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Kinda of hard to pinpoint my first encounter with Indian cuisine since I am Indian, but the first time I remember just being blown away was when I had Indian/Chinese fusion soft shell crab curry in a "Chinese" restaurant in Kerala when I was 8 years old.
The crabs were fried n' crunchy and you could barely discern the shell from the crunchy exterior, and the sauce was slightly sweet but so spicy. It was meant for two people but I finished the entire thing.

In college, my roomate made me cauliflower w/ potatoes and peas. Delish.

It was about 10 years ago at a restaurant in Soho. I don't remember what I had, or much about the company, I just remember it was really, really good. :-)

I had Indian the second time I went to New York, but didn't become a convert until I lived in Charlotte and a friend used to take me regularly to the Indian buffet there.

Since then I seek out Indian anywhere I can. I just had it for lunch in Columbus' North Market.

My first foray into the glorious world of Indian cuisine was at a restaurant called Taj Mahal in, of all place, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I've since come to find that Taj is the best Indian restaurant within MANY miles around. Their Lamb Curry is one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted! I've since tried my own hand at cooking Chicken Tikka Masala. It failed miserably. Thanks a lot random recipe from the internet... :-(

The first Indian food experience I had were samosas purchased at a basement cafeteria in the University of Chicago. Although not the best, they certainly paved the way for many excursions to Devon street in my future.

I was a freshman in College in Duluth, Minnesota. I had never had curry of any kind, so when we opened the door to walk in, I was blown away by the smell of the spices and garlic. I decided to make my first time special, so I got a peswari naan, samosas, and then two entrees- Chicken Vindaloo, and a Chana Saag. Wow, now I realize that it was mid-western Indian restaurant, but I had never tasted anything like it before. The Vindaloo made me thing about Vinegar in a different light, and Incidentally, it was my first time ever eating chickpeas. They were tender, but firm, and held up to the spinach, and the tomato. I had enough food for 3 days, and after three days, I went back. I know eat some sort of daal 3-4 times a week. Besides my Joy of Cooking, my copy of Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Cooking is the most stained cookbook in my collection.

While traveling, if a destination has a good Indian restaurant, I always go there now.

I was really young, 5 or 6 maybe, when an Indian restaurant opened up in a closed fast food restaurant near our house. It even kept the drive up window so you could call ahead and pick up your naan and rojan josh without even getting out of your car. I remember loving the naan and the tandoori chicken. I think my family might have been the only people who ever went there and it closed within a year. It wasn't until I was in high school that another Indian restaurant opened close to us.

All of the Indian restaurants near me when I grew up were very expensive, but my dad loved the food and I recall going to one often on his birthday. I was hooked pretty early.

I think... my first encounter was probably at the Baluchi's chain. (The indian place that sounds Italian). It introduced a lot of different dishes to me. Sometimes i dream about naan. mmm

Not sure when my first encounter was, but the most memorable early one was visiting a friend in London when I was 19. We went out to eat and were treated like the naive bumpkins we were by the surly waiter. I don't remember what my entree was, but I remember trying to play it cool as the spiciness crept up on me, and being saved my the delicious naan.

I was in grade school. My mother was waitressing in a German restaurant where all the busboys and dishwashers were Indian college students. One day when the restaurant was closed, the owner let the staff use the kitchen to cook Indian cuisine for us. I have no idea what we ate -- it was a long time ago -- but I remember being absolutely fascinated by the bread and enthralled by the spices that I'd never tasted before.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I had Indian food again...because back then, there were no Indian restaurants anywhere close to where I lived.

And as an aside, this would be a great book to leave lying around for ususpecting people to think it's some sort of book about our family tree.

I'm not Indian, but I cook Indian food most days of the week, often 3 meals a day, and have been doing so for years. I concur this is an excellent cookbook - and I have LOTS of Indian cookbooks.

I can't really recall my first Indian meal. It might have been cooked by friends of our family when I was a small kid. Any way, I have always loved it. A high point of my life was my first trip to India, in which I ate myself silly in Kerala. I particularly like southern and western Indian cuisine, which is hard to find here and best cooked at home.

At a local restaurant called "Indian Palace". I have since heard from visitors traveling from India that it is not that authentic! I still love it.

I'd never had much interest in Indian food until I spent a semester abroad in the U.K. about 10 years ago. Apparently, chicken tikka masala is the national dish of England? I had a fantastic dinner at a little Indian restaurant in Edinburgh. It was by far the most memorable meal of that entire semester!

My first encounter was when friends of ours took us to their favorite Indian restaurant. They are passionate about Indian food and were so eager for us to feel that way that they ordered EVERYTHING for us to taste. What they didn't realize was that very quickly into the meal we stopped tasting anything at all as the strongest spices muted our taste buds! We all laughed over the soothing Mango Lassi's, brought home the leftovers and became converts to a wonderful cuisine.

I lived in London during middle school and I learned to love Indian food there. Now that I live outside Boston, there are a lot of Indian restaurants and Indian markets so it's easy to get and make!

My first encounter was on a whim, in a shabby strip mall restaurant in the shady area of our town. My girlfriend and I were hungry, and had never tried Indian food before, so we ventured in, the only non-locals in the joint, not a word of English around us.

The owner himself came over, and asked us whether we'd ever had Indian before, and proceeded to select his favorite dishes for us to try. We had a feast and fell in love. The samosas were amazing, with the freshest dipping sauce ever, the butter chicken was out of this world, the naan was soft and buttery, with just a hint of char in spots adding a smoky flavor.

To this day we drive clear across the city for take out.

