Colonization Through Food

I was wondering, what comes to our mind when we think of dining out. Is it a meal in Mc Donald’s, KFC or Subway or is it paranthas, paneer, daal chawal, rajma, fish curry, etc.? Do we have much option for Indian cuisines in the cities when our streets are crowded with fast food joints? In Hyderabad, Andhra tiffin centres are abundantly visible but to find affordable restaurants to relish on cuisines of other regions of the country requires hunting with a microscope.

A couple of days ago, I was longing for some delicious Shahi Paneer and Paranthas but had to resort to eating a Turkey Sub from Subway. It was not that my appetite switched its mood but I could not find a place to quench my desire in a rate that would not hurt my pocket. A thought popped up, if it is a new kind of colonization.

The trend towards our perception of affordability is also changing. We can easily spend a hundred rupees for a Sub or a Zinger Burger, whether it serves our hunger or not is a different issue, but we hesitate to bear the same expense for a pair of paranthas or a Bengali meal or a Rajasthani thali. The food court of Inorbit Mall, Hyderabad, boasts of Tibetan Restaurants, Western and Mexican Food Joints, but not a single point, where dishes from all over the country is served, can be found. The grocery shops and super markets stock Kellogg’s Cornflakes, muesli, oat meal porridge, mayonnaise, oyster sauce, etc.. The extent of colonial hangover is evident in the Health pages of newspapers and magazines. A glance through these columns reveals consumerist motivations, where every diet suggestion labels desi food habits as unhealthy and junk, triggering the attitude of abandoning Indian recipes. The fact is, our ancestors never faced the problem of obesity as much as the youths today which resulted from the switching of appetite. But anything that has the tag of West rocks, and thus rocks the global market.