A new book examines how socially entrenched food biases in India can endanger health

The fact that entrenched vegetarianism distances itself not just from meat, but also the meat-eater in physical as well as social ways, is largely ignored. That these social ways translate into the shameful practices of discrimination, denial, neglect, negligence, humiliation and untouchability is never recognised and acknowledged in these “simple” discourses. Separate plates, separate counters, separate kitchens, separate sinks and, indeed, separate cutlery, are all proof that untouchability is alive and well among Indians. What starts as not wanting to sit beside a meat-eater then transforms into them not being allowed into classrooms, not being allowed into educational institutions, and not being allowed to access education itself. “Legitimised” exclusion from all public and private spaces is precisely how the caste system operates. Ultimately, the entitled belief that vegetarians are superior is enough to demand that meat-eaters be kept away from them and perpetuates and sustains casteism in all its virulent forms.

In reality, these stereotypical behaviours are neither simple nor innocent because they have far-reaching consequences. The myth of India’s vegetarianism adeptly subsumes and erases nutritious and diverse cultures and traditions. The caste, class and religious overtones and undercurrents of this erasure can no longer be brushed aside as “culture”. This vegetarianism...

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