I don’t need to be a stamped and approved Mumbaikar to crib about the crowded trains and the crazy commute to work. As somebody who moved to this city only two years ago, I do quite often wish for a quiet commute to work, more time to stand and stare and not having to wade through knee-deep dirty water near Dadar station during monsoons each year. But what I don’t regret is the food. Whether it is the hundreds of roadside thelas, where I learnt to love bajji-pavs or the high end dineries where my ever craving palate got new wild rides, this city’s gastronomy never ceases to amaze.
Hailing from a smaller city, I could tell you that one never has quite so many opportunities there, unlike in Mumbai, to look for the perfect beef burger, where each bite brings you home to a gloriously soft and mildly spiced mince patty, with the tangy creaminess of the mayo bursting in your mouth and the pungent onion rings that adds an edge to it. Or come face to face with this beautiful set of glazed pork ribs, tangy and sweet with the meat literally falling off the bone. Mumbai also got me acquainted with Surmai and Bombil fry, cooked to a crisp, yet chewy on the inside and I thought I could never like fish, until then.
But all this may end soon. While the ban on beef has put paid to any further dreams of a good beef burger, the state seems to be resolved on banning other kinds of meat too. Advocate General Sunil Manohar, who represents the Maharashtra Government in the High Court for the beef ban case was reported as saying in the court that, “”This is just the start [the beef ban]. We may consider banning slaughter of other animals too. As of now, the state felt it was necessary to protect cows, bulls and bullocks.”
It seems to me that the new government is hell bent on gradually turning the state into a vegetarian state and Mumbai into a vegetarian city. And I say this without bias because I was once a vegetarian and still love vegetarian food. But vegetarianism or non-vegetarianism is a choice. It cannot and should not be enforced by the government. If this is being done in the name of religion, then it is surely hurting our food sentiments.
Mumbai’s first image and primary lure is that of a cosmopolitan city. Anybody can make it their home. There is something in it for everybody; especially when it comes to food. But this proposed ban on other meats too may sound its death knell. If this state of affairs continues unchecked, the city, in future, may not quite be the bustling metropolis that it is today. After all, who has ever heard of a cosmopolitan vegetarian city?
P.S: Dear Government,
Whatever you do, please don’t enforce vegetarian Biryani upon the people!
Sincerely,
Recent Convert.
Image Courtesy: © Thinkstock photos/ Getty Images
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