The other day I discovered that Japanese electronics manufacturer Panasonic recently launched a washing machine for the Indian market that features a ‘Curry’ button. Literally.
Once I’d finished blinking in disbelief, I Googled the story across multiple sources including The Huffington Post, the BBC and The Telegraph. Not a single publication had batted an eyelid at the fact that this ‘Curry’ button was seemingly rude at best, and possibly racist at worst – instead heralding it as a shining example of customer service! It can’t be both, right?
So I had to check myself: was I just being super-sensitive in this era of ultra cultural correctness? Or was there something seriously off-key about this multinational’s choice of terminology?
According to Panasonic, the new washing machine – The StainMaster – was designed in response to a high number of complaints from Indian customers who were struggling to fully remove curry splatters from their clothes. It took two years to develop the new settings, which involved analysing the typical ingredients used in Indian curries in order to identify the main culprit: turmeric, a bright orangey-yellow spice used in many Indian dishes. The reason curry stains are so difficult to remove from clothing is because this ground root contains a compound called curcumin, which isn’t soluble in water.
Currently, only around 10% of households in India actually own a washing machine, with the majority handwashing their laundry instead. The traditional way of sorting out these stains involves pre-soaking the clothes in hot water, and then leaving them to dry in sunlight, which helps to fade the stains. So the company investigated the optimal time, water flow and temperature setting required to fully dislodge them from the fabric. It states that its aim was to “develop products that meet the country’s needs and expand its market reach and market share” – which is currently dominated by South Korean brands like LG – as well as “respond to local needs for better washing performance”.
So clearly, the ‘Curry’ button isn’t ‘racist’ – it’s a practical response to consumer demand.
Panasonic is a business – it’s spotted a gap in the market and found a way to capitalise on global cuisines in order to differentiate its brand and make more money. At 22,000 Indian rupees (£270 or $330), the StainMaster costs about 10% more than other regular washing machines on the market. Presumably, the company will now just work its way around the world adding various pesky regional delicacies to its washing machine dial and marking up the prices as they go, and hey presto – everyone’s a winner.
But still… the wording, though! : 0 Maybe I’m just turning into a delicate little flower in these PC times but it really jarred me. I mean it just seems so… blunt! Okay yes, I’ll accept that it ruffled my feathers at first glance and clearly that’s my problem, not theirs. The Indians certainly don’t seem to mind – the company’s already sold 5,000 StainMasters in the country since launching on March 10th, and hopes to shift 30,000 over the next 12 months.
And yet… couldn’t they have come up with something a little more generic? Like a ‘Turmeric’ button, or something that just sounds a little less… I don’t know… ethnically specific? Something that sounds a little bit less like they’re just monetising stereotypes?
I mean for starters, there’s absolutely no point in limiting a ‘Curry’ button to India – EVERYONE eats curry, so they’ve already missed a trick there. It’s practically the national dish over here in the UK – we’ve got more curry houses in London than there are in Mumbai, and an estimated 10,000 in the country. Is the British version going to have a ‘Curry’ button on it? That would really mess things up if they’ve already got a ‘Fish & Chips and Tetley Tea’ button all ready to go. Can we expect a ‘Pizza’ button in Italy? A ‘Jerk Chicken’ button in Jamaica? A ‘Sweet & Sour Chicken Balls’ button in China? Well. Let’s wait and see.
: )
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I would not mind a curry button! It can be a really tough stain to get out! My mum taught me to leave curry stains out on a sunny day…that seems to help more than detergent ever could!
You know, curry is really popular in Japan as well. Although their curry is not very similar to the huge range of curries we get in the UK/India. Their curry is sort of like a curry-stew. It’s still a bugger to get the stains out though!! They should bring the button to the world…but maybe call it the uber-stain button or something like that!
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My thoughts exactly! It just seems odd that they’d be so specific – both with the wording and also the regional launch! We all love curry! : D
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I think that the word curry is just an anglicised derivative of the word kari which means sauce or a kind of gravy. And I do get the turmeric thing. We make so many different kinds of curries at home – and other sauces and gravies! – but the ones involving turmeric are the most troublesome with the tea towels and tablecloths. Thankfully I do all the cooking in our house and Harry Husband does all the washing : )))
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Well now he can try the tip mentioned above – the weather’s warming up so he can gather all those dishcloths and leave them in the sun! Josypheen confirms it works a treat! : D
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Thank you, an interesting and well written piece. You also clearly answer your own title’s question with a “No”. You also pose another interesting question when you say “Maybe I’m just turning into a delicate little flower in these PC times but it really jarred me” – what is happening to us, why are we more likely to see offence? We used to be in the lookout for ‘sin’ is this the new way to spot sinners?
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I know – interesting isn’t it? My instinctive response was horror – yet there’s nothing to be horrified about at all. The people I was being horrified on the behalf of are all happily buying the washing machine that answers their needs. And yet there’s something so un-2017 about it all that really does make me feel a bit uncomfortable! Maybe it just seems a bit alien to be so geographically specific in such a globalised world. : )
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Whenever you launch a new product you have to try it out on someone, so why not try it out on those who should have the biggest uptake. Looks like it’s been popular so hopefully we’ll be seeing the curry button on our washing machines in due course. Looks like there’s a need! Mmmm… curry 🍛
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Very true. Honestly, I think I’m just getting over-sensitive in my old age – an unexpected side effect! And yes – dear Panasonic, please bring the curry button to Britain! : D
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Not too sure how I feel about it but I guess it was designed for that specifically so ok I suppose – just a bit odd really 🙂
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I know – it’s exactly that! It feels a little weird and yet I can’t quite put my finger on why – everything seems above board and the punters are happy! : D
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I recoiled a bit too! I think its because curry can so easily be used as an insult, or in a way to make someone feel different. It’s often bandied about to people of a certain race, without any relation to the food. It probably seemed like a smart gimmick for ease, but i don’t know! Makes me a little uncomfortable….
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OMGGGG – thank you Darian! I’m not going mad!!! That’s exactly how I felt too. That’s clearly not how it’s intended in this instance, but that doesn’t make it feel any less uncomfortable. Honestly, when I first saw this story I thought it was an April Fools! : 0
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