Apartment for Vegans

When we talk about Gujaratis, we see a picture of a business community across India but never go anything deeper other than buying from their shop. I had the opportunity to travel a great distance to discover the lifestyle of Gujju. What many don’t realise is that Gujaratis have a simple lifestyle. They’re friendly, approachable, and talk to outsiders with a smile. They love doing business and have business ethics. It’s truly the land of Mahatma that makes Gujarat a friendly tourist destination. I adventured once in early 2K to set sail on a treasure hunt. But what truly makes them so good? I reminisce about our time in Jamnagar, a city located on the western coast of India.

We were struggling to find a rented apartment. I was shocked to hear a landlord ask, “Are you a vegetarian? I thought it was kind of funny from the outset. He wore a very serious expression, and I knew something was wrong. Eventually, I reached a compromise. Yup, we’re vegetarians. Gujaratis are strict vegans, and even the state has imposed a ban on the cooking and consumption of non-vegetarian food in guest houses. I was awestruck by the name of the apartment highlighted as for vegetarians.

There is no unrestricted freedom available to meat vendors, sellers, and slaughterhouse owners to do business in meat on the grounds of religious occasions. We’re amazed to discover that it also prohibits the preparation and display of non-vegetarian food in public. The butchers are allowed to open manshanidukan only in authorised areas twice a week. The locals oppose it, arguing that displaying meat hurts their sensitivities. Even eggs are not sold in the open. Outsiders have been sidelined and barred from visiting locals as they’ve been renamed machli-khane-wala. It’s a wonder that fish are considered to be kide (insects) in water.

Fish is delicious, but its pungent smell lingers. Its delicate flavours and aromas would elicit a bitter complaint from your neighbour. We were forced to eat ghas-phus (plant-based food), which caused fatigue and a loss of appetite for the weekdays. Sundays were a special day as meat and seafood markets were open, as was a day for fresh shakbhaji bazar (sabji market). Though leafy greens are not yet produced, bundles of spinach, methi, and coriander are sent in trucks to Gujarat from neighbouring Maharashtra. Fresh onions, tomatoes, and capsicums are a bit expensive due to the cost of transportation, while potatoes, peas, and cauliflowers are produced there. We would fill a vegetable bag for a paltry Rs. 50 then. We enjoyed living life to the fullest during the weekend.

All these signs of Pure-Veg across food outlets found us offensive and a caste marker too, as localities cater to different food habits in those places only. Onions and garlic are forbidden too, as they carry the energy of anger. But tomatoes are loved by all. Even years after leaving Saurashtra, old habits die hard. I still carry a jhola bag on Sunday for a bagful of sabji, no matter how much a refrigerator could preserve it or not for the coming week.

The other evening at the supermarket, while on the way back from work, I saw eggs and tomatoes sold side by side in a shop selling puja items. Eggs are no longer untouchable in eastern India, but soaring tomato prices have burdened common people and made them untouchable nowadays. It started vanishing from the basket of the common man. My jhola was also not filled that day. After tomatoes, onions prices also saw a hike. The prices of all commodities are jacked up, but I wouldn’t mind spending money on a tomato-onion-meat recipe for dinner at home, to be honest. Now we no longer live in an apartment in Jamnagar. Much to our surprise, no more tomatoes are listed in McDonald’s burgers now. In days gone by, meat eaters were labelled untouchables; now tomatoes are untouchable. Imagine life without tomatoes, the indispensable filler in Gujarati dishes. Gujaratis are strict vegans.

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