The problem of eating beef.

Is eating beef an act which is so morally repugnant that it can take lives? We wouldn’t imagine such with an ideally and intellectually sensitive human society. But we don’t, we live in communities which does not care so much about what it can infer as “other’s” ways. Lets not get ourselves embroiled, to believe that, thats a superfluous statement.

One would argue, we do care about others values and culture and others ways of looking at things and at a grosser level others comfort in riding a public transport, others availability and unavailability in attending to us for what we need them for.

But, I am talking about “others” as a mark of identification and not an immediately concocted response, to deal with a social situation.

At a deeper level, we often transgress, into interfering with others ways, simply because, we identify them as ‘others’. We deliberately create a ruckus, about ‘issues’, simply because, the issues do not affect us the way we perceive it affects others.

Its dishonesty and its violence. Read a short article here why I think “dishonesty is violence“.

We gang up on others and create false notions of vulnerability and mark others as adverse, simply because we have deep prejudices of defining our roles and identifications, as being markedly different, from what we confer onto those, that would not fit into such roles.

One of the determinant, in delving into making a demarcation of what constitutes ‘others’, is the idea of proving superiority. And its an age old problem, but more than that it prevails in today’s communities, in a way it would not let us make progress as humans.

So driven by falsities and violent practices of defining ‘others’ as different from us, being inferior to us and amenable to our jurisdiction, is a vicious problem, that does not prove its role about only food choices, but when it comes to eating beef, it does create more than just a sensation.

Its a dangerous nonsense much in the same way, not allowing someone, to gain the right to gay marriage, because it offends one’s right, to practice one’s religious choices.

And it contravenes, the very basic sense of right, that we so happily confer onto ourselves, when we can mark someone as not belonging to a group, that has the same degree of right, in deciding to chose, what they want to do with their lives, without proactively affecting or offending our choices.

In other words, it never happens, that one group proactively hampers, another groups choices and that latter group proactively hampers, the former’s choices, and it goes in a circle, as long as they both decide and respect each others choice.

But it is possible, that one group finds itself as a stronger contestant, to having one’s rights defended and taking the liberty to quell the rights of those, that do not fall into the recognition, of his own identity-qualification.

So in all matters of choices and identifications or tags of groups, there always is a possibility of having groups, that vouch for their own rights, while going to dangerous levels, of destroying others rights, in exercising the latter’s choices.

So, the basic abstraction is, that, there are problems, as soon as the idea of proactively offending, someone else’s choices are considered. And that exactly is the problem of the beef.

As long as I eat beef, without proactively using that, as an excuse or point of offense, towards someone else’s choices of food, I am causing no concern. As long as I don’t eat beef, without proactively using that, as an excuse or point of offense, towards someone else’s choices of food, I am causing no concern. But when I eat beef or I do not eat beef and I proactively make that, as an excuse or point of offense, towards someone else’s food choices, I am causing concern. It is now, I am the problem.

I have a choice to eat, what I want to. Another fella has the same right, of making that choice.

But its here the problem crawls in, when one of the above, does not respect the others right, to exercise free choice, about his or her food.

Let me make these abstractions very clear, by giving you personal examples.

When for the very first time, I set foot, on western soil, I was 22. By that time, I have never touched any meat, except chicken and goat, fish — and if you count egg, as something, that must be considered here, except egg. And I have never touched alcohol. I haven’t touched alcohol until another two years, in other words until I am 24.

Why I must spell this out? Because in the general India, we consider alcohol, as something not very honorable. And I am talking about Circa 2000. Of-course we know, even back then, we were, as a country, drinking a lot of alcohol, but it was not as freely available or talked about, unless someone was making negative remarks, about it.

Coming from a Hindu family, we didn’t find it very easy, to even imagine, that we would eat beef. Its just something thats forbidden, much in the same sense, stealing is forbidden.

So my advise to left leaning libtards, who take immense pleasure, in pronouncing, that they eat beef, despite of the fact, that, they are Brahmans, and why should they not, is also like; why not steal, because, for most people, as they exist today, eating beef being a Hindu, is much like, well, stealing, if that is indeed their upbringing.

Its much like, a Muslim refusing to take pork. Of-course one can have, a libtard Muslim, but these are merely anti-sentiments one tries to imbibe for various reasons. But yes these are very personal choices, and no there actually is no great link between eating beef and stealing, if you purge the question of morality, all acts are moral and all acts are immoral, depending on you are doing them or not.

