8 11.8.20 Illustrations by Giacomo Gambineri
Cover typography by Nikita IzievThe Thread
Readers respond to the 10.25.20 issue.
RE: THE FED-UP CHEF
Sheila Marikar profi led the chef
Gagg an Anand.
Fun article on a very eccentric guy. But
something I notice with Indian-Amer-
icans writing about India: Probably
because of their background, they get a
lot wrong. There’s always been fi ne din-
ing in India, but it’s always been reserved
for the traditional equivalent of folks who
could aff ord the $400 price tag. Yes, the
average Indian in New York may be used
to the $9 buff et, but I would argue that’s
not what the well-off in Bombay were
used to, even in the ’60s.
There have been culinary and restau-
rant schools in India since at least the late
’50s (my mum went to one). The fact that
most of this was unknown to Western din-
ers, or even to the low-budget backpack-
ers who’ve passed through the country,
doesn’t mean they didn’t exist.
Chris Mendes, N.J.
Lots of respect for the talent and deter-
mination this man possesses. But I really
wish he wouldn’t use a woman who got
up and left after his ‘‘You can’t go to the
bathroom’’ monologue as an amusing
anecdote. I guess it’s meant to lift him —
the genius — up, while disparaging the
person who somehow doesn’t appreci-
ate it. But what he really did was exclude
someone based on bodily functions. He
was being extremely ableist, and he put
someone in an embarrassing position in
front of her tablemates. I know scores
of women who plan their day according
to where the accessible toilets are. Not
everyone was born with — or got to keep
— a perfect healthy body. Is that a reason
they must make themselves. I have seen
unspeakable cruelty, gut-wrenching sad-
ness and inspiring acts of courage (by wit-
nesses who testify against killers). I don’t
know the best response to violence, but I
know we can do better.
Steve, Bethesda, Md.This is such a powerful essay. For the last
fi ve years, I have been part of a recipro-
cal-education class of men who are on
death row, and I consider these men my
colleagues and friends. Knowing them,
I know that they are not their crimes —
their crimes and their histories are more
complex than any court proceeding or
ready narrative about incarceration can
describe. And yet, if anyone did to my
daughter or my friends or family some
of the things my death-row friends did,
I’m confi dent I would not be able to hold
space for their humanity and fl aws and
off er forgiveness — much like the author
cannot hold space for forgiveness of
his mother’s rapist. I don’t think this
is a contradiction though: This is why
we have systems of justice and do not
merely exert vigilante ‘‘justice.’’ And these
systems clearly need serious and com-
passionate reform if they are to support
victims or perpetrators.
Elizabeth, OhioCORRECTION
A picture caption in an article on Oct. 18
about free speech and online disinformation
referred incorrectly to the pictured protest
in Skokie, Ill. It was against a proposed
Nazi march; it was not a counterprotest. A
neo-Nazi group successfully petitioned to
hold a march in Skokie, but held it elsewhere.Send your thoughts to [email protected].‘I always tell
victims’ families
that they should
not look to
what happens
in court for
relief — that is
a journey they
must make
themselves.’THE COVER,
ON TWITTER
Beautiful design work
by Nikita Iziev.
@museumplanningto exclude them and use them as amus-
ing fodder in your interview? This article
made me respect Gaggan a lot less. That’s
a shame. I assume he won’t care. But I
do hope he reads this and realizes that
he doesn’t need the ‘‘eccentric genius’’
gimmick of pretending that people who
can’t hold it in for four hours need to be
shamed before they even start his meal.
He is talented enough by itself — no
need to try to create his own myth at the
expense of others.
Lisa, AmsterdamRE: KAMALA, MY MOTHER AND ME
Reginald Dwayne Betts wrote an essay about
his experiences with incarceration and crim-
inal justice in America.Brilliant essay. Thank you for your words.
I’m a public defender who has seen some
of the worst tendencies of prosecutors,
but I agree that they have a diffi cult and
necessary job. Crime victims and poor
communities need prosecutors and
police who work for them too. But we
also need to give people accused and
convicted of crimes (including violent
crimes) a meaningful environment for
rehabilitation, motivation to change,
a chance to be seen as human beings,
dramatically lower sentences and better
opportunities once they’re out.
CS, San AntonioI am a homicide prosecutor, and I found
this article to be incredibly powerful. I
always try to remember that every defen-
dant has a story and a family that is just as
important to them as the story and family
are to the victim. I always tell victims’ fam-
ilies that they should not look to what hap-
pens in court for relief — that is a journey