The expression unity in diversity has been heard ad nauseam by the land’s urban literati as public speakers of all hues take fascination to add a bit of glory to the country’s image. While the unity part of the popular slogan has just begun to be suspect, the diversity part on many counts seems to be transforming the people into virtually unmanageable diversity, making the task of governance a daunting exercise, although the contemporary tribe of people’s elected(?) representatives at the helm have taken their duties as mere pastime (to get rich quick with cash sourced to everyone in the land is aware of). Having begun this column with the foregoing brief preamble, it is appropriate to digress in order to focus on the column’s heading. Identifying the country’s people by the region they have tenanted for long based on what foods they usually consume is not a matter of guessing yet. Sugar in virtually every dish is a must for those hailing from Gujarat. Chilli at its peak of pungency is the preferred spice of people in Andhra Pradesh (now add Telangana). Central regions of the land accounting for almost half the country’s total headcount, including Punjab and Haryana, swear by roti-dal combo. Coconut oil and kokum as acidulent dominate the diet of Kerala inhabitants while the people of Bengal must have fresh-water fish and mustard oil. People of Karnataka’s rural parts are still holding on to ragi lump.

Describing people as vegetarians (now shortened to vegans) and non-vegetarians is not taken in right spirit by the latter class, often ridiculing those in the former class. The hybrid class, namely eggetarians are placed neither here nor there. Strangely, milk, unquestionably an animal product, is one of the staples of vegetarians, even the orthodox sections. Soaring cost of meat, fish and eggs is blamed by the traditional non-vegetarians on the formerly classified as vegetarians, who have to live with that charge.

Thanks to the emerging mass of youth who don’t believe in being fettered by the customary diktat of what should be avoided in their menu, particularly in the country’s urban space, demarking the two classes into meat-eating and vegetarian doesn’t seem to pass scrutiny. Hypothetically, if the entire population was strictly, that is 100 percent, vegetarian, food shortage would have stared at this mass. So also, if the country’s population was 100 percent non-vegetarians, cost of their diet would hit the sky. In passing, it may be stated that even among non-vegetarians, beef-eating marks a well-identified section following their exclusive faith and patronising pork marks another well-identified ethnic section in the country. Further, sections of society, considering onion and garlic as spices to be strictly avoided in their dishes cannot hide their identity, despite facing the ridicule as outdated. Writing about food and its connect with faiths, regions and ethnicity would need volumes to say it all. The remark of American writer Henry Miller (1891-1980) that Americans can eat garbage, provided it is sprinkled liberally with ketchup, sounds like a sweeping view that Indians don’t yet qualify to emulate Americans, although there are some signs of that happening.