Curries against violence

Summary

24 February 2010

Following recent attacks against Indian students in Melbourne, Australians are being encouraged to eat a special Indian meal as a way to protest against racism towards members of the Indian community.

Reporter:
Nick Bryant


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REPORT

A vindaloo against violence, a poppadum for peace, a mild korma for good karma. With whatever Indian dish they care to consume, Australians are being invited to eat a curry to make a stand against racial violence.

It follows a spate of attacks against Indians in Melbourne, including the murder of an Indian graduate student, Nitin Garg, at the start of the year. That's tarnished the reputation of Australia's second most populous city and resulted in a steep fall-off in visa applications from overseas students.

The organisers report that some ten thousand people have registered to take part and that curry houses across the city have started booking out. Australian expats around the world are also being invited to take part.

Nick Bryant, BBC News, Melbourne


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VOCABULARY

>a vindaloo
a very spicy Indian dish usually made from meat and lots of spices, including chilli peppers and garlic

>a poppadom
a thin, light, crispy fried dish made from rice flour and ground lentils, usually eaten as a snack with sauces

>a mild korma
a creamy curry made with yoghurt which does not contain much chilli pepper

>good karma
an Asian belief that if we treat other people well, then we will be treated well in return

>to make a stand against
to do or say something which makes it very clear that you don't agree with something

>a spate of attacks
a lot of attacks that happened within a short space of time

>tarnished
spoiled, stained, ruined

>a steep fall-off in
a sudden drop in the number of

>booking out
getting full, running out of tables, unable to serve any more diners

>Australian expats
Australian people who currently live in other countries; 'expats' is short for 'expatriates'



Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2010/02/100224_witn_vindaloo.shtml