US Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal on Tuesday cooked up a firestorm on social media after she endorsed California Senator and vice-presidential running candidate Kamala Harris ahead of US elections 2020.
Jayapal, who is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the US House of Representatives, shared a photo of her "comfort food" to honour VP nominee Kamala Harris. She also urged citizens to cast their vote.
"Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #BidenHarris2020," Jayapal captioned her tweet.
While her heart was in the right place, desi foodies failed to locate the "paneer tikka" in Jayapal's photo.
Compulsive, night-before-election activity: make comfort food. That’s paneer tikka tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow since she just said on Instagram that her favorite North Indian food is any kind of tikka! Let’s go, people! VOTE! #BidenHarris2020 pic.twitter.com/gqyT7BotgG
— Pramila Jayapal (@PramilaJayapal) November 3, 2020
Keeping up with the tradition, Twitterati especially those from India, trolled the politician with wrongly labelled cuisines.
I made a Masala Dosa tonight, in honor of electing #KamalaHarris Veep tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/UVAaz5EPN5
— BlueBlur (@blue_bhai) November 3, 2020
Wrong, this is paneer tikka. pic.twitter.com/c1vMVwJwor
— Shubham Sakhuja (@ishubhamsakhuja) November 3, 2020
here's palak paneer for you pic.twitter.com/LKQm09e5vt
— Keh Ke Peheno (@coolfunnytshirt) November 3, 2020
This is rasgulla pic.twitter.com/Xrn8xJCE6e
— आत्मनिर्भर Vinit (@vinit_2283) November 3, 2020
Here are some Gulab Jamuns that Pramila served us the last time we were in Seattle. pic.twitter.com/yDKayWZXgd
— Overt Hindu (@BajrangBhakth) November 3, 2020
This is Ras Malaie pic.twitter.com/HTofezDDPj
— Tanmay Moitra (@MoitraTanmay) November 3, 2020
If that is paneer tikka, this is #mysorepak pic.twitter.com/T2fTebm6Ry
— Anuraag Saxena (@anuraag_saxena) November 3, 2020
While others were busy figuring out what the actual dish was.
1. This is not paneer tikka, looks more like butter paneer / paneer makkhanwala. The pieces of paneers look different if it is tikka.2. In no version of "comfort food" definition, this preparation (or the tikka one) would be included.Shame on yours & hers Indian heritage!
— ︎︎︎︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ (@_ichat) November 3, 2020
Guys, I figured out what happened.Pramila ordered malai paneer from a restaurant and called it paneer tikka. She didn't cook this. That is why she doesn't know what the dish is. https://t.co/8A3Bdh5WHw
— Nitayuvani Celebrating Diwali! (@nitayuvani) November 3, 2020
Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, and her father is Jamaican. Harris is the first woman and the first person of colour to be elected to both positions as district attorney in San Francisco and as attorney general of California. Often referred to as the 'Female Barack Obama' by her followers.