1st or 2nd generation immigrants, what's your experience with white Americans encountering your food culture?

I'm a white guy whose most recent immigrant ancestors were my great-grandparents, but I celebrated Thanksgiving this year with my Indian partner's extended family.

Every time I've interacted with an older member of their family, they've been really weird to me about food. I know this behavior is the result of decades of their cuisine was treated as exotic and unappetizing. I'm curious what it's like for people when your food culture gets normalized as part of mainstream American life.