Its a food culture thing...

[prakup]

First came the \'fast foods\', then it was the pizzas, now our very own coffee is being taken over!

[prakup]

When fast foods and pizzas made their way into the economy and the bellies of our affluent brethren, it was proclaimed as the dawn of the convenience era! And the assimilative populace that we are, we not only lapped up the jazzy offerings, but also ‘tropicalized’ it to suit our palate. The result: mutations like the Jain Pizza and Chicken Tandoori footlongs. Now, it’s the turn of our coffee. With over 101 varieties of coffees on offer, Coffee Pubs are hitting our cities with a vengeance. And in the process, it’s the good old filter coffee that’s taking a beating. Or is it?

[prakup]

Well, nobody seems to share my passion for food, so I’ll rant away alone in cyberspace.
You know what irks me most? The fact that all of us can be weaned away so easily from the food that we have grown up on. The curative powers of haldi, the citric capabilities of the nimbu paani and the healthy properties of unpolished rice have been a part and parcel of our cooking since time immemorial. In India, and especially South India, traditional cooking is much more than a mere exercise to produce food for consumption. It is an evolved form of art. Seemingly innocuous, the process of cooking embodies some of the basic tenets of nourishment and wholesome food, which the scientists from the western world are only just waking up to.
Yet, and it really sickens me to make this observation, we have tossed it all out of the window without as much as a second thought, while we run mesmerized and glassy-eyed towards the visually appealing but totally useless western food. Burgers are in, pizzas are in, Coke and Pepsi who battle it out in the ad world and the media, are ultimately catering to mfalse needs of the people. Tell me one thing. Who in his right mind would pay good money to buy bottled, colored, areated water? Well, you’d be surprised but that is what the vast majority of us do in India everyday. And does it get us anything in return? Well, if you leave out the ‘Attitude’ thing and the obesity causing empty calories, it does end up burning a hole in the pocket.
The latest affront is on coffee. Since time immemorial, Chennai has been the land of the coffee. Rich, strong, pure and freshly brewed filter coffee. Yet an upstart like the Chimayo chain has dared to introduce coffee to us, as though the western worldwas the first to discover this amazing beverage. Can’t really blame them. After all they are businessmen. But what is truly alarming is the reaction of the youth. For those who would think thrice and couple more times about spending a measly 4 bucks in an udipi hotel to savor freshly brewed coffee, they happily dole out 40 bucks and more to drain a styrofoam cup of foam and froth in the guise of coffee. This only goes to show that attractive (and western I might add) packaging can make even shit become a much sought after commodity.
I do hope more of you have something to say about this topic. I’ve said all I wanted to. I need reactions to get further. All sorts welcome. Maybe I’m just overly jingoistic and you could show me the light!

[Babloo9@aol.com]

I totally agree with you! I haven\'t been to India in the past 8 years (looking forward to my trip this January!)but have heard people telling me horrible stories of how various pizza joints and burger places have cropped up. I thought it was a poor student\'s way of surviving on pizza, here in the USA. It\'s pretty common to buy a pizza, have it for a meal and save a piece or two for the next day! ) When I read in one of the articles about this dude loving the conventional convenience of taking his family out to a pizza joint and and also saving a piece or two for the next day, I was appalled! What a fad!
America is the most obese nation on earth. The kids and teeneagers have horrible eating habits which lead to a multitude of problems later on. The burgers that McDonalds and Burger King serve, coupled with the \"famous\" french fries are a sure prescription for a wonderful coronary heart ailment. Not that all Indian food is nutritious or fat-free....but, in most cases, junk food like pizzas, burgers, chips and fries hurt you more than anything else. I\'m looking forward to some great Hyderabadi food and some awesome South Indian fare during January! Who wants the faddy crap? Thanks for your write-up. It was funny in a hurtful way !

[Prakup]

Fatty and unhealthy they may be, (In fact, I can think of a whole lot of our foods which are that way too!) but my crib against junk a.k.a fast food is the cultural havoc they are wrecking on our populace. The present day youth would shrivel up and die if he/she does not get that daily fix of junk food. It\'s addictive capabilities are growing to mammoth proportions. And the fact also remains that our food is being neglected in the bargain. To take a simple instance, when friends go out for a treat, it\'s almost always to a burger joint or a pizza parlour. A wholesome meal in an udipi restaurant would raise more than a stink. In fact, they would be unanimously boycotted. On the other hand, even a date needs to be taken to the swankiest fast-food joint in town. \"It\'s got the attitude man!\" is the common refrain. Well! This is one attitude that I hope I never pick up or put on!

[Prakup]

Latest dope on the invasion of the last remaining cultural bastion! It seems Qwikys had a jazz evening, actually a couple of evenings. This time around, you paid the same exorbitant price to sip your coffee, the only difference being that the trio from Chennai-Holland entertained you. Nothing wrong in that. If one can have sharab to the accompaniment of soul rending ghazals, then what\'s the big deal about having coffee to the accompaniment of jazz numbers? Well... for starters, it makes the bitter concoction (nothing wrong with the coffee... just the price) that much easier to gulp!

[conscious]

I find it interesting and equally disturbing how people actually get carried away by the way the world is changing. So what\'s wrong with changing food habits and cultures. Humans have always changed over the years. I am positive our ancestors (even during the British regime) decided never to don trousers or eat bread. What happened since? Things change, people change, and life goes on. What\'s wrong is sitting inside a shell and saying this is the best I can get. There\'s nothing wrong with having Udipi food if you like it that much. Its just as harmless as having burgers and pizzas (not counting the health effects). Think beyond the box - try to imbibe new cultures, thoughts, and cuisines. That\'s what\'s important for mental growth, not criticizing how quickly we are getting westernized. People have a very skewed view of what cultural amalgamation is. Its up to you to take in the good parts and leave behind the bad. I will certainly digress if I carry on, so I\'ll stop and give you a chance to think.