Mindy Kaling is a mother, Emmy-nominated writer, producer, director, actress, comedian, and sometimes not-so-good cook when it comes to making masala dosa. Kaling told the story in a 2019 YouTube video of how she made some "really bad" food with Vice President Kamala Harris during an interview with Stephen Colbert on "The Late Show." Shot while Harris was still campaigning for president, the video shows the two trying to make dosas, a traditional Indian dish.
Kaling compared the treat to "Indian-like pancakes," before revealing that the end product of their culinary adventure wasn't as delicious as she had originally hoped. “We make really bad food,” she admits. "It tastes bad."
It was also at that moment that Carlin realized Harris was definitely "a little politician" because of her generous response to food that didn't taste good. "On camera, she said, 'Oh, this is delicious. You're an amazing cook,'" Carlin said. " I was like, 'Oh, she's a politician. She has to be.'" Colbert then played a clip so viewers could see the vice president's reaction.
When it came time to eat their home-cooked meals, Kaling looked a little worried as she rated their cooking results as a "hard B minus" and shared her uncertainty about the taste of the dosas. Despite Carlin's hesitation, Harris seemed to enjoy the dish, praising its "really delicious" taste and calling Carlin "a really good cook."
" Lots of flavors , yeah, I'm gonna take that!" Kaling said in a quote after watching a clip from the show. She added that Harris was "very polite" for being so kind about the meal.
In a September 2020 interview with Bustle, Harris was asked, "How have you changed since you were 28?" Harris responded, "First of all, I'm a better cook. Cooking has become My passion, stress reliever, and way to show love to family and friends that I can cook a thing or two in the kitchen – especially when I have time to make Sunday dinner, it’s a family tradition.”
While their first meal together may not have been a huge success, Carlin insisted that Harris was "amazing" and that it was "crazy" that she got the chance to cook with her. "It's absolutely crazy that she would deign to come to my house because it's not that nice," she said. "She comes over and we cook Indian food and talk about Indian things, and I love her. I think she's very strong and very principled."
