Vice President-elect JD Vance praised Indian food when he appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and how he tried to impress his wife, Usha when he was dating her with his attempt at Indian food. A clip that has been going viral began with Joe Rogan's sharp critique of processed meats, which he referred to as "highly processed garbage." He raved about Indian food that has a huge variety for vegetarians.
“If you want to eat vegetables and be vegetarian, eat Indian food. They make really delicious vegetarian food,” Rogan stated.
Vance quickly agreed, "I'm married to an Indian-American. They make very good vegetarian food”. Vance described himself as a “meat and potato” guy from Ohio and he admitted that his initial attempts at cooking for his wife were less than successful. He recalled a dish he prepared to impress Usha with a homemade vegetarian meal, he said, "I thought I'd make something really nice, so I rolled out a flat thing of crescent rolls, put raw broccoli on top, sprinkled ranch dressing on it, and shoved it in the oven for 45 minutes...and that was my vegetarian pizza.," Vance recalled, cringing as he spoke. "It was disgusting.”
Vance shared that he initially found it challenging to grasp vegetarian meals, especially while trying to accommodate Usha’s tastes. But over time, he has developed an appreciation for the rich variety and depth of flavours in Indian vegetarian cuisine. “If you’re any vegetarian, eat paneer and rice and delicious chickpeas. Do not eat this disgusting fake meat,” he commented.
Usha Vance who spoke at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, recalled how JD Vance embraced her vegetarian lifestyle and learned to cook Indian dishes from her mother.