The first time I had Indian Curry was at a friends house who was originally from South Africa. She made me this AMAZING curry and I was in heaven! Ever since then I have been trying to recreate the amazing curry she made me. I have had great curry when I went to England but its so hard to recreate the taste here in the US. This book looks like it could help me out!

CherryBlossomsDesign at hotmail

I don't even remember, but now I can not imagine being without it...

My first experiences were as a child when my mother would prepare curry for a meal. Fairly bold for Montana and too long ago to remember accurately. She had been exposed to curry while teaching school in London in about 1950.

The first time I had Indian food was in college, when I went to a great Indian restaurant in PA. I was instantly hooked on the chicken tikka masala and samosas! :)

In college I went with friend to a local indian place. I enjoyed it so much I vowed to eat as much indian food as possible over the next few years, only to realize that after going back the place was actually pretty mediocre. I'm kind of amazed that I got as hooked as I did, starting out at a place that is kind of bland in comparison now.

I don't know about first, but after a long hiatus I ate the Phaal at Brick Lane Curry House in NYC. The certificate of honor came at a high price.

My first experience with Indian food was at a friend's house where he prepared a few different curries, some Bombay potatoes, and also our first viewing of a Bollywood movie, 'DevDas'. We have been fans of the whole culture and cuisine since.

I am Indian, so my first encounter with Indian food was from the day I was born.

It's funny though, I used to hate paneer and anything with eggplant, but now I love any kind of paneer dish and love stuffed eggplant with potatoes, indian style. For the past few years, I've been getting into Gujrati cuisine as well, due to my sister-in-law's parents. There's some great sweet/spicy flavors in that region of India.

I'm not sure I can remember my first Indian meal, but one memorable first was my first time making paneer at home -- pretty easy, but I was highly amused by the process of wrapping the cheese in cloth and then flattening it (in my case, with a couple of heavy, non-Indian cookbooks)!

in graduate school, several of my classmates were from india. one had us all over for dinner to sample their cuisine and i've been hooked ever since.

in college, and i had the malai kofta which remains my favorite dish. nice that i was lucky enough to find it right away! :)

I was too young - I don't remember, I'm afraid. I grew up in a midwestern Canadian city with a moderately large Indian population, so it was always around. By 10, when most of my friends would have listed burgers or chicken fingers as their favourite food, mine was curry. When I was very good or for special meals, I was taken to Rajdoot. My parents even bought me the hat the servers wore, because I liked it all so much.

I will never ever forget my first time with Indian food. I was fourteen. I was the kind of person who carried hot sauce in her purse. I thought I could handle almost any heat. The waiter asked me what heat level I would like my food (1-10). I said 10 and he asked me if I've ever eaten Indian food at 10. I told him no but that I would be fine. He tried to get me to go with a five or six. I refused and he told me he would put in the order for it as I wished but told me I would think it was too hot. I was a tough girl and he turned this into a challenge. When the food came, I started crying and with the nose running about five bites into it. I tried my best to finish it all and that was one of the worst dinners I have ever had. I am sure the kitchen staff laughed at my crying and sniffling the entire meal.

I have learned much since then!!

wow; I can't even remember what my first encounter was...

A little hole in the wall restaurant in Lautoka, Fiji.

My mom used to make biriyani when I was growing up. Om nom nom.

Ma took us kids on a retreat. There were many Indians there, so part of the meals were Indian. I have always enjoyed tasting different foods.

The first time I ate Indian food was on a family vacation to Washington D.C. when I was 11-years-old. My mom grew up in San Francisco, immersed in countless different cuisines, and she wanted to make sure my brother and I had the same appreciation for foods from other countries. She took us to this restaurant (in Foggy Bottom, I believe) and I had my first dish of Tandoori chicken. I was in love!

My parents are from Thailand, so I grew up eating Thai curry every other night. But when I was in college, my dad took me to his coworker's house where his wife served us a Indian shrimp curry. I thought it was unbelievable. My love of Indian food started on that day.

First time was at a place called Gaylord in Chicago. I had Bengan Bartha (spelling?), a very savory eggplant dish, and was hooked for life.

If at first you don't succeed...

My first encounter was when I was six and attended my Indian neighbor's birthday party. After nothing (and I mean nothing) but Chinese food three meals a day for six years, the spices DESTROYED my stomach. I was off Indian food for more than a decade afterwards.

Attempt two: a local Indian place’s lunch special had, at four o’clock, clearly been sitting around since the lunch hour. Topped off by mealy rice = fail.

And finally, the thing that got me back to try a third time was naan. A bread aficionado, I took bites and then hunks of chewy-crisp naan, then finally moved in for a dip of curry. Success! :)

My first taste of curry was just after I got married, made by my mother-in-law. Until then I'd just assumed I wouldn't like curry. I love eating at one of the local Indian buffet joints. I'd love to be able to make more varied Indian food at home, somehow everything I make ends up tasting the same.

My first experience was with my grandmother's vietnamese curry when I was 5. So delicate and delicious. I especially loved it when she cooked it with yams.

Faux Indian food? A classic, suburban all-you-can-eat Indian buffet.

Real Indian food? A friend's house - the mother had a collection of cherished recipes at home that didn't call for buckets of cream. Totally different cuisines.

First Indian food for me was probably while I was working my first 'real' job, where different groups of people would go out for lunch at various places. I went along for the ride, and discovered the sheer deliciousness of Indian foods at a pretty generic restaurant.

Now, I count the 4 Indian restaurants within walking distance of my house as a huge benefit, grow lots of chiles to cook with, keep store-bought naan in the freezer, and buy garam masala and curry powder in bulk. YUM.

