Dear Editor,
Whenever CPL cricket is in the air, invariably a not-so-important topic becomes in vogue: Is it chicken curry or curry chicken? I am aware that the discussion on this issue is to add embellishment to the commentary rather than for any educative purpose. Even radio broadcasters in Guyana and the region, from time to time, would chit-chat on same.
Anyhow, the reality is that in their present forms, only one is correct and that is chicken curry. It can also be used in the reverse form; however, it would have to be stated as curried chicken. On a somewhat related issue, you won’t go into a restaurant and order a serving of fry rice; it would have to be fried rice.
So, it is not such a facile matter after all; it has to do with the knowledge of grammar. Even one of our honorable government ministers was asked by a commentator, at the Providence Stadium, if she would be eating chicken curry or curry chicken; she gave a ‘cute’ answer, albeit not addressing the grammar issue. So, you can certainly eat chicken curry or curried chicken, but definitely not curry chicken.
I hope that the above would clear any doubts regarding the ‘chicken curry’issue.

Yours truly,
Mohamed Earl Yamin