Complying to the olden traditions, I have been conditioned to fathom the love of food in people, by asking them two simple questions. Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? Being born and nurtured in a family where food equals a celebration with each meal, I unapologetically stand atop in the latter category. You know that passion and love have surpassed their limits when you sleep with the thoughts of something and wake up with them, too.
For many communities in our country, the above listed characteristics are not rare. It isn’t uncommon to witness food, dominating the lives of many in a plethora of aspects. Happiness is beyond words when a Punjabi family sits for lunch with a plate of meaty Rajma-Chawal with lemon and chilies, when a Bengali mother squeezes the sugar syrup from spongy Rashogullas to stuff her child’s mouth, when a Muslim household savors some juicy mutton biryani and sheer khurma or when a Maharashtrian treats himself with kaanda poha and some hot tea, for breakfast. The instances are countless and so are my descriptions of how vibrant life is with good food.
However, its rightly said, ”You respect what you love.” In my opinion, you cannot claim to be in love unless respect precedes your love for someone or something. Therefore, for all those who proclaim themselves to be food enthusiasts, it is mandatorily essential to be respectful about it. Shouldn’t this be a basic value and ethic of every budding chef/blogger to never ridicule a recipe that comes out of the love for food, passion or mere innovation.
Recently, while scrolling through my social media, I spotted a student of hotel management, mercilessly trolling a Youtuber for a recreated recipe that he shared, a sheer innovation of a traditional Middle Eastern delicacy. However, when I went on to read further, I was appalled to read comments on the post. Those comments, conveniently slipped from the idea of mocking the recreated dish and went on to personally attack the food vlogger. From the voice of the young cook to his speaking skills and gestures, none of the attributes of his video were spared. Even worse, the boys began to judge and taunt his sexuality. This one incident has triggered the laid-back attitude, I once had about online trolling.
The fact that we as a race have completely forgotten to be supportive, compassionate and kind towards others, genuinely makes me feel wounded. To what extent has our humanity stooped down, that we today, unabashedly indulge in public shaming of others. And of who? Of people, who are only striving to pursue their dreams. Of people who are just engaging in activities that make them smile, hoping that someone out there would lend them an applaud of appreciation. Hoping that someone, somewhere would reap a grain of benefit from the content created by them.
So, let us all come to together and pledge against trolling, especially looking down upon food made by someone with immeasurable love and care. Let us come together and be more encouraging. Let us never look down upon something that is meant to feed us, unite us and comfort us. Finally, let us respect the person cooking that food and respect the ingredients gone in to give birth to that dish, irrespective of whether the delicacy is authentic or not. Because in the end, it’s just food, good food that fills hearts of all of us with warmth because all it contains is depth of taste and oceans of love.