In 7th grade I had to do a project for my Social Studies class on Indian culture. I decide to create a video of a cooking television program. During filming, I was slicing a banana and accidentally cut off a decent hunk of my left index finger. After patching my wound, all of the pieces of the bloody banana were removed and thrown out and we were able to edit out that portion of the video for the project. Everything worked out fine in the end and I think I received an ok grade, but the experience left me a little scarred toward Indian food until college (PUN INTENDED!).

my first indian experience wasn't until college. i had the lunch buffet at katmandu restaurant in davis, ca. it was wonderful. naan hasn't tasted that good to me since.

I worked in customer service at a company that had contracts to deliver food from local restaurants. One of our restaurants was an Indian place. I grew up in a small town, had never tried Indian before, but a co-worker insisted it was delicious and gave me a few suggestions--aloo paratha, samosa, and palak paneer. She was right, it was awesome. I'm actually pretty grateful for this job because I remember trying both Greek and Thai while I was working there. It's a lot easier to be experimental when you get 25% off.

I'm in the camp of can't really remember the first time I had Indian food since I grew up eating up eating it every night. I do remember that once when I was about 7, my dad was feeding me rice and an eggplant kura (apparently when I was little, I didn't like to eat - what was wrong with me!?). I didn't like the eggplant so I would take a mouthful, pretend to chew and then lean my head down and spit it out onto the floor. Unfortunately, we didn't have a dog then. I have no idea when they figured out what I did. Now, I love eggplant and all Indian food!

nithya at hungrydesi

My first encounter with Indian cuisine is probably similar to others. Chicken curry and white rice. Simple and delicious. Made for me by an Indian friend. I was hooked.

Now I do a lot of Indian cooking myself. Favorites are Rajma, Cauliflower and Potatoes, Cauliflower and Chickpeas, and anything they serve at Vik's Chaat Corner in Berkeley.

6th st. freshman year of college

I honestly don't remember the first time I tried Indian food. But when my wife was pregnant with our first child she would DEMAND I take her to our favorite local Indian restaurant. Since then I have learned to cook several dishes and we eat it about once a week.

I honestly don't remember the first time I tried Indian food. But when my wife was pregnant with our first child she would DEMAND I take her to our favorite local Indian restaurant. Since then I have learned to cook several dishes and we eat it about once a week.

I was about five years old, living in Kentish Town (London). My mother was in hospital, and my father could only cook beans on toast. Since he’d already made that for us once, he was taking us for fish and chips. On our way, we passed an Indian restaurant, with its wonderful spicy smell. I said I'd like to eat there, and my father told me I wouldn’t like it. I said “Yes I will, I promise!” And I walked inside all alone, and went over to the only table with a customer -- a man by himself -- and tried to see his food. I was small and had to stretch up tall to see. The man handed me a plate with a pappadom on it. I knew I shouldn’t accept it, but I did. I didn’t like the taste! The man spooned a bit of mango chutney onto it, and I wasn't keen on on that, either. Then he spooned curry sauce onto it. All I remember is that it was dark and spicy and HOT!, and it made my eyes water. But I wanted more. Thus we got Indian takeaway that night. And that was the beginning.

My first encounter with Indian food was shortly after I became a vegetarian at the age of 16. It was a great restaurant in a terrible location, and the owner soon started dishing up our channa before we could even order. Twelve years later, Indian is still my food of choice!

My first encounter with Indian food was when I got my first job in Downtown Roanoke, VA and it happened to be across from this Indian restaurant named Swagat (now a Thai restaurant, but there is one more Indian restaurant downtown and another across town too). I was taking walks during my lunch breaks, and the smells that wafted from this wonderful place caught me every time. I ate there at least once a week until a new job tore me away. This book looks amazing. Thanks so much for giving 5 copies away!

Sigh--I wish I could say my first experience with Indian food was as positive or life-changing as some of the others above. Mine was at a lunch buffet in the Midwest, and all I can remember of it is that it didn't seem remotely like what I imagined Indian cuisine to be like--it was bland (probably tamed for Midwestern palates :( ). I recently picked up Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking", though, so maybe one of these days, when I finally work up the courage to tackle a recipe from it, I'll have my own Indian food epiphany. :)

I was about 35 with a young daughter. Had just started a new job and made friends with a co-worker. She and her boyfriend loved India cuisine and she asked if I'd ever tried it. Nope, never. My daughter was the pickiest eater I'd ever known - she's a supertaster. I wasn't picky but not exactly adventurous. (I'm a lot more adventurous now.)

So, the friend and her boyfriend invited my daughter and me to come with them to an Indian restaurant. We ordered pakora, papad, naan, saag gosht, tandoori chicken, chicken biriyani, saffron basmati rice, and rice pudding for dessert. We shared the food with each other and I thought I'd died and gone straight up to heaven. I've been in love with Indian cooking ever since. Have bought Julie Sahni's cookbooks and Madhur Jaffrey's also and use them extensively.

What really blew me away is that my fussy, picky daughter fell in love with Indian cuisine, also!

I was in college and there was a fabulous little Indian restaurant near the school I went to. My then boyfriend, now husband talked me into trying it and after my first samosa I was hooked.
Thanks for the giveaway. The book looks great.

@ashtonsh - Since I live 70 miles from the nearest Indian restaurant, I have had to learn to cook Indian food for myself. I started with Julie Sahni's wonderful cookbook, "Introduction to Indian Cooking." I highly recommend this book. It's a great book, and the recipes are easy to prepare. Once you've mastered the basics, Go for Madhur Jaffrey's "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" and "Indian Cooking" and Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking."

