The world has already witnessed a lot of debate on whether consuming vegetables or animals is good for humans. Fitness experts, dieticians, doctors, and even religious gurus have had their take on the subject and it is only logical to conclude that unanimity on the subject will remain elusive for some time. Lately, with movie stars turning vegetarian (though, I am not sure if this is out of serious compassion for the animal kingdom or publicity), and diseases like mad cow and bird flu doing rounds, the discussion has acquired a whole new meaning.
I had been an omnivorous myself before turning vegetarian. And although, I was convinced even during those days that vegetarian food was much healthier, my taste buds would occasionally drive me to savor my favorite Chicken Tikka (a famous north indian dish). Almost everyone who has grown up on non-vegetarian foods finds it difficult to develop a taste for vegetarian food no matter how sumptuous it may be. I was no exception until I began to observe the ill effects of fleshy food on my health. Quite athletic in school, I had developed obesity when I finished college. My digestive system had become inefficient, and my otherwise quick reflexes had become painfully slacky (basically I am using kind words when my actual state was that of a couch potato). As I began to investigate, it all zeroed down to my food and eating habits. When I was one hundred percent sure of the culprit, I eliminated all kinds of meat from my food plate.
As is obvious, my reasons for switching were purely borne out of concern for my health. However, there are several others like religious affiliations, doctor’s prescription, fear of bacteria and viruses such as bird flu, or quite simply affordability. Interestingly, a few of my friends who had been hardcore meat eaters completely relinquished it once they saw the miserable conditions in which the birds were kept and subsequently butchered. This syndrome affected me too to a certain extent.
It is also my personal experience that the reasons people stick to animal foods (other than taste) is because they believe that first, it is a source of strength and second, it has variety unlike vegetarian food. Although I am sure that the first reason is nothing but a false propaganda, the second does have some substance. With more than a million species of birds and animals inhabiting the planet, one can never have enough of them.
Non-vegetarians in our country are still conservative about what they feed themselves on, whereas their counterparts in other countries eat whatever comes their way (cats, dogs, rats, snakes etc.). If you have been a visitor to China, Hongkong, or Indonesia, you would know that there is literally a recipe for each and every bird or animal. So you see you can never fall short of variety.
As for the touting about it being a health food, consider this: It has been medically proved that in flesh, we consume what our bodies were never meant to. If a comparison was drawn between the anatomy of a meat eating animal and us, there would hardly be any match. They have teeth and claws designed to rip and tear animal flesh whereas we have teeth designed for grinding, not tearing. Our jaws move up and down as well as side to side, which a flesh-eater’s jaw cannot do. Flesh-eaters also have high hydrochloric acid content in their stomachs to break down and digest flesh, while humans do not. The digestive tract of the flesh-eater is short and designed to get the flesh out of the system before it has a chance to putrefy. The digestive tract of the humans is long with many twists and bends, which produce monumental problems for the colon when flesh foods are consumed. Is it a surprise then that our body takes an exceptionally long time to digest any food containing flesh as compared to any meal containing fruits and vegetables? In the present age where even human life does not command any respect or value, any talk of sympathy or compassion towards any other living specie feels like a joke. But I have come to believe that slaughtering animals for food simply because it appeals to our gastronomical senses is simply uncivilized and an act of cruelty.
Since the day I changed my food preferences, I have been experimenting with various combinations of fruits and vegetables and my body has never felt deprived. On the contrary, cooking has become much more fun, sans any guilt, all my tummy problems are gone, and though I can still afford to loose a few kilos here and there, the days of being a couch potato are history.
I certainly do not fancy that you will find this write-up inspiring enough to drastically alter your opinions on food, yet I sincerely hope that at the very least, it leaves you thinking.
Monday, January 28, 2008
The Flip side
Like many others, I admit to being addicted to the web. Initially when the Worldwide Web hit India and subsequently my city in India, I did not pay much heed to it. I had never been an IT enthusiast and had other pastime activities to engage in after my regular studies. Also, computers in those days (talking about the early 90s) were not easily accessible largely due to their high prices. I recall my best friend introducing me to Hotmail on his home computer. That day, I had my personal mail ID created and I still remember writing my first e-mail. What an experience it turned out to be!
Browsing in those days was expensive. Although, I loved spending more and more time on it, it turned out to be an expensive taste. Cyber cafes used to charge a whopping 40 to 60 indian rupees (depending upon the speed or how fancy the café looked) per hour and that was a considerable sum. So I had to restrict my urge to be online to once a week or ten days.
How times have changed! In the wake of communication revolution that India has witnessed in the last decade or so, I can browse from the comforts of my study room at broadband speeds and at half the cost that I talked about earlier. No wonder, the world has indeed become a smaller place.
However, the downside there is to every such phenomenon, the glory surrounding the Worldwide Web is also marred by an evil truth. Cyber crimes such as online frauds, pornography etc. have gently spread their wings. Although there are numerous illicit activities that can be performed in the disguise of a web site, blog or simply online chatting, the most offensive happens to be pornography.
