Stuff Desi People Like, #1--Hating on other Desis for being "too Desi"

So, the guy behind Stuff White People Like (if you haven't read the blog, you really should click on the link above) has been getting a lot of buzz lately, so much so, that I have been inspired by his commentary to start a list of Stuff Desi People Like.

As a background, I am Indian-American (dots, not feathers) and my family is originally from Gujarat. "Desi," according to Wikipedia (the most reputable of all sources, of course), "refers to the people and the culture of the Indian and South Asian diaspora." Of course, anyone who has attended a large state school (e.g. Rutgers, U of Maryland, UT, U of Florida, etc.), or worked for a tech company or in a hospital, is familiar with this term even if they are not desi as it is therefore impossible to not have met an Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi/Sri Lankan person. . .

So with that as the intro, here is my first observation of Stuff Desi People Like:

1. Desi people like to criticize other desis about how desi they are.

American-born desis, often referred to as ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis), love to call out non-American born desis for being FOBs (Fresh Off the Boat). Why? Because EVERY desi knows there is an acceptable amount of "desi-ness" one is allowed to embrace in this country and anything beyond that puts you in unacceptable, FOB land.

For example, its acceptable to listen to desi music (esp if its hip hop that is desi inspired, but in English), to participate in cultural shows and dance competitions in college, to have a large group of other desi friends, to be proud of being desi when movies like Slumdog do well, to say desi words with the appropriate accent in normal conversation and to visit the homeland as a young adult for spiritual awakening and thereafter claiming India is the most amazing place the world.

It is not, however, okay to bring desi food to school/work for lunch (too smelly), insist on speaking hindi/gujarati/punjabi/urdu, etc. all the time on campus or at work with your other desi friends, only having desi friends (all normal desis have at least one or two token East Asian, Jewish or white friends), or saying yaar excessively.

Any such inappropriate behavior is immediate grounds for being talked about, mimicked and compared to your parents' generation by any not-too-desi desis.