Question

If you were to take the time, individually or collectively to ritually honor and reflect on your connection with food, would it change the way you eat? Live? Interact with the natural world? Do you already recognize a food type as having symbolic meaning? Whether secular or religious, please describe.

Answer 1

I hail from a Hindu culture, sub-culture corresponding to that of Bengali. We also have a caste system wherein my caste is Brahmin. Traditionally, Brahmins were scholarly class of people, taking the noble profession of teaching, as their occupation. However, over a period of time, it mainly remained as the highest caste in the caste hierarchy and very little to do with the actual occupation of teaching. This class of people, especially in Bengalis, was generally not non-vegetarian in nature and even if they were, having beef or chicken were categorically forbidden. However, with the passage of time , the adaptability towards chicken increased whereas beef is mostly forbidden, though some of the Bengali Brahmins, still indulge in having the same. In fact, in all of Hindus, cow is worshipped as a mother because her by-products like cow dung and even cow urine, are known to treat various diseases and its milk is fed to even the children. So that makes her highly honored domestic animal in the nation like India.

My connection with the food has been closer to the Brahmins’ principles but not completely abiding to the same. For example, I prefer having chicken but certainly not beef. That way, I am kind of liberal in my views. So, if I have to honor the rituals that are dictated by my culture, then I would have to forego being a non-vegetarian preferably or at least forego consuming chicken, which at this juncture, seems difficult for me. Foregoing chicken may also impact my lifestyle because my non-vegetarian friends may not prefer visiting my place often over dinner or lunch, if they know that chicken may not be served to them. I may have to further include various proteins in my regular vegetarian diet to compensate for the animal proteins that are found in chicken consumption.

However, with initial issues, I may still be able to find a place for myself with the natural world. I do recognize a certain food type as having symbolic meaning provided there are some gravity in defending such food preferences. So, certainly, the religious angle comes to play when I have to decide my food preferences but I make myself little liberal to compromise with the rituals if I find it highly pressurizing upon me.