And its a bit more conceited than it even sounds at the moment. I remember the very first time I had meat, was mutton, at a very young age, perhaps when I was only 3 or 4 years old. So, personally I never ran into a problem of eating meat or not (including chicken, and fish) until my parents gave up on their non vegetarian habits.  They became vegetarian when we were very young, say I was less than 10 years old. But my siblings and I did not, so much. So they were not inhibiting us to not consume it. We would occasionally even eat it in our own household. But we would make sure we do it at a place which does not offend their sense. In other words we would not be proactively interfering with their choices, and they would not be in ours. We would just make sure, we do not create a sense of inconvenience or ill feeling because one member does involve in it and another does not.

But the problem of beef does not enter, because its understood that we do not eat beef. Hindus do not eat beef. As a generic matter, I am not talking about what ancient sage Bashistha or any general group did or did not, in the ancient past. I am also not talking about what a present day libtard does or does not. I am talking about what the biggest fraction did or did not so that we were literally insulated from what we would today call the Beef Conundrum. (Yes its a problem even enhanced by a western paranoia inherited by the eastern libtards, but I will defend the libtards right to eat whatever he or she wants to eat, hold on)

So, given that these are not taboo, as the westernized English spooking media often paints it as, but rather food choices of a large fraction of Indian Hindus — perhaps in the upper echelon of the 90’s, in percentage, say 99%. Yes, perhaps 99% of Indian Hindus don’t eat beef, because its their food choice. Now if you want to twist that sentence, remember even such a percentage of Indian Hindus do not eat pork either. Its not a religious dictum. Its just food choice. If we had been eating it there would absolutely no problem in circumventing religious dictums. The HIndus that eat chicken do so despite of social customs and dictums of vegetarianism. We are not liberals because the west washes off our delusions. We are just not libtards. We do what we have been doing. Its our choice and not so much a compulsion. It would become a compulsion if someone forces us to eat pork or beef, Hindu or not, notwithstanding.

So by the time I arrived in the eastern shores of USA, the things of food choice are clearly carved out. No beef, no alcohol, these have never been our customized choice.

I ended up in an Indian restaurant, with friends, that serves, buffet meals, during the days. We get ourselves heartily everything that we can think of good for our culinary glory. We did not see the warning that we have beef in our plates. Just before we began, someone comes to know of it, its clearly written where the food were kept. And we merrily removed the beef item.

It was indeed a conscious effort to make sure we do not run into the beef debacles for years. I went to Japan and I am not narrating how I decided that I am going to try alcohol. These things just pass their own tests, in our head and we can’t stop even if we want to, depending on how far our food choices have written themselves into our head, and also depending on how easily we give into peer pressure of the society we live in and for what reason. Most libtards consume beef because they want to prove that they are liberals and progressive or they want to show that they are assimilating much faster than others and so on.

But its their choice indeed, and I would not take offense at that, they are not proactively interfering in my choices, and thats the whole point about this debate I am trying to ensue here.

So by consuming alcohol I did not proactively offend myself either. See after years of psychological turbulence if you yourself take a decision this or that you are not going to repent about it. You will if you proactively offend yourself or another. As long as its a honest mistake, that you offended yourself or another, it will not be as harmful, as if you did otherwise.

SO alcohol hasn’t caused as much heartburn in me and for years I have consumed without a problem. In-fact I have thoroughly enjoyed.

What about beef?

What about what about beef?

Okay I will not take you in circles.

This one time, in 2003, when I returned to USA from Japan, I am already an alcoholic. Right? Well no, only 2 times I have consumed alcohol in Japan  by the time I am back in US, in quick succession, first time a red merlot and 2nd time a white wine. I haven’t even had my beer yet. This time in 2003, I began drinking a lot, especially beer. And yes it did went up quick, but gradually.

Apart from becoming a drink enthusiast in quick pace, I did think of becoming a foodie. Some how I was becoming a globe trotter, so I am thinking “lets have all sorts of meat”. No I did not want beef. Its a conscious effort to not have a food thats not in my list for last 2 decades. Thats the reason, no religious or moral reason have ever kept me off from something I have wanted to try.

SO I am sitting with my good old friend (and senior scientist, Henning Back, who introduced me to all the nice drinking and eating places in Blacksburg back then, he was a day time beer drinker as Chris would pronounce back then “he could drink all day long” he was an awesome fella and I really loved him) and I am onto deciding what I want to eat. I wanted to try something new, and these guys are like try this Buffalo Burger. And I am on.

It took perhaps years when I realized the burger I ate therefore was beef. Well Buffalo, right?

