For Wednesday: Deepak, “India’s Beef With Beef” (29-36)

 

For Wednesday: Deepak, “India’s Beef With Beef” (29-36)

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: We usually think of food preference as a personal or even a ethical thing (being a vegetarian, vegan, etc.), but in India, why is it also a religious concept as well? Why might politicians and even priests support what the essay calls “cow-related violence” (30)?

Q2: According to the essay, “more than 60 percent of India eats meat” (32), yet many Hindus claim that anyone who eats meat is not Indian. Why does a minority control the concept of national identity in India? Wouldn’t that be like saying that anyone who eats peanuts in America isn’t American because those with peanut allergies say so? Or does the problem lie deeper than that?

Q3: One of the people interviewed in the essay claims that eating or not eating meat isn’t simply a personal or religious choice. As they explain, “the Hindu vegetarian’s idea of a “balanced meal”—including only lentils, rice, vegetables, and dairy—[is] a construct of privilege, catering to those who have constant access to food” (34). Why might “privilege” play a significant role in this debate, especially given the fact that the majority of Indians live in poverty?

Q4: As always, the important question in this essay is “why does this matter,” especially to American readers? Besides being a religious issue, how does this problem affect other aspects of Indian life? And how might it change the way we look at our own society’s ideas of food and identity?