"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."~George Bernard Shaw
Shaw had put across this tangible truth in very simple yet unequivocal terms in his celebrated work, 'Man and Superman'.
In the Hindu way of life, it is believed that the kind of food we eat has a direct bearing on our mental and spiritual (if any) development. Thus 'enjoying' one's food is a critical aspect of this enriching process.
But what if you were forced to eat something that you didn't quite enjoy. As a child i remember how often i was forced to eat bitter gourd or 'neem' leaves because they are good for health. And, though i struggled with the bitter eatables on my lunch plate, i managed to develop a taste and actually began enjoying them. But that was bitter gourd and 'neem' - all i had to overcome was my dislike for bitter food!
But if i had to follow the UN's dictum, i might soon have to develop a taste and an appreciation for insects too. These 'edible insects' as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is promoting for their nutritional value, include creatures such as bees, wasps, ants, scorpions, termites, cicadas etc. Through this novel program the UN hopes to improve the general health of communities, as well as their economic concerns -- especially since food scarcity, poverty and strife are common factors contributing to malnutrition in many underdeveloped and developing nations/areas of the world.
Highly prized for their protein content, a variety of insects are enjoyed as snacks, or as gourmet platter in many corners of the world, including Africa, Mexico, Thailand, Japan and China. However, there are many cultures and communities where it might still be considered taboo.
What we eat, is governed by our regional demographics, socio-economic status, and just as much influenced by our cultural and religious beliefs. For Muslims, insects would be considered 'haraam', and for Jews it wouldn't be 'kosher' therefore unfit for consumption. The only insect which is however 'fit' for consumption according to these two religions are certain varieties of locusts, and not wasps, bees or scorpions as the UN is trying to promote.
Religious sentiments apart, convincing people at large to overcome their abhorrence for certain food types would be another significant challenge for this project.
28 January 2011
16 January 2011
So how many friends have you?
Girl A - "So how many friends have you in facebook?" .
Girl B - "close to 200, maybe".
"Oh that's a lot."- snapped A.
"Now, what am I supposed to do if i have, like 200 odd people i know...well actually, 200 and still counting!!", quipped B geelfully.
"But you're not supposed to have 200 friends on Facebook," thundered A, almost!
"Why not?" - asked B, a little ruffled.
"Coz that's uncool," said A sniggering.
"What's uncool about having 200 friends? It shows how popular i am!" shot back B, a tad vehement at that jibe.
"Tell me, do you know all 200 of them really, really well?" asked A.
"Ummm...well yes kind of!" was B's very unsure reply.
"what's that 'ummmm', suposed to mean?" asked A pointedly.
"Well, i was actually thinking about my equation with them..." spoke B rather softly now.
"What equation?", jutted in A -- "If you have so many people on that list you call 'friends', the only equation you got to have is friendship'! she explained.
"Well some of them aren't 'friends' then!"...B somehow rattled off.
I overheard this animated conversation between two sprigtly young girls, a few days back at the coffee shop; and surpisingly saw the same update on a friend's profile the next day -- 'So how many friends have you?'
If, for the past few years, Facebook told us, how, having over 300 or more friends spoke of one's immense "popularity", in defiance and spoofing the famous Dunbar Number theory almost -- a recent trend says, having less than 170/160 is the 'way to be' on FB! But why this volte-face? -- well, as the 'new trend' on FB shows, apparently our 'social network' happy, and 'virtual' crazy generation has suddenly realised, that you can't after all, have 300 'friends' in a lifetime. At least 150 of those 'friends' in that list would be, just 'acqaintances', while the rest would be scattered in the domain of 'familiar'; some definitely could be called 'strictly formal relations', and others 'seemingly polite associations', like your much hated ex-boss, for instance! So, that technically leaves room for a 'handful of friends' - 5,..6,...10...ok fine, 15.
Maybe friendship like all-else, is just as changeable, in this virtual age, as are the minute-to-minute updates on Facebook. But i'm beginning to wonder, what about the 150-odd who have suddenly been 'unfriended'on FB!
Girl B - "close to 200, maybe".
"Oh that's a lot."- snapped A.
"Now, what am I supposed to do if i have, like 200 odd people i know...well actually, 200 and still counting!!", quipped B geelfully.
"But you're not supposed to have 200 friends on Facebook," thundered A, almost!
"Why not?" - asked B, a little ruffled.
"Coz that's uncool," said A sniggering.
"What's uncool about having 200 friends? It shows how popular i am!" shot back B, a tad vehement at that jibe.
"Tell me, do you know all 200 of them really, really well?" asked A.
"Ummm...well yes kind of!" was B's very unsure reply.
"what's that 'ummmm', suposed to mean?" asked A pointedly.
"Well, i was actually thinking about my equation with them..." spoke B rather softly now.
"What equation?", jutted in A -- "If you have so many people on that list you call 'friends', the only equation you got to have is friendship'! she explained.
"Well some of them aren't 'friends' then!"...B somehow rattled off.
I overheard this animated conversation between two sprigtly young girls, a few days back at the coffee shop; and surpisingly saw the same update on a friend's profile the next day -- 'So how many friends have you?'
If, for the past few years, Facebook told us, how, having over 300 or more friends spoke of one's immense "popularity", in defiance and spoofing the famous Dunbar Number theory almost -- a recent trend says, having less than 170/160 is the 'way to be' on FB! But why this volte-face? -- well, as the 'new trend' on FB shows, apparently our 'social network' happy, and 'virtual' crazy generation has suddenly realised, that you can't after all, have 300 'friends' in a lifetime. At least 150 of those 'friends' in that list would be, just 'acqaintances', while the rest would be scattered in the domain of 'familiar'; some definitely could be called 'strictly formal relations', and others 'seemingly polite associations', like your much hated ex-boss, for instance! So, that technically leaves room for a 'handful of friends' - 5,..6,...10...ok fine, 15.
Maybe friendship like all-else, is just as changeable, in this virtual age, as are the minute-to-minute updates on Facebook. But i'm beginning to wonder, what about the 150-odd who have suddenly been 'unfriended'on FB!
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