The star will not be able to enjoy this moment of celebrity on account of the most important criterion of selection

The star will not be able to enjoy this moment of celebrity on account of the most important criterion of selection. Opportunities for the untrained amateur to star in a theatrical production on the London fringe, with major press coverage guaranteed, are relatively rare, so the zanily-named 1157 performance group may well already have had applications for the central role in their new production. Fear and pressures from conscientious suppliers of Indian food will force change for the better. But it is important to be aware that colour matters in more ways than we think
More from Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. Within minutes of tasting oven-ready potato wedges or frozen hamburgers, children can start to reject real potatoes and home-made patties. Bad food is a way of life in this country for millions and, until consumers learn better, producers will carry on giving them rubbish, even if it damages health The market, they say, has no morality. How else do the makers of cigarettes and booze live with what they do?It is good that this survey has shown up bad practice.

It is great that chicken tikka masala is a British invention, and it can be cooked to perfection without using additives.But for a large section of the eating public, the dish has to be artificial for them to enjoy it That is the nature of addiction. Millions may be addicted to Asian food, but it is their version and this is what suppliers feel they must deliver As I have argued, authenticity is a reactionary concept. In a driven market economy, it is the business of business to supply what the punters want. Addicts of bright red chicken tikka masala think they are being diddled if the dish arrives pale and subtle.

They shout, accuse waiters of ripping them off (again, the same stereotypes of Asians as blackguards), demand the real thing. I have witnessed this at a restaurant in Hammersmith, an honest curry house trying hard to use natural ingredients. Tanked up with lager, men demanded their raging red dish and got abusive when the waiter explained that they used tomato pur? which made the sauce look dull red. There are warnings about the strange foods, about spicy dishes and essential Swahili expressions: mostly accusations of theft or complaints about unclean hands and other expected “bad habits” of black servants.There is another issue too.