Christchurch restaurant Two Fat Indians has been forced to rename its ‘Suicide Curry National Championship 2019’ after complaints that it trivialised a serious issue. The event is now named the ‘Hot As Hell Curry Championship’, and the owners have posted an apology on social media.
The issue was first raised by suicide prevention worker Graeme Russell, who planned to protest outside the evet. However, the protest has now been called off due to the apology.
“It's what we wanted,” Russell said. “We've called the protest off. They've apologised and we're going to go down there and thank them. I think it's important to.”
At first owner Nasir Kahn said that it was too late to change the name of the competition as the prizes had already been printed with ‘Suicide Curry,’ but he would change the name of the competition next year. Several hours later, Kahn bowed to the pressure and changed the name for the event.
“Our sincere apologies,” the restaurant wrote on its Facebook page. “Yes we are so sorry for hurting the feelings of people by using an inappropriate name for a fun competition we have run for years. Tonight’s competition is now called ‘Hot as Hell Curry’ competition. The competition terms and conditions and the prizes remain the same.”