My first experience with Indian cuisine, I am pretty sure, was tandoori chicken and naan. When I was a small child we moved a lot and I ate a lot of different cuisines. I also remember samosas and julabis, getting both from carts at the Old Town Art Fair (I think - or another street festival, when you are small they are similar) in Chicago. Messy and yummy!

Some co-workers had ordered a carryout at a local mom and pop Indian restaurant and the smell was just so mouthwatering I just had to give it a try. Now I'm addicted to Indian food!

Embarrassed to say it was a couple months ago from the cookbook Modern Spice by Monica Bhide.

We had her recipe for pan-fried Zucchini and Yellow Squash with cumin, it was awesome. Definitely looking to expand my curry experiences!

Fast food in Scotland

my first experience with Indian food was an all you can eat buffet when I was about 19. I have been addicted to samosas ever since.

Does Anglo-Indian count? My very first experience with Indian flavors, if not Indian food, was at the Newarker restaurant, one of the first Restauarnt Associates fine dining establishments, at Newark Airport! My first taste of real Indian food came later, in New York City, in the mid 60s. I took to the flavors immediately, bought some books and started cooking.

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was at a little, hole in the wall restaurant where we stopped for lunch one day after reading a recommendation. I had a deliciously buttery chicken dish and have been trying to learn more about the cuisine since that day.

First Indian experience I had vindaloo... big mistake. Fortunately, I went back again (and again... and again...)

I watched Nigella make Mughlai chicken one day on FN and decided to try it at home, as there are no Indian restraurants within 150 miles where I live. It was delicious. Now, I try to cook something Indian every 2 weeks. We are also addicited to Naan and I have gotten pretty good at cooking it.

On a trip to Vancouver, BC...me and my friends had a different country's cuisine every night for a week. I can't get enough Indian!!

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was when I ate Samosas at my friend Priya's house!

During my first encounter with Indian food, I didn't realize that the spiciness of the food can accumulate after the first bite, and I ended up with a very hot mouth!

I don't remember for sure but I'm going to guess it was my dad's curry. It's the only cuisine he willingly cooks vegetarian dishes from.

I can't remember the actual first time, but when I was in elementary school, my parents and I used to go to an Indian buffet place all the time and it was always just as good reheated for lunch the next day. Saag paneer, jaipur vegetables, and samosas are definitely my all time favorites.

A friend of my mother's took me to an Indian Restaurant in Louisville, KY when she was watching me while they were out of town. My parents aren't fans, but I quickly became one! My relationship with indian food really blossomed when I went off to college.

I was always curious about Indian food, but my mom always said that she didn't like it. However, I had a couple friends in college who decided it would be fun to go up to the city and eat Indian food, and it was wonderful! It was like learning that an entire other world existed!

The first time I had Indian food was at a business meeting at a NYC restaurant. I can't remember the name. The food was so hot, I was choking, and was so embarrassed - I couldn't stop coughing! Anyway, since then, I've gotten used to more heat, and love Indian food, but don't think I'd be able to take that insane amount of heat even today!

It was so long ago that it is hard to recall anything other than that it was a restaurant in Portland, OR and that I loved it. I didn't do much cooking at that time and "exotic" ingredients were hard to find so it took some time for me to come back to it.

The first time I had Indian food was in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa). I moved there with my husband and 3 children, and had begun making adjustment to living in Africa. My husband decided we needed an evening out and I wanted other than African food, so we decided to try this Indian restaurant that was on the beach. The atmosphere had nothing to do with my enthusiastic response to the food, because the restaurant was shrouded with heavy drapes, and heavy closed windows. The smell upon entry was exotic, heavily spicy, and you wanted immediately to taste whatever was cooking. I tried a sampling of 2 dishes...a vindaloo, and chicken tandoori . Everything was wonderful, and as a result we made the excursion weekly until the restaurant closed a year later...I have tried cooking Indian food, with some success, but want to become better than I am. I have had Indian food in a variety of places where I have lived or visited. From Nashville, to Kansas City, and now, Bowie Md, I seek the Indian restaurants, because I so love the flavor of Indian food!

It was somewhere near Boston, where I was doing some consulting work. And I swear it changed my life! I've been a huge fan ever since, and sought it out in many different cities and countries in my travels.

My first experience with Indian food was a few years ago when I started uni and a couple new friends took a group there. I ordered the hottest level, being used to spicier foods, and they tried to get me worked up while waiting for the food to come out.

Wasn't outrageously spicy, but I'm nearly positive that the waiter had the kitchen tone the heat down knowing that most of us were first timers.

In 2nd grade in London. I grew up in the states but my mom is English and whenever we visited our family my Uncle would take us out for a good curry.

my older sister took me when i was 11 or 12. we had samosas, garlic naan and nav rattan korma. i remember being so shocked by how delicious it was. i remember it being a revelation-- there were other types of food besides american, mexican, italian, and chinese? i had no idea!

During college in New Haven, CT. Totally delicious Sunday morning Indian buffet. I've been in love ever since!

On a trip to Scotland in 1998, I finally got to try it. Loved it! Now we have two Indian places even in my small town.

My mum cooks curries, so as a kid I had lots of spicy food, indian included.

At a restaurant in college... don't remember what I had, though.

Kebab N Curry in the Back Bay. Old school and long gone now, but a good intro to the world.

My first experience with Indian food came while I was in college. Some friends had beeen Peace Corps volunteers, who then became Peace Corps trainers, and they introduced me to Ceylonese (now Sri Lanka) born trainers who made Indian food for me. The food was a revelation! The flavors exploded in my mouth--chicken curry, basmati rice, daal, naan, fresh coconut sambal, etc. Never had better food. Even I've been to countless Indian restaurants, I can never recapture that first meal.