The other day on the Oprah Winfrey show, the invitees were some teenage girls who had their personal websites hosting their titillating pictures and other obscene content. These girls, barely in their early 20s were stinking rich and obviously showed no signs of remorse or regret. Although when on a TV show, they could pretend that this was their need and that there is nothing wrong with it (we are not hookers, just posers being the argument), the fact is that moral values have degraded to such an extent that these girls barely out of school look for such easy means to make money and obviously attain perverted pleasure (and still not feel guilty about it).In India, this form of pornography is still unheard of but you do read about pimps involved in flesh trade show casing girls on cheap web sites or blogs to lure the prospective customers. Tons of such lewd websites act as references for our youngsters who are looking for some real information about a topic considered a taboo even today. Adding to the woes are cell phones with cameras and permission to use them in some schools and colleges. Then there are web sites selling pin hole or spy cameras (the kind that can be hidden) using which any pervert or peeping Tom would catch you in your most private moments.
The problems with tracking such crimes are that you cannot trace the identity of the individual or groups behind them. Everything is anonymous and the most you can do is track the IP address of the computer. Cyber laws are being discussed but sadly only within the confines of the news rooms when in reality, schools and colleges should be the realm of such discussions. The importance of sex education for the young can hardly be emphasized (by the way the touting about it started decades ago and still it is not a part of our standard school/college curriculum).
The Information Technology Act was passed by both the houses of Indian parliament in 2000 in recognition for a need to have cyber laws governing the use of IT and mainly to tackle cyber crimes. But success cannot be achieved unless we understand two things: One, that this is a problem which is only going to grow faster than we think (new porn sites are added daily) and second, that only we as parents, brothers, sisters, and responsible citizens can take the initiative to limit the menace, if not fully eliminate it. The key is awareness and observation. Watch your kids, spend time with them, educate them, and keep their raw mind engaged.
Let’s face it. Worldwide web is a reality whose positives far outweigh the negatives and it is here to stay. Censorship of the content on the websites, blocking them, registering the cyber cafes and punishing them if their premises are used to indulge in illegal activities are some measures that need to be undertaken in utmost sincerity.
So far, we have only concentrated on advertisements and shows on satellite television which frankly do not contain even half the objectionable content as is available on the Web.
That is the real threat and it is only getting bigger and smarter.
Browsing in those days was expensive. Although, I loved spending more and more time on it, it turned out to be an expensive taste. Cyber cafes used to charge a whopping 40 to 60 indian rupees (depending upon the speed or how fancy the café looked) per hour and that was a considerable sum. So I had to restrict my urge to be online to once a week or ten days.
How times have changed! In the wake of communication revolution that India has witnessed in the last decade or so, I can browse from the comforts of my study room at broadband speeds and at half the cost that I talked about earlier. No wonder, the world has indeed become a smaller place.
However, the downside there is to every such phenomenon, the glory surrounding the Worldwide Web is also marred by an evil truth. Cyber crimes such as online frauds, pornography etc. have gently spread their wings. Although there are numerous illicit activities that can be performed in the disguise of a web site, blog or simply online chatting, the most offensive happens to be pornography.
The other day on the Oprah Winfrey show, the invitees were some teenage girls who had their personal websites hosting their titillating pictures and other obscene content. These girls, barely in their early 20s were stinking rich and obviously showed no signs of remorse or regret. Although when on a TV show, they could pretend that this was their need and that there is nothing wrong with it (we are not hookers, just posers being the argument), the fact is that moral values have degraded to such an extent that these girls barely out of school look for such easy means to make money and obviously attain perverted pleasure (and still not feel guilty about it).In India, this form of pornography is still unheard of but you do read about pimps involved in flesh trade show casing girls on cheap web sites or blogs to lure the prospective customers. Tons of such lewd websites act as references for our youngsters who are looking for some real information about a topic considered a taboo even today. Adding to the woes are cell phones with cameras and permission to use them in some schools and colleges. Then there are web sites selling pin hole or spy cameras (the kind that can be hidden) using which any pervert or peeping Tom would catch you in your most private moments.
The problems with tracking such crimes are that you cannot trace the identity of the individual or groups behind them. Everything is anonymous and the most you can do is track the IP address of the computer. Cyber laws are being discussed but sadly only within the confines of the news rooms when in reality, schools and colleges should be the realm of such discussions. The importance of sex education for the young can hardly be emphasized (by the way the touting about it started decades ago and still it is not a part of our standard school/college curriculum).
The Information Technology Act was passed by both the houses of Indian parliament in 2000 in recognition for a need to have cyber laws governing the use of IT and mainly to tackle cyber crimes. But success cannot be achieved unless we understand two things: One, that this is a problem which is only going to grow faster than we think (new porn sites are added daily) and second, that only we as parents, brothers, sisters, and responsible citizens can take the initiative to limit the menace, if not fully eliminate it. The key is awareness and observation. Watch your kids, spend time with them, educate them, and keep their raw mind engaged.
Let’s face it. Worldwide web is a reality whose positives far outweigh the negatives and it is here to stay. Censorship of the content on the websites, blocking them, registering the cyber cafes and punishing them if their premises are used to indulge in illegal activities are some measures that need to be undertaken in utmost sincerity.
So far, we have only concentrated on advertisements and shows on satellite television which frankly do not contain even half the objectionable content as is available on the Web.
That is the real threat and it is only getting bigger and smarter.
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