The story of Food

The story of food is very old. It dates back to the evolution of mankind and was influenced by all the stages of history. Food is not merely what we eat to feed our hungry selves but it is much more than that. Food is an integral part of every culture. It is associated with the family bonding times, celebrations and cultural festivities. Food is also associated with a lot of nostalgic sentiments like “Maa- er hater  eelish”, or “Ghar ka khana” etc. It also tells us the story about the history of a particular place. For eg.  Beryani of the middle-east is popular under a name Biriyani in India and is now the favorite dish of most of the people living in Kolkata.

But as we always find the slightest pretext of satisfying our taste buds and indulge in the culinary art as we call it, are we equally aware of where does the food we consume come from. The rice which we Bengalis swear by to make our meals complete, where to they come from. From the shelves in super markets? From the paddy fields we see from the glass windows of the AC compartments of the trains we travel? Unlike the developed nations, in India we still buy vegetables from the local vendors. But do we know  if he produces the vegetables himself or is it imported from the other part of the country? Did we ever try to have a slightest conversation with him to know it. Are we too busy for it or the thought didn’t come to our mind ever? Do we know which crops are grown in which parts of India? Yes, we all have read them in geography and passed the exams with flying colors.

When we plan our vacations and look for places to see, we plan for the mountains or seas or the historical places. But do we ever think of visiting a place to see the where the food we eat is grown? Do we ever fill our minds with gratitude for the people who work so hard to feed this country bursting with population? Set aside the thought of their living conditions.

Yes we donot live in a desert or places like the African sub continent where the food is scarce, and we the so called middle class always have enough to eat. India is a developing nation where IT has become a serious business, sending satellites to the space is applauded nationally,  the new highroads are constructed to cater to the ever increasing cars in the roads, youngsters flaunt the latest technology smartphones and very little effort and attention is given to agriculture. There is no motivation for youngsters to pursue agriculture as their profession.  The poor to poorer condition of the farmers have led their children to look for other means for a better life. There is minimum or no technology developments in agriculture. The same bullock carts are used to plough the fields for ages is acceptable to us but not a phone which is older than a year. These facts made me realize whether or not have we taken our food for granted?

Is this ignorance or the lack of attention sustainable and a healthy sign for our next generation. We all are protesting for a safe society for us but can we guarantee sufficient food for the generation to come?