I got lost in my life, but never really bothered much that I ate beef. If that was so. Then tens of time I at the chilly at the BK. They were so tasty. Right? And then I realized, it has perhaps beef in it. I was unconscious for some time and I did order chilly, so many times. SO I really did or did not order beef? I did not proactively offended myself. That does the trick. I am not a beef eater. I do not offend anyone about eating it or not? Including myself.

I might have had beef or pork without realizing, in tons of time. In the countries I lived these stuff are ground and put into various food, which you can not often keep a track of.

Back in 2005, I realized I could try pork. Everyone is talking about Tsukuba being the pork capital. I asked myself, Lulu do you want to eat some pork? And I answered promptly go ahead and try. No harm. The pork in Tsukuba was yummy. I kept eating for years. In these times I made sure I eat all sorts of meat. So I tried octopus and lamb and duck and what not. (IS squid meat? well seafood and pregnant fish …)

But I never tried beef consciously, or by proactively offending myself. I didn’t try snake or lizards either, As of 2015 I would proactively offend myself if I try any of these.

SO I will just tell you two incidents about whats proactively offending and whats not. They have no correlation except I just happen to remember.

I had a friend. We got along really well. I would wait for him if he is onto his Namaz. He could not proactively offend himself to eat pork.

He was new in Japan. He wasn’t very sure whether he is eating the right meal or not.

He wanted my help. I was sure I could discern these matter. I have lived in Japan for a while, lets say 2 years. So we walked to the countre and I wanted to make sure we don’t get any pork.

I ask “oniku daijoubu, buta niku nashi de onegaishimasu ” .. — giyu ha daijoubu? hai giyu ha daijoubu. chotto mate kudasai.

[Meat is ok, just make sure there is no pork. Is beef ok? Yea beef is ok. Hang on.]

She checks on teh pack. WHat happens in Japan, they have these food packs where the ingredients are written. They read it and see that something is there or not. And she declared “si huda dake” [Only sea food] There is no reason why I wouldn’t believe. She read it and told us.

Happily my friend takes the food and begins to eat. And exclaims or screams I can’t make up “Its pork”. I began laughing a little. But it wasn’t really my fault. The counter lady didn’t realize either that there is a big layer of ham in it.

My friend is dissatisfied with me, and to this day isn’t accepting my friend request on FB. I really didn’t proactively offended him. I just realized that we committed a mistake, or rather slept off in faith. But it wasn’t anyone’s mistake, honestly.

Back in 2004-05 another incident happened.

I met one fella who was from Chennai. He was visiting Japan. He was a muslim. He invited me to a mosque. I am a free spirit. SO I said yes. I drove my car to Tsukuba University, the mosque was somewhere in the back side of it. I also took few of my friends. We were 3-4 folks. They were having a celebration. These were Muslims from all over the places. Iraq, Iran and where not. I took note of the fact that women have been made to sit completely in a different room. Its kind of bemusing about religion, isn’t it. Anyway we are guests. We are well in our limits. We all sat. We told them that we don’t eat beef, so they made sure we get only non beef food. We are sitting and one guy comes with a big pot of beef. So, I put my hands on my plate and exclaim “No beef please”. This guy is a mature adult. He says ok. The moment I take my hands off, he literally puts the beef curry into my pate, laughs hysterically and escapes from there. It was a sinful pleasure for him that he is making these Hindu guys eat beef. That the kind of prejudice I talked about in the beginning of this really long write up, if you are reading so far.

He proactively offended us.

SO I was enraged. It was not only me. I have asked these other Hindu fellas (who are not atheists or free spirited like me) I trust someone and he does this. It was embarrassment and an insult actually. SO I wanted to talk to the new friend from Chennai who had taken us here.

The guy who threw meat turns out to be from Egypt. I told my friend from Chennai “Look because you invited I came here in being nice with you and this is not accepted or civilized behavior.” He apologized and said will talk about this matter sternly with that fella or the other friends who could resolve this.

This kind of proactive offense often comes from Muslim people, in various circumstances. But we can not generalize.

The only idea is “do not proactively offend another who has another way of doing something, eating something or even understanding something”.

I never grew in anger out of proportion. I just realized whats what. There are Muslims who want to break barriers. There are Hindus who want to break barriers. And its going on for centuries. They want to insinuate and instigate each other in order to prove superiority. They are proactively offending each other.

I think the present murder in Dadri is such a well thought out plan to act on such primeval instincts. No one shall proactively offend another for their food or dress sense. Here people are getting killed for being on the suspicion that they ate something that they can be punished for. No one has a right for such. But its happening.

Roger we have a problem of beef.

Who will save us?