‘i Am’ Poem – Curry’s (Lament?) Poem by Khadim Hussain

I am called curry by novices, aficionados and curryholics
I wonder what if anyone of them knows where the name comes from
I hear people say I come from India but
I see no evidence of that
I want the public to judge who I am not where I’m from
I aim to be hospitable to all,
I am favored by all tastes, cultures and faiths
I feel at home wherever I am in the world and
I touch the taste buds from the slums of Calcutta to the penthouses of Manhattan
I love being embraced and adopted as there own by every country
I dislike those who think I am fiery and must strip the lining of their mouth
I cry when they call me Phal

I am British not Indian
I understand my name is derived from Cu`ry an old English word.
I believe curry was part of the English language 200 years before Europeans landed in India
I dream of making the history of true origins popular and
I hope to keep alive the memory of lascars, whose child
I am.

Cu`ry: An old English word for cooking derived from the French ‘Cuire’ – to cook, boil, grill.
Lascar: : Indian able seaman, mainly Bengali - the term is believed to derive from the Persian 'Lashkar' meaning an army, a camp or band of followers. Later the term applied any ethnic sailor serving on European included Somali, Yemeni and Chinese.