(Newser)
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When Oprah Winfrey visited India in January to film a special that aired on Oprah's Next Chapter over the weekend, it may not have been a great idea for her to ask her hosts at one Mumbai party, "I heard some Indian people eat with their hands still?" That comment and other aspects of the special—in which the talk-show queen also visited a slum—have been widely criticized. The Hollywood Reporter rounds up some of the reactions:
- From an open letter to Winfrey by Rituparna Chatterjee posted on CNN-IBN's website: "We are used to gross Western ignorance regarding our ancient country. But … you should have done your homework. Using our hands to eat is a well established tradition and a fact none of us are ashamed of. Our economic distinction has nothing to do with it. A millionaire here eats the same way a pauper does."
- From newspaper group Dainik Bhaskar: Under the headline "Snobbish Oprah Mocks India," a review of the show called Winfrey's style "typical American snooty."
- From the Wall Street Journal's India blog, India Real Time: "India as Westerners imagine it, one stereotype at a time."
Click for
a fourth scathing review.
