You know how it is these days. There is a striving for “newness” everywhere. Whether it is in products being marketed, or the way a hostess prepares food for her visitors, whether it is in a fairground or indeed in a holiday destination, there is a yearning for the different, for the innovative, for the inventive, for the fresh. And why not? Life moves on through a discovery of difference.
Becoming acquainted with a new concept, or person, or thing is always an enriching experience. It broadens one’s horizons, and makes one more accepting of other peoples’ ways. This, in our world which is increasingly becoming such a small global village, is always a desirable thing. For unless we see how the “other” side lives, and come to understand it, even appreciate it, how will be expect “them” to understand “us” ? In today’s shrinking world, making quick value judgements can be terribly restrictive, and also very unwise.
A lot of this has to do with a person’s mental makeup, of course. For instance, there is this lady, otherwise quite nice and friendly, who comes occasionally to this part of the world to visit her husband’s relatives. However, like many who live outside this region, she does tend to have fixed notions about all kinds of things that she sees and hears about, here. Having grown up and lived for several decades in Delhi, she tends to think that only those things cooked in the North Indian manner, with lots of onions and oil and a rich layer of cream can qualify being “good food”.
Her hosts, for the most part, oblige her by giving her food that she likes to eat, cooked in ways that she is familiar with. So, for the last several years, on her visits here, she has come to believe that “North Eastern food” is very much an offshoot of “North Indian food.”
Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth, could it? Firstly, there is nothing that can be called “North Eastern Food”. For this region is not a monolithic entity by any means, as far as aspects of culture are concerned. Whether it is language, dress, literature or cuisine, and much else, every ethnicity, every area, has its own uniqueness. Secondly, the “local” food in all its glorious diversity is extremely different from that of the Northern part of this country.
Inevitably, one day, her hostess got a bit fed up of the lady’s misconception about the food of this region and her own being more or less the same. “I’ll show you some authentic Assamese food,” she told her guest, and whisked her off to one of the better restaurants serving ethnic cuisine in the city. It was in one of those places where ethnic Assamese food is available as well as food from neighbouring states, mainly Nagaland and Mizoram.
For the first time in her life, the North Indian woman was exposed to things such as fish made with fermented bamboo shoot, chutneys made with dried fish, soupy things made with herbs, greens and fermented fish and bamboo shoot, barbecued smoked pork, fish pitika, and much else besides, including that delightful staple of tribal cuisine, mixed vegetables boiled with herbs. Unfortunately, neither her palate nor her mind could rise to the occasion. Pursing up her lips with something very like disdain, she actually gagged at the admittedly strong smell of some of the stuff, which can take some getting used to. Filled with a kind of fiendish delight, her hostess added in mock-innocent tones, “Ok, do you think you will have the stomach for another delicacy? Something we love here? I see it’s on the menu today, you’re very lucky, you know! ”
“What is that?” asked the lady from Delhi, hoping it would be something similar to butter chicken or at least palak paneer.
“Fried worms. Silkworms…they taste so good…”
But she was left to finish her sentence alone, and she found herself addressing empty air, because her guest had made an abrupt exit towards the toilets, with her hand clapped firmly over her mouth, and her stomach beginning to heave uncontrollably.
When it comes to cuisine, many people do tend to judge in deprecating ways. Indeed, many habits of “others” are weighed, and found lacking. This is often a two way street, with the people being judged doing the same thing, in reverse. No wonder the world is in such a mess today!
Strange as it may sound, many otherwise learned and broadminded people are restricted by intellectual reasons as well. These are well meaning people who would never dream of actually hurting anybody. But by reasons of ideology, perhaps, they begin to develop a restrictive mindset that is blind to the “other” point of view.
This is especially true of the way other peoples’ lifestyles are judged. These people will of course never say, or even think, bad things about the lifestyles of the poor, the deprived, or the economically marginalized. They are not that crass, or unfeeling. Yet they think nothing about making hurtful comments about the lifestyles of those who are economically well off.
