The Argumentative Indian’s guide to the Layman’s Universe



The unruly chaos of the Indian political scenario is in stark contrast to the stringent conformation to rules practiced in Western countries such as the US and the UK.

The social scenario though is quite a different story, and the indomitable structure of the Indian society is far vigilant than the disorderly mess seen in the temperate climes of the Western world. The net entropy may seem to have been maintained. But, where from does such irregularity stem, considering the fact that both the systems are highly successful in their own way?

For an individual ignorant of sociological theories, it is a wonderful riddle to be pondered upon while sipping a cup of tea in the evening. There is no doubt that the argumentative Indian will eventually stumble upon a solution, or at least bring it to a rational conclusion.

In India, while the vegetarians wrap the myelin sheaths of their nerves with pure ghee, the fish-eating populations revel in the nutritional benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is said that the oil of almonds has excellent nerve-strengthening properties, which can be superseded only by a strong argument in favor of fish. But while the general Indian populace decides on which food is better for the brain, the West revels on the riches of red meat.

Red meat, it has to be said, provides indisputable amounts of stamina, especially when required in short bursts, thanks to creatinine which is an energy molecule specifically intended for use by muscles. Red meat is also helpful in replenishing the amino acid needs of the body during intense exercise and injury. But red meat to not useful for the brain, and in fact, has nothing to supplement the nutrition that can be got from eating ghee, almond oil and fish. The brain is in no hurry, and it can live quite well on the slow release of energy through the metabolism of ghee.

But is the diet so important in deciding social and political structure of a race of human beings? Somewhere there seems to be a link. There is no doubt though that while India is a mill of spontaneous creation, the Western countries are more of a workshop of rigorous produce, and when the two cultures meet, even a fifth grader can see the results.

That there are always more ways than one to solve a problem can be seen by the unequivocal success of the two parallel universes built on diametrically opposite principles. Food (or maybe even weather) is a direct evidence of the effect of nurture that the layman can easily identify with. But to carry on with the nature versus nurture debate, one must dig deeper into genetics, and that falls in the vague, undecipherable world of statistically rationalized scientific discoveries. That, to the layman’s dismay only makes a simple story quite complicated.

Dwaipayan Adhya

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Gun Powder: The Resto with a view, the Food ok.

Image
When do you last remember eating out in a restaurant looking over a green lake and surrounded by forests, from the third floor of a building? Well, third floor of the building may not sound very sensational, but the hill stationesque surroundings that the restaurant provides, especially during the cold, murky times of winter rain sure needs accolades for its sheer locale. Hauz Khas village is known to all who live in Delhi or have come to Delhi with a vengeance to tour it. From the broad expanse of the outer ring road, there leads a road that keeps narrowing as it enters into the deeply vegetated plains of Hauz Khas. Then starts a long and winding road that leads into a den of boutiques selling dresses for women at a rate which can only be afforded by those who earn in dollars and euros. Where is Gun Powder in all this? It is somewhere, and it still does not show itself even as you reach the end of the treacherous lane (provided you are taking the right one). I remember that at some po...
Read more

Bistrò Italiana: The Big Chill Café

Image
I am not an aficionado of Italian cuisine. As a matter of fact, after eating out at The Big Chill Café at Khan Market, I doubt whether prior to this I had any knowledge of Italian food at all. The pastas and the pizzas have invaded into the Indian palate since time eternity, but not without that local hint. The main ingredient of Italian food, the cheese, used here has always been processed cheddar. Even mainstream pizza joints which were offshoots of their Western counterparts do not serve stringy mozzarella cheese. In fact, real Italian cheese are very rare in India, except for in big departmental stores of big malls. I remember eating pasta at home made using spicy tomato ketchup and processed cheddar cheese. Sometimes, if lucky, I would find some Italian herbs such as oregano and parsley to add that European touch to the dish. The pizza experience was not any better. Making a pizza at home is ten times more difficult than pasta, first because you need an oven to bake it. T...
Read more

Free Food

A fortnight ago, Cambridge experienced an evening of heavy rain, lightning and thunder. When I shared this with friends not from Cambridge, they heard me out and tried to be nice. It was clear that they didn’t believe that it could have occurred - a five hour long thunderstorm in a region more famous for being one of the drier ones in the country? The BBC failed to predict it, and if the Gods were the BBC the clouds were them playing a match of rugby. Ordinarily, on a dry day in a desert this would have been a blessing. It was like a perfect murder, no one believed it because there was no evidence. The weather forecasters said, “Clear sky,” and the minor local mishaps did not reach the press afterwards. I became the victim of a twisted celestial game of hide and seek, like a true detective solving a crime, he knows what occurred but does not have proof to show because the villain was really good at covering his tracks. In retrospect, my life has turned into a game of cat and ...
Read more