I first encountered Indian food in the '70's on a trip to the British Isles. I was no stranger to spicy foods, so I ordered a hot curry. I had NO idea just how hot it would be. My eyes watered and my throat burned. Lesson learned!

Actually it was rice. I was used to plain Jane rice which seemed to be only as flavorful as the broth it was cooked in. Then I had a curried rice that seemed to just explode in your mouth. Absolutely fantastic.

Supposedly I ate shrimp curry at one year old. (and I'm not Indian.)

I do love any curry with coconut milk especially.

It's hard to remember my first time...but ever since we found our favorite Indian restaurant in KOP, I can no longer go anywhere else for chicken mukhani and garlic naan.

Paru's, a tiny restaurant in DC - went there with my dad a lot a couple decades ago. South Indian vegetarian food on styrofoam plates. Delicious.

It was in the middle 60's. My first husband and I met the Indian captian of a merchent marine ship in the French Quarter. We showed him New Orleans and he invited us to dinner on the ship. It was love at first bite!

The Star of India (I think), an Indian restaurant in Ft. Collins, CO. I was in my twenties (I know, sad!). I really adore curries now, but they took a little getting used to!

When I was a kid, my mom had an Indian coworker who had us over for dinner. Unfortunately, I was a picky eater when I was young and I didn't really appreciate Indian food the first time I had it. Luckily that's all changed!

Eating an entire achar (pickled chili pepper) without knowing it! Granted, I was in India and had no idea what I was eating the whole time...

My first encounter with Indian cuisine sounds more like a threat. There is an Indian restaurant in my hometown called Amrit Palace. My dad used to tell me he was going to take me to the "Armpit" and make me try some mixture of spinach and cheese that sounded totally unappetizing. When I finally went there after years of teasing, I loved it!

My Asian Studies class in high school went to a vegetarian Indian buffet for a field trip. I thought it was all disgusting (I was not yet a veggie lover). I don't think I really tried it again until college, and I've been in love ever since. My "Dinner Club" is going to a vegetarian Indian restaurant for August, so it should be a chance for me to make things right!

My mother and sister went on a two week trip my senior year of high school, leaving just me and my dad at home. After a week of subsisting on take out pizza, my dad being was convinced that buying four pizzas on Stuft Pizza's buy one get one free Tuesday was the only way we would survive. Luckily, a high school friend took pity on me and dropped off some Indian food her mom had made. Growing up as a Taiwanese-American in a small town in Northern California, this was the first time I had ever seen, much less eaten, Indian food. I still remember immediately spreading out the feast of nans, chana masala, dal, and basmati rice on the living room floor, and being blown away by the spices and colors, and full of gratitude to my friend and her mom. 10 years later, Indian food - both the northern curries and southern dosas - is now one of my favorite cuisines!

Being a nice little waspy white girl from Long Island, the only Indian food I ever had was faux "American Indian" food shared at our Thanksgiving family table. Authentic Indian food didn't enter my world until I went on a date at a small Indian restaurant in Manhattan. I was offered a lemon pickle to try and have never been the same. On a recent trip to London, my son and I found lobster curry at Veerswamy that rocked our world. Indian food is now a staple.

I grew up in the suburbs with all kinds of "curry" dishes -- definitely a far cry from any real Indian dish. It wsa not until we spent a short vacation in London that we were exposed to any real (and excellent) Indian fare.

From an irishman, of course - Lamb

One of my best friends in high school was Indian. I went with her to their temple and enjoyed Indian food and desserts after the ceremony! Unforgettable!

My next door neighbors were immigrants from India who spoke very little English. The two boys were my age (6 and 7 when we first met) and we played together non stop. My dad and I lived alone and our new neighbor, Hefsa insisted that she begin cooking meals for us as she did not trust my father to keep me properly fed. So a few times a week, Hefsa would come to our door, dressed in her gorgeous sari, with something super-spicey for my dad and a special dish for me. She also brought me really weird Indian candies :)

Devon Avenue on the Northside of Chicago. The closest thing to eating in India that America has to offer

My indoctrination to Indian food has been fairly recent. A local restaurant, a bowl of chicken tikka masala. Rich, creamy, spicy, decadent. Hot, fresh Naan....I was hooked!!

When I was in Grade 4 a new girl arrived in our classroom, from India. We became fast friends and the first time she invited me over for a sleepover we had chicken curry for dinner. My mother is a very good adventuresome cook, but I had never tasted anything like it before. It was amazing, and I was equally impressed by the father eating whole pickled chilies.

My first encounter with Indian food was at my neighbor's son's high school graduation open house. The family was from India, and all of their extended family contributed dishes as well. It was wonderful!

When I was a teenager in the 70s, I used to cut recipes out of magazines, fantasizing about the day when I would have my own apartment. One of them was for a turkey curry that uses up Thanksgiving leftovers. I grew up in a home with almost no ethnic food at all, so curry seemed exotic, but the ingredients were friendly. It's very mild spice-wise, but it was my first exposure to Indian food. To this day, I make that curry after Thanksgiving, with apples raisins, almonds, turkey, onion, and yogurt. My 16yo daughter makes her own curry experiments in our kitchen - green beans, potatoes, and chicken most recently. I'm not making her wait until she leaves home to cook!

My Indian roommate took me out to an Indian place in Boston. It was terrible, too greasy and made me ill. Needless to say I thought I hated Indian food for years after that. Now I love it!

