With the recent outrage against the announcement of the “Pure-Veg” mode by Zomato and some people supporting it, it has being argued that such initiatives are perpetuating casteism in India. This has ensured that the non-veg food or even the smell of it doesn’t come in “Pure-Veg” food. Even food odour is a threat to caste purity in India.
The company also introduced a separate green colour uniform for the veg fleet. This decision was later rolled back by the Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal due to outcry on online platforms that this colour segregation will lead to problems to non-vegetarian while ordering food in locality of vegetarians.
This segregation became the topic of discussion and debate on various online platforms. People are asserting that “being vegetarian is a dietary choice but pure vegetarian is blatant casteism.”
Netizens posted that one must understand, that to be vegetarian is a caste privilege. The Brahminical idea of purity and pollution dictates vegetarian and non-vegetarian segregation. The Dalits have been victims of food segregation based on touchability and untouchability.
Deepinder Goyal stressed that this segregation strictly serves as a dietary preference, irrespective of a person’s religion or caste. He introduced the pure veg fleet after getting so many requests from the customers about the same.
Goyal may have innocent intention behind this idea but we cannot ignore the fact that food is not a choice for most of the people in India. The reason for overturning the green uniform decison itself is the evidence that some food choices are not accepted. This reason of ‘choice’ have sparked the discussion and the question “Is food really a choice in India?”
FOOD or POLITICS
Food in India is more than a choice; it reflects the hierarchy, stigma, and discrimination against people who have different food choices. Stories about cooking and eating often reveal discrimination against certain groups, like the Dalits, Muslims, and tribal communities. This experience is a collective one and shows how social hierarchies are maintained.
Food is also a big part of cultural identity, with some cultures being seen as better than others. Thus, recognizing Dalit, tribal, and minority food cultures has become central to activism for social justice and equality in India.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar underlines how food practices, such as cooking and eating, played an integral role in retaining the purity and distinction of the Hindu social organization.
In 2012, violence erupted after Dalit students organized a beef festival in Hyderabad to celebrate their food culture and protest the dominance of Brahmanical food culture. Other incidents at a prestigious institute like IIT have come to light, where the utensils of students eating non-vegetarian foods are separated from other utensils. This has proved that food is not just a choice; rather, it is a deeply political topic.
Purity and Pollution
At the heart of the most basic idea of biological power lies the control and definition of what is considered clean and dirty food. This power is upheld by upper-caste households, which see dietary taboos and preferences as part of their culture and tradition. The Brahmanical food system is established as a societal and cultural standard, reflecting the country’s social, emotional, and spiritual aspects.
Sadly, this national dietary consciousness primarily benefits the well-being of the upper castes while disregarding the needs of other communities. As a result, the food system plays a role in perpetuating the marginalization of certain groups, contributing to the creation of the untouchable class.
Many Brahmins and some other dominant castes strictly adhere to vegetarianism, considering it a sign of purity. They avoid consuming meat, fish, and eggs, believing that eating non-vegetarian food leads to pollution. The caste system also dictates with whom one can share food. For instance, upper castes refuse to accept food or share meals with lower castes, fearing contamination or pollution. This practice reinforces social hierarchies and maintains caste-based segregation. On the other hand, the dominant caste can give food to Dalits or other oppressed castes, as their food is “pure.” In the most famous work of Valmiki, “Jhoothan,” he illustrates the torment and grief of Dalits forced to eat the leftovers of the dominant caste Hindus.
Is Food Diversity a Myth?
Contrary to the representation of Indian cuisine as rich and diverse, an upper-caste culture dominates and dictates food practices. Increasingly, social exclusions grounded on caste dietary sensibilities influence and define social relations, including accommodation choices in urban India. For instance, a landlord refusing to rent a flat to a non-vegetarian tenant
Scholars have debated that upper-caste Hindus not only prohibit beef for themselves, but they also impose the prohibition on other religious groups and castes. Moreover, underlining the upper caste logic in regulating food practices, many assert that Dalits and Bahujan castes, besides Muslims and Christians, do not share this dietary ethos of Brahmins.
From Muslims being lynched due to suspicion of carrying beef to many north-east Indians facing difficulties searching for accommodation in metropolitan cities due to their food preferences, our society has shown that the idea of food diversity in India is vague and rather a hierarchy dominated by Brahminical food choices. This hierarchy shows that food preferences other than those of upper-caste Hindus are impure and inferior and are subjected to being separated from the so-called “pure” food.
No to Beep, Yes to Electoral Bonds
Activists have criticized the Bhartiya Janata Party’s manifesto for banning beef, arguing that such food ban campaigns emerge from a Brahmanical Hindutva consciousness. Meanwhile, with the recently revealed electoral bond data, it has come out that two beef-exporting companies, Allanasons Private Limited and Frigorifico Allana Private Limited, have donated huge amounts to Hindutva parties, the BJP and Shiv Sena. This has made it very clear that when Muslims, Dalits, and tribal people face violence and discrimination for consuming non-vegetarian foods, the government gains advantages from companies selling beef.
Currently, many states in India have laws that prohibit cow slaughter. As of today, only Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Manipur, and Mizoram have laws prohibiting cow slaughter.
People justify being vegetarian as a choice of an individual, but the reality is that this choice is enjoyed by the dominant caste only. Brahmanical food practices are forced upon other castes and communities. It has been observed and studied by social scientists that many Dalits become vegetarians to avoid being attacked by the dominant caste, who claim to be “Gau Rakshak.” Therefore, food preference is anything but a choice in India, where one group bans certain foods and holds the power to dictate the food choices of other groups.