A university once tried to ban the scent of palak paneer—and ended up paying $200,000 for its olfactory overreach. What began as a lunchtime microwave skirmish in Boulder, Colorado, has simmered into a landmark case of “food racism” with a side of institutional regret.
Two PhD students lost their advisors, teaching gigs, and research funding—all because someone mistook northern Indian cuisine for a biohazard. The university, meanwhile, lost face, credibility, and a tidy sum, though it insists it “denies all liability,” which is academic-speak for “we’ll pay you to never speak of this again.”
Aditya Prakash just wanted to reheat lunch. Instead, he got a crash course in how Western institutions handle foreign aromas: with suspicion, policy improvisation, and a sudden aversion to anything that doesn’t smell like a turkey sandwich. When asked which foods were “pungent,” staff reportedly drew a culinary bright line: sandwiches = safe; curry = chemical warfare.
The so-called rule against “strong-smelling” food existed only in the nose of the beholder. No sign. No policy document. Just a British staffer’s delicate sensibilities and a centuries-old colonial reflex to police brown people’s lunchboxes.
Prakash and his fiancée, Urmi Bhattacheryya, didn’t sue for the money—they sued because being told your culture smells bad tends to leave a bitter aftertaste. Their lecture on cultural relativism, which included real-life examples of food-based discrimination, somehow triggered more backlash than actual relativism ever could.
Social media chimed in with the grace of a dropped samosa: “Go back to India,” read one comment, apparently unaware that geography doesn’t cancel out civil rights. Another gem: “Decolonisation was a mistake.” Tell that to the microwave.
Despite the settlement—which includes their hard-earned degrees and a lifetime ban from campus (talk about a breakup clause)—the university claims it’s now “rebuilding trust.” Presumably by installing scent-neutral microwaves and mandatory spice sensitivity training.
Prakash, who once ate alone in an Italian school cafeteria because his biryani offended European nostrils, says this isn’t just about food. It’s about who gets to exist fully in shared spaces—without apology, isolation, or a side of shame.
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