I was in college, and I'd lost a dinner bet with my boyfriend over the Super Bowl. We went to an Indian restaurant - his choice, and he ordered all the food because I knew nothing about it. For the next year or so, I thought I couldn't eat Indian food at all because it was too spicy. Much later I found out there were a lot of different spice levels, and he'd ordered everything vindaloo! I wish he'd been kinder and gotten me some korma or something. Now I make Indian food at home at least once a week for myself and my dear loving husband, and we eat happily ever after.

I was always afraid of Indian food because big chunks of miscellaneous vegetables were a phobia once, but a business associate once insisted on the little vegetarian Indian buffet around the corner from his office for a lunch meeting, and it was so delicious that I was immediately converted. Since then I've become obsessed with cooking it, but I love going to a great lunch buffet and getting to sample everything...especially if they have dosas, which are maybe my favorite thing ever.

I had two Indian roommates in college, and they would "stink up" the kitchen often cooking for themselves. Finally, they made all of our friends go out and try Indian food at a local restaurant so we would stop nagging them about the smells. Needless to say, it worked.

Sree's in Pittsburgh, the best food thing to happen to college students at CMU! http://www.srees.com/

My first experience with Indian food was at an Indian restauraunt buffet. It was horrible. Fortunatly, I went on a trip to New York shortly after and found that Indian cuisine is great. I especially love curry. Indian curry, chinese curry, thai curry. They're all great.

My first encounter was in Little India in Vancouver...

My now husband introduced me to Indian food - we're lucky to have a lot of great Indian restaurants where we love, but they pale in comparison to having the real thing in India.

I am pretty naive when it comes to Indian cooking. I think I am simply uneducated about the spice "palette" i thought i disliked curry till I had a mindblowing pumpkin curry late one night (could it have been the jetlag? no!) in San Francisco. That was the first time I fully understood the terms "layers of flavor" I would love to educate myself with this cookbook

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was a couple of years ago when my coworker brought me a dish from home. I didn't care for it, but I appreciated his thoughtfulness. Thanks for the giveaway!

I was living on 122 St., near Columbia U., and would occasionally walk to 125 St (borderline dangerous in those days) to eat at an Indian restaurant with food so spicy we would have tears running down our faces by meal's end. It was fabulous on a bleak, winter day!

I went to Sitar in Nashville with my friend in high school; we were nervous rural kids who had never had much else than standard fare.

When I was 20, I went on a mission trip with a group from my college to Wales. One of our hosts was Indian and one night he cooked the most incredible (and authentic!) Indian food I have ever had. Every time I smell curry, I think of Wales, which I'm sure is not most people's experiences. I am not the only member of that trip who would agree with me.

It was during college, and Indian food was all I could afford. I think I had banana pakora and poori, and was lost. It's my favorite cuisine, and I have had medium success cooking it at home.

When I was in college, my English professor invited me to have dinner with him and his lovely wife at their home. They were both born and raised in India and she was an accomplished cook. My dinner with them was my introduction to Indian food and today I can't eat a samosa without thinking of them both.

we had a consultant from India at my previous job. we went out to a local Indian restaurant. she taught me not only how to navigate the menu, but that it tastes so much better if you leave your fork on the table. I was hooked!

A potluck at work was my first experience with Indian food - I've been hooked for over 25 years and am just now delving into the world of Indian cooking and loving the new tastes we're experiencing.

I grew up with bland Russian food and the first time an Indian classmate invited me over for dinner I had a gustatory revelation. There were spices besides salt and pepper, and flavors I had never known before. The rice was fragrant and didn't taste soggy, the aloo had a soft peppery quality, and everything was vegetarian - another first for me. Ten years went by and I continue to never turn down a dinner invitation from my friend's family.

A friend of mine in high school was Indian. For her 16th birthday, she had a bunch of us to her house for a home cooked dinner full of lovely Indian food. I wish I could go back and eat the meal again - what a fun way to discover Indian food!

First curry experience was a my Bengali friend's graduation party. Her mother cooked 13 dishes for over 75 people. While all the food was not curry, she made a dish with curry and shrimp that pretty much made me die of happiness. I'm still working at trying to cook it myself, with steady improvement but nothing like hers so far. :)

A restaurant called Sai Ram in Appleton, WI. Where I first became addicted to naan bread!

I think the first time I had Indian food was in a little basement restaurant in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Coming from the Southwest, I had this mind-set that all spicy food was chiles and salsas, so trying all these different things that had a decided kick to them was a revelation for me. I've had a thing for curries ever since.

As a child, an Indian coworker of my dad's invited my family to his house for dinner. Homemade chapatis and thosai, made as we wanted them by his wife, and a slew of curries and gravy. Four adults, five kids, food enough for twenty.

hmm...it's hard to remember my first experience with Indian food. I think it wasn't until sometime in college, but I've been a fan ever since!

Years ago I found a recipe in a magazine for chicken curry. I had always wanted to try curry and living in a remote area with the nearest restaurant 60 miles away, I decided to make it myself. It took me a bit to find the needed spices, but I was in heaven when I finally got around to making the chicken curry. It tasted great and it was fun to make, toasting the spices made the whole house smell wonderful.

After moving to Seattle, I became addicted to naan and chai tea. Yum!

I fell in love with Indian food in grad school at Dartmouth-- the tiny little town of Hanover NH has two fabulous Indian places! As a poor grad student, I'd buy lots of naan and eat it for lunch all week... good times!

A friend took me to an Indian buffet during college. Though her dad was from India, I have a feeling that was her first experience with the food, too.

My first experience with any sort of curry had to have been as an adult when I was doing my own cooking. My Family was pretty much 1950's American food. I think I did a dinner with some curried shrimp and a curried potato cauliflower dish. I have since fallen totally for any type of curries, Indian, Thai or Western Asian, and I would love to expand on what I now prepare.

