New York: A viral video of Democratic New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani enjoying rice and dal with his hands during an interview has become a cultural flashpoint, prompting outrage, racism, and even deeper questions about identity, performance, and power.
A Meal, A Moment, A Meltdown
The video, innocuous on the surface, shows Mamdani — an Indian-American and son of filmmaker Mira Nair — calmly eating a traditional Indian meal without cutlery. But what followed was anything but calm.
US Congressman Brandon Gill, the youngest Republican in Congress and husband to Indian-origin commentator Danielle D’Souza, pounced on the video. Quoting a post from the account ‘End Wokeness’, Gill branded Mamdani’s behaviour as “uncivilised,” and went as far as to say:
“Civilised people in America don’t eat like this. If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World.”
Civilized people in America don’t eat like this.
If you refuse to adopt Western customs, go back to the Third World. https://t.co/TYQkcr0nFE
— Congressman Brandon Gill (@RepBrandonGill) June 30, 2025
The remark, widely condemned as racist and regressive, did not go unchallenged.
The Internet Responds: “Do You Eat Fries With a Fork?”
Social media lit up in response. While some accused Mamdani of “performative cultural signaling”, many more took aim at the racist undertones in Gill’s statement.
“You can’t debate his politics, so you go after his culture. That says more about you than it does about him.”
“How do you eat tacos, burgers, or French fries? With chopsticks?”
These were just a few of the hundreds of replies flooding the internet, defending not just Mamdani but the broader cultural practice of eating by hand — common across South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Performance or Pride? The Divided Verdict
Mamdani hasn’t publicly addressed the backlash. However, the debate didn’t end at racism. Critics also accused him of cultural posturing. Some pointed to older images of Mamdani using forks and knives, even eating a burrito on the subway with cutlery.
“This is costume politics for the white gaze,” one commenter wrote.
“Romanticising another culture for clout while mocking your own — that’s not representation, that’s performance,” said another.
Former Democrat turned Republican Maud Maron, now contesting for Manhattan DA, also joined the fray. She accused Mamdani of hypocrisy:
“He says he ‘grew up in the Third World’, but he was in private school in the US since age seven. That’s not ‘code-switching’. That’s lying.”
Culture, Code-Switching, and Campaigning
At just 33, Mamdani made history this week by becoming the first Muslim Democratic nominee in the NYC mayoral race, after Andrew Cuomo bowed out. Known for blending Bollywood, pop culture, and grassroots activism, Mamdani’s campaign has drawn praise and criticism in equal measure.
This incident — though trivial on the surface — shines a spotlight on the thin line between authentic representation and cultural commodification, particularly in diaspora politics. It also raises another uncomfortable truth: even in 2025, identity politics in America can be boiled down to what’s on your plate and how you eat it.