For instance, a person may like to ride about in a large car, and have an appetite for the latest gadgets. Well, if all this is bought with money that is honestly earned, through hard work or even through honest inheritance, there is not much that others can say about it. After all, it’s his (or her) life. But it is seen that this immediately fuels a kind of patronizing attitude on the part of those who have the ideological mindset. “When so many millions live in such poverty, it is very bad of him to go about with this kind of show of wealth.” Or, “Oh, she’s flaunting her new diamonds…such a bad thing…”
What is not mentioned here is that both the man who loves his huge new car and the woman who loves her new diamonds, are hardworking people who have earned their toys and baubles. Besides, they regularly donate large sums of money to various charities, and in addition, look after the needs of several impoverished children, whom they have committed to educate till the highest level.
Another area where such disapproval is shown is in the realm of wedding bashes. The Great Big Fat Guwahati Wedding is becoming Greater and Bigger and Fatter every season. Foods are becoming fancier, décor is eye-poppingly lavish. At one such do, indeed, the décor included three “statue men” who, with their body paint and immobile stances, fooled everyone into thinking they were clay statues. These were certainly novelties, and people milled around, taking pictures of them on their cellphones.
All except one man. In tones that disapproved of this “bourgeois” display, he said with aloof superiority, “I don’t like this!” When being questioned what there was to dislike about three harmless statue men who were providing good wholesome entertainment to the guests, he answered pompously, “They are doing such boring work…” What he implied was that because he (though not others) perceived the work to be “boring”, it followed that they were being “exploited” for the entertainment of the “bourgeois” guests.
Here, a young person, irreverent and bright, and without any ideological hangup, quickly piped up, “But sir, isn’t your work boring too? You have been teaching the same things for so many years now. You must be bored out of your skull! As for these statue men…they are doing an honest day’s work. And remember, there’s dignity in every authentic labour. They are not stealing, neither are they being exploited…it is a skill they have, to be statue men, and they are using this to earn a living. Just like you are. ”
All Things Considered, in this quickly changing world, it is desirable, even necessary to keep an open mind about things if we are not to turn into fossils ourselves.
Becoming acquainted with a new concept, or person, or thing is always an enriching experience. It broadens one’s horizons, and makes one more accepting of other peoples’ ways. This, in our world which is increasingly becoming such a small global village, is always a desirable thing. For unless we see how the “other” side lives, and come to understand it, even appreciate it, how will be expect “them” to understand “us” ? In today’s shrinking world, making quick value judgements can be terribly restrictive, and also very unwise.
A lot of this has to do with a person’s mental makeup, of course. For instance, there is this lady, otherwise quite nice and friendly, who comes occasionally to this part of the world to visit her husband’s relatives. However, like many who live outside this region, she does tend to have fixed notions about all kinds of things that she sees and hears about, here. Having grown up and lived for several decades in Delhi, she tends to think that only those things cooked in the North Indian manner, with lots of onions and oil and a rich layer of cream can qualify being “good food”.
Her hosts, for the most part, oblige her by giving her food that she likes to eat, cooked in ways that she is familiar with. So, for the last several years, on her visits here, she has come to believe that “North Eastern food” is very much an offshoot of “North Indian food.”
Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth, could it? Firstly, there is nothing that can be called “North Eastern Food”. For this region is not a monolithic entity by any means, as far as aspects of culture are concerned. Whether it is language, dress, literature or cuisine, and much else, every ethnicity, every area, has its own uniqueness. Secondly, the “local” food in all its glorious diversity is extremely different from that of the Northern part of this country.
Inevitably, one day, her hostess got a bit fed up of the lady’s misconception about the food of this region and her own being more or less the same. “I’ll show you some authentic Assamese food,” she told her guest, and whisked her off to one of the better restaurants serving ethnic cuisine in the city. It was in one of those places where ethnic Assamese food is available as well as food from neighbouring states, mainly Nagaland and Mizoram.