My first encounter was Julie Sahni's "Classic Indian Cooking". The pages are all ghee-stained and crumpled---especially 'Lamb Pilaf' and 'Patiala Pilaf'. She started this Irish girl on a love affair with Indian food.

i went to college in boston and my friends knew all about indian food, but i'd never eaten any before... it was amazing.. this little place around the corner from us became a weekly meal spot and while everything was fantastic, the mango lassi at the end stuck with me most.

It was an Indian restaurant near the University of Cincinnati. So long ago I don't rememeber what we ate, just that it was delicious.

My best friend in the world is Indian. We've known each other since we were babies. When i used to go over to her family's house, her mom would make the most delicious food on the world. I remember choking on a cardamon pod in the rice and realizing just how delicious all this stuff was. Her mom is the only person in the world who can get me to eat cauliflower.

sign me up

My first encounter with Indian food was when I was 19 and in Junior College. I met an Indian girl in one of my classes who was Moslem and from Hyderabad and she invited me to her home to have dinner with her husband and 2 children. She made a chicken curry which she taught me how to prepare and I have been making it ever since. She made it with a variety of spices, browned onions and then either yogurt or buttermilk. You can adjust the level of heat that you want with the amount of Cayenne pepper you add. It makes a rich sauce that goes really well with plain white rice and mango chutney. My whole family and all my friends love it and always ask for it. We became friends over the course of the semester and much later I named my first child after the name she gave to hers. We may have drifted apart over the years, but I remember her well each time I make her chicken curry.

Even as a youngster I had a pretty adventurous pallet. So I was excited to visit my first Indian restaurant and a teen. I was not disappointed with all the new spices and textures. Crisp bread and a dish spicy enough to make me sweet still fresh in my mind.

There was an Indian restaurant that I knew of growing up in northeastern Indiana but never had the chance to try, perhaps out of some sort of fear. It wasn't until I had moved to New York that I had my first taste of Indian cuisine. We lived in Jackson Heights Queens which had a wonderful mix of Indian, Pakistani, Argentinean, Bolivian, Columbian...residents. Jackson Diner is the well known go-to place for a terrific Indian buffet. I loved it that first time. Now, a couple of times every year I get that craving.

First encounter was in Memphis TN. And back for seconds, and thirds....

After my husband came back from a trip to India. I've been enthralled with spice blends ever since...

Buffet in Boston while in college - a wonderful surprise!

I was fortunate enough to date an Indian woman in college. For our first date, she took me to this little unassuming Indian restaurant in an old strip mall. We sat down and she proceeded to take me on a tour of India through the menu. The food and company was great. Now I am a regular at our local Indian grocery store (where I still get the "what is he doing here" looks being that I am a red-headed, freckled and Irish) and attempt to make Indian food at home on a regular basis...

When I was three or so, my parents' graduate school classmates lived a minute or so walk away. We'd often get together, since they had a kid about my age as well. We're Chinese, they were Indian, and we'd often trade food. The first thing I can remember eating (and I'm salivating with the memory) is a vegetable samosa. Not coincidentally, it is the one thing I always order whenever I have a chance to.

About 15 years ago we had a buisness in a strip shopping center and an Indian restaurant opened. They had a lunch buffet that was fairly inexpensive. We tried it and could not believe how good it was. The complexity of the flavors was amazing. Very little meat was a surprise, but not missed as the food was so good. The owners were so helpful and willing to explain everything. Happy to say they are still in business and have expanded to 3 locations.

Way back in the fifth grade, my elementary school had a local Indian restaurant cater an "ethnic-cuisine experience." About a hundred fifth graders sat in the multi-purpose room in a giant ring, passing around naan, curries, and samosas. It was delicious and different for someone who grew up with Chinese flavors. I was surprised that we didn't leave a bigger mess; of course, that's what stringy public school carpets are for, right?

bright-red tandoori chicken at the only Indian restaurant in southern Westchester in the 1970s- which subsequently burned down, leaving a strange correlation in my kid memory between tandoori and firetrucks...but my favorite Indian food memory is recent, when I was taken to Vic's Chaat Corner in Berkeley - delicious!

When I was little growing up in the midwest, my parents would frequent the local indian buffet, which was in a strip mall of some sort. I probably was in grade school when I went there for the first time. I loved the food, and I can't thank my parents enough for seeking out and exposing me to different foods and cuisines.

Fabulous lunch buffet when I first started working. So many delious choices, I went back for four days straight to try it all!

Freshman year in college at one of the Bangladeshi places on 6th St where you got a complete meal including poori for about $6.

My grandfathers parents were missionaries in India. So he grew up there. He would always tell us magnificant stories about growing up there. He also made a wonderful curry. My grandfather lived with my dad and his wife and when we would visit he would sometimes have made is famous curry. And thus, was my introduction to a lifetime love of curry. I remember one time when we were over and we spied the infamous curry in the refrigerator, so we decided it would be great snack. So we dug in, however, later at dinnertime my parents went to find the curry for dinner and it was pretty much gone... Now, my kids as they were growing up didn't want Mcdonalds "crappy meals" they wanted to get indian food because they started eating it very early in life as well.

In college I attended an international festival that included indian cuisine. I've been hooked ever since.

With an ex, it was awesome.

In my mid-twenties, when a new boyfriend suggested an evening at his favorite Indian restaurant. I was smitten, both with the food and the boy!

I was a teenager in Milwaukee, definitely not a mecca for ethnic cuisine all those years ago, but I went to an Indian restaurant with a boyfriend and was shocked and appalled that the chicken was bright pink! Now I live in a much more diverse area with fabulous Indian food.

