Originally Posted by
stimpy
Hmmm. It's a pretty big country so we shouldn't generalize. I've dined in Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, and countless times in Bombay and loved every meal. In fact, the food is pretty much the only thing I like about India. I've even eaten at truck stops (dhabas I think they are called) outside of town and loved every bite. India is also the only place in the world where I like vegetarian food. And I don't always eat in upscale restaurants. Sometimes it is in company cafes, sometimes in peoples homes. I always pack on the pounds after a week or two down there. And like China, every region is different.
Restaurant culture in India is relatively new except for the segment that catered primarily to the poorer working class engaged in migratory-related occupations or lifestyles. It wasn't too long ago that going for dinner in a restaurant or other place in India beyond a house would be considered by most educated Indians to be a sign of being a societal pariah or miscreant with poor or no taste. [Restaurants were essentially considered to be houses of ill-repute by the establishment powers.]
It's only in more recent decades that I find the best Indian food in restaurants is now sometimes to be found in restaurants in India. Three or more decades ago, forget it -- Indian restaurants in India were nothing special. Outside kiosks and road-side dhabas of the sort you mention have a longer history of providing delicious, authentic food in India even if the stomach may get tested.