@mwyman I just had a massive portion of biryani which was not at all bland. I think there are some foods that just don’t hold up to seasonings very well and that’s okay. I saw a video from the essayist Horses in which he investigated the idea of ‘bland’ food. His take was, and I think I agree to an extent, some foods descended from places in the Nordics and W Europe that rely on fresh ingredients continue to exist but with worse ingredients and no fresh herbs, everything just gets worse. Related to industrialization.