In diplomacy, a dinner can speak louder than words. But this week, Rashtrapati Bhavan made headlines for its culinary choices. The controversy began with a state banquet hosted for Seychelles President Patrick Herminie. Guests were served yogurt foam, charred pineapple, and, oddly enough, no seafood—an unusual choice for the leader of an island nation.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra wasted no time taking a dig at the govt. Moitra claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly returned to his suite after the official 2023 G20 “Year of Millets” dinner to order “bread, cheese, and cold cuts” because he couldn’t find a proper meal at the summit table.

Moitra questions India’s diplomatic menu choices

“President Macron returned after G20 dinner & asked for bread cheese & cold cuts to be sent to room since he couldn’t eat anything at dinner,” Moitra wrote on X. Moitra was responding to a post that shared the menu from the Seychelles banquet, which read: “Charred pineapple, yogurt foam, and banana blossom skewers?? An open secret in Delhi’s diplomatic circles is that visiting dignitaries now often return from such unusual meals at official banquets and order Indian food from room service.”

Social media soon erupted with debate, questioning whether India’s fancy, “inventive” food is truly hitting the right note with guests. Some even criticised the TMC MP, with one user writing, “Indians visiting other countries may face the same issue, but their MPs don’t go bad-mouthing their own.” Another commented, “I have starved in France because I couldn’t eat French food. So what?”

A third added, “With respect, having lived in a top-tier regional city in France where I had to source groceries from the UK, I find this critique ironic. If the French President went back to his room for bread and cold cuts because he didn’t find the banquet filling, he’s simply doing what we did in France. Culinary diplomacy is often experimental, but when you’re away from home, you mostly just want a meal that satisfies—not charred pineapple foam.”

Meanwhile, the Seychelles banquet was designed as a “culinary bridge” across the Indian Ocean. The menu, which was entirely vegetarian with dishes like jackfruit skewers and yam thoran, drew attention for not including seafood, a staple of the guest’s home cuisine. One user on X joked, “Serving yogurt foam to an island president is like giving a mountain climber a picture of the peak instead of the climb.” Another highlighted a change in approach to hospitality, writing, “It feels like we’ve gone from ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (The guest is God) to ‘Atithi Dieto Bhava’ (The guest is on a diet).”

Balancing tradition and modernity

Speaking to The Telegraph India, some chefs defended the menu as a showcase of “New India’s culinary brilliance.” Chef Sujan Mukherjee, who has worked with Taj hotels, said, “The menu is innovative and the chef has shown culinary brilliance in balancing traditional flavour and uniqueness to uphold the changing culinary culture of our nation. All dishes have proper accompaniments.”

Chef Shaun Kenworthy, told The Telegraph, “It’s nice to expect something interesting and a little bit more modern. India is growing up and exploring its ingredients, putting a new spin on the same flavours.”

In Kolkata, many food events are curated to put culinary experiments in the spotlight, mixing unusual flavors and techniques. Often, these menus are meant to tell a story. Chef Preetam Bhadra, one of the pioneers of deconstructed menus in the city, emphasized the importance of purpose. “Strangeness on the plate is fine as long as there is intention. If the menu carries memories and stories, modern finesse works beautifully. Without that, it just becomes hollow theatrics,” he said.