Hi, I'm Kay. I am a Bangali. A probashi.
And like all others my kind, I quite like to be that way. We get to keep the
best of both worlds; be the cosmopolitan citizen when required & as Durga
Pujo approaches, turn into the nostalgic Bongo
shontaan eagerly awaiting Maa Durga’s descent to the earth and yearning for
the beautiful autumn or shorod ritu- the
kaash phool bushes, the slight nip in the early morning and late evening air,
the clear blue skies & pristine white clouds against it during the day, the
deep nilaambari night with the
sparkling stars in their full glory, the
aagomoni tunes, the smell of fresh new clothes and finally of course, the
food!
Bongs are big time foodies but we are known especially for our sweet
tooth. The endless variety of channaar
mishti (sweets made of casein), the creative shapes and the innovative styling sets
us apart from the rest of India. Mishti rules every household and no meal of
the day is complete without something to sweeten the mouth. Word of caution:
never argue with a Bengali about the ABC of sweets.
Of course, not just
sweets, us Bongs are also known for being fanatic non-vegetarians. And this fame has
spread so far and so wide that most non-Bengalis I meet nowadays assume that we
must be miserable without a bite of fish with every meal. As a community, we’re known to love non-veg food. But I find the hype getting to be a little out of
control today.
Not many people seem to
know or care that we do have our fixed quota of greens. And surprisingly
enough, there are vegetarian Bengalis such as myself and my family who are
surviving just fine and healthy without the maach and maangsho.
I know that we have an
array of delicious and nutritious vegetarian dishes to offer, which are quite
unique in taste, preparation & presentation. Then why are we kind of branded
the animal eaters? To some extent are we to be held responsible?
No comments:
Post a Comment