Indian vs. Chinese

In my house I estimate that we spend a little over £500 a year on takeaway, as we have a takeaway on average once every two weeks, costing roughly £20. I think that half the time we order an Indian, with the rest made up by fish & chips, pizza, Chinese and occasional others (mainly Thai)…

Nothing especially remarkable about that, but if you consider the number of each takeaway types in the UK there is a discrepancy. We hardly ever have a Chinese despite the fact that Chinese takeaway’s must be as numerous as Indian’s, possibly more so? I should probably point out at this point that whilst Indian is preferred, I am a big fan of Chinese food in all its different guises. We do have a good Chinese near us (although they don’t deliver, you have to collect, which is a pain), Zenz Oriental in Old Harlow. We must have tried at least ten other Chinese takeaways near us over the years and they all had something in common: they are generally rubbish. Indian takeaways on the other hand are generally great so my theory is this…

9 out of 10 Chinese takeaways are bad, whereas

9 out of 10 Indian takeaways are good.

Bad might be a bit strong, maybe disappointing is a better word? No idea why this would be, I just think it is interesting. I don’t think this is a local-to-me issue, as this has always been my experience elsewhere, even overseas. Possibly there is something in the fact that the stronger flavour of the spices in Indian cuisine will mask the quality of the ingredients better than a Chinese meal would, which sounds logical to me.

Anybody experience the same thing, or would you disagree with my theory?