Butter chicken in a tiny little Indian restaurant in Pensacola, FL. about 10 years ago. I was hooked at first bite!

Breast milk

My first experience with "real" indian food was when I was lucky enough to attend a wedding in Mumbai. The homecooked meal the night before the wedding was one of the best meals of my life.

It must have been sometime is the early 90's. We didn't have and Indian restaurant in the town I was living in, but I know that I was eating at different Indian places in Minneapolis by the mid 90's. It was either a place called India Palace or Passage to India (which, sadly, is now gone).

Bombay Palace. Canarsie, Brooklyn. Joy.

My mom was crazy. She wouldn't feed me baby food. What she would do is throw whatever her and my dad were having for dinner in the blender, make a pulp out of it and feed me that. My parents love their indian food, so I can only assume my first encounter with Indian food was before I could even remember.... funny thing is that it probably came out looking exactly like it did going in!

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was about 7 years ago when my former co-workers took me to an Indian buffet restaurant...I've been in love with Indian cuisine ever since :)

I must have been about 9 years old. I had a friend who was from India, and I spent the night at her house. Dinner was eaten with one hand, using your fingers and some flatbread. There wasn't a piece of cutlery in sight, and my 9 year old self thought that was just the coolest thing *ever*. It tasted pretty darn good too!

i had just moved to ny and lived right by curry row on second ave. we went into the tiny restaurant with all the hanging red christmas lights. after easting some fried apps and some breads the lamb vindaloo came, which i ordered extra spicy...it blew my head off and i was hooked!

My husband's from India and one of our first dates was to a nice Indian place. It was my first time having mango lassi which now I can't get enough of. Then we had samosas of course. Then masala dosa and the sambar was so spicy I ended up drinking so much water that I wasn't hungry anymore. My spice tolerance is pretty high now :)

I had a friend who took me to a Indian restaurant in Ann Arbor, MI and I was kinda nervous when I walked through that door and the smell hit me. But that nervousness passed with my first bite of naan bread and somosas with mango chutney....I was in heaven.

i had my first experience with Indian Cuisine on NYC, everything i ate had the most wonderful flavors. spicy some, but i like it hot, the food never loses its flavor to heat, where some cuisines do. i love curries!!! and all that goes with it.

My first Indian curry experience was also a first date. The guy turned out to be a jerk, but the love affair with curries has remained strong ever since.

I have never tried Indian food but always wanted too.
erma.hurtt@sbcglobal.net

I never have had an encounter with Indian food yet but would like to try it!

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was with a campus vender at my undergraduate university, which I stumbled upon in my first week there -- he served all freshly made, authentic vegetarian Indian dishes at student-friendly prices, and the first dish I tried was a sampler platter of chanamasala, dal, aloo mutter, and naan, and a whole new world of tastes and flavors was opened up to me. And I went back to that same vender at least 2-3 times a week for the next four years!

My first experience with Indian food was not exactly a pleasant one. My freshman roommate was Indian and her mother would bring her home cooked Indian food each weekend. I don't remember exactly what I tried, I just know that I was so ill prepared for the heat that it made my cry, my nose run and have my mouth burn for the rest of the night. I had absolutely no heat tolerance.
Later that year my friends including my roommate and I went to an Indian restaurant just off campus. I grilled her about whether mild would be mild. I fell in love with the cuisine! I even tried some of her mother's food later that year (though only the 'mild' stuff). Now I cook Indian at least once a week (with lots of heat!) having learned the basics from an Indo-Fijian friend.

In third grade, we sampled different country's cuisines, and I remember the curry because I asked the teacher for the recipe!

Actually I DO remember my first introduction to what was for me at the time "foreign" cuisine. I was on vacation in Dublin, Ireland, of all places, and my companion insisted we find the best Indian restaurant in the city. I don't remember much about the experience except sitting on huge cushions on the floor and my friend using a word that sounded something like "tandoori" quite frequently as he rattled off our orders to the waiter. I had no clue. Then when the food came, I saw the peppers and thought, okay, here's something I can impress my friend with, because I was used to eating jalapenos and spicy Tex-Mex food. Oh my... I don't have to tell you the rest of the story, I'm sure you can imagine! I don't think I tasted much of anything else during the rest of my trip to Ireland. :)

My first encounter was around 10 years ago, tasting curried chicken over rice served by a local chain. Not the most memorable dish, I tell you. Fortunately, my faith in curries was restored several years later when I tried the real deal at an authentic Indian restaurant. Have loved it ever since.

While I was living in Southern California, I went to some serious Indian restaurant with about 6 or 7 girlfriends. We each got a different dish and shared. It was my first experience with Indian food, and it was incredible!

In college these was an Indian place near my apt figured i'd try it and fell in love!

Back in 2001, when I was in the hospital after giving birth, my husband and my parents decided to try an Indian restaurant in our area. My husband told me in the hospital how delicious the food was and he wanted to take me there on the way home . I was really tired and didn't think I was hungry, but I devoured the food and have been a fan of Indian food ever since that day.

Living in the deep south , I've never had the opportunity to try Indian cuisine.

My daughter took me to an Indian restaurant when I visited her once and I tried the chana masala. It's my favorite Indian meal since that day. I've tried a lot of things but that's still my favorite.

At a small vegetarian restuarant over 20 years ago. I know Roti came with the dish .

My first encounter with Indian cuisine was at a restaurant serving vegetarian dishes from southern India. I enjoyed the food there very much.

It was probably as a child with Chinese/Indian fusion food.

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