For the first time in her life, the North Indian woman was exposed to things such as fish made with fermented bamboo shoot, chutneys made with dried fish, soupy things made with herbs, greens and fermented fish and bamboo shoot, barbecued smoked pork, fish pitika, and much else besides, including that delightful staple of tribal cuisine, mixed vegetables boiled with herbs. Unfortunately, neither her palate nor her mind could rise to the occasion. Pursing up her lips with something very like disdain, she actually gagged at the admittedly strong smell of some of the stuff, which can take some getting used to. Filled with a kind of fiendish delight, her hostess added in mock-innocent tones, “Ok, do you think you will have the stomach for another delicacy? Something we love here? I see it’s on the menu today, you’re very lucky, you know! ”
“What is that?” asked the lady from Delhi, hoping it would be something similar to butter chicken or at least palak paneer.
“Fried worms. Silkworms…they taste so good…”
But she was left to finish her sentence alone, and she found herself addressing empty air, because her guest had made an abrupt exit towards the toilets, with her hand clapped firmly over her mouth, and her stomach beginning to heave uncontrollably.
When it comes to cuisine, many people do tend to judge in deprecating ways. Indeed, many habits of “others” are weighed, and found lacking. This is often a two way street, with the people being judged doing the same thing, in reverse. No wonder the world is in such a mess today!
Strange as it may sound, many otherwise learned and broadminded people are restricted by intellectual reasons as well. These are well meaning people who would never dream of actually hurting anybody. But by reasons of ideology, perhaps, they begin to develop a restrictive mindset that is blind to the “other” point of view.
This is especially true of the way other peoples’ lifestyles are judged. These people will of course never say, or even think, bad things about the lifestyles of the poor, the deprived, or the economically marginalized. They are not that crass, or unfeeling. Yet they think nothing about making hurtful comments about the lifestyles of those who are economically well off.
For instance, a person may like to ride about in a large car, and have an appetite for the latest gadgets. Well, if all this is bought with money that is honestly earned, through hard work or even through honest inheritance, there is not much that others can say about it. After all, it’s his (or her) life. But it is seen that this immediately fuels a kind of patronizing attitude on the part of those who have the ideological mindset. “When so many millions live in such poverty, it is very bad of him to go about with this kind of show of wealth.” Or, “Oh, she’s flaunting her new diamonds…such a bad thing…”
What is not mentioned here is that both the man who loves his huge new car and the woman who loves her new diamonds, are hardworking people who have earned their toys and baubles. Besides, they regularly donate large sums of money to various charities, and in addition, look after the needs of several impoverished children, whom they have committed to educate till the highest level.
Another area where such disapproval is shown is in the realm of wedding bashes. The Great Big Fat Guwahati Wedding is becoming Greater and Bigger and Fatter every season. Foods are becoming fancier, décor is eye-poppingly lavish. At one such do, indeed, the décor included three “statue men” who, with their body paint and immobile stances, fooled everyone into thinking they were clay statues. These were certainly novelties, and people milled around, taking pictures of them on their cellphones.
All except one man. In tones that disapproved of this “bourgeois” display, he said with aloof superiority, “I don’t like this!” When being questioned what there was to dislike about three harmless statue men who were providing good wholesome entertainment to the guests, he answered pompously, “They are doing such boring work…” What he implied was that because he (though not others) perceived the work to be “boring”, it followed that they were being “exploited” for the entertainment of the “bourgeois” guests.
Here, a young person, irreverent and bright, and without any ideological hangup, quickly piped up, “But sir, isn’t your work boring too? You have been teaching the same things for so many years now. You must be bored out of your skull! As for these statue men…they are doing an honest day’s work. And remember, there’s dignity in every authentic labour. They are not stealing, neither are they being exploited…it is a skill they have, to be statue men, and they are using this to earn a living. Just like you are. ”
All Things Considered, in this quickly changing world, it is desirable, even necessary to keep an open mind about things if we are not to turn into fossils ourselves.
(All Things Considered, The Assam Tribune, 17th November, 2013)
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