On June 16, Bollywood actress Swara Bhasker took to X to unleash on a food blogger, who posted that her meat-free plate—comprising rice and a side of cottage cheese—was free from “tears, cruelty and guilt”. The post attracted wrath from different corners, including Bhasker’s. In a clapback post, the Veere di Wedding actress responded by stating, “Honestly… I don’t understand this smug self-righteousness of vegetarians. Your entire diet is made up of denying the calf its mother’s milk… forcibly impregnating cows then separating them from their babies & stealing their milk. You eat root vegetables? That kills the whole plant! Please relax with the virtue signalling just because it’s Bakri Eid.” The post went viral, and while the internet is divided in opinion, we get city folk to weigh in.
I agree with Swara on the fact that vegetarianism is fairly driven towards dairy, which is equally harming to the cattle. I also feel that the realm of influencing has become a sounding and pounding board for people who wish to thrust their ideology on to others. Live and let live is a thing of the past. Peer into other's lives, interfere with their thoughts and opine your views is the reigning story.”
Food choices are dependent on various parameters, the environment that one has grown up in, and even may have a direct or indirect relation to one's religious or ethical beliefs. Hence, it’s imperative to respect for everyone, especially those on social media to exercise some emotional intelligence and refrain from calling out someone for their culinary choices without asking for a particular valid reason to justify their meal decision.”
I was born in 1972 and raised in a Radha Soami household in Delhi. I was vegetarian for the first 36 years. When I began cooking professionally at age 20, I cooked a murgh saalan first time. For me cooking and eating, and sharing are not a political statement. Rather, I see eating and entertaining as an expression of our personal choices and a celebration, where all are welcome. How we worship, live and eat behind closed doors is for us to choose, the public square isn’t that platform where we enforce our eating choices upon others.”
