, Joshi told you sternly, "No more fun."
We thought Tuesday's episode was a really good way to show how immigration has enriched America.