Dhania Economics!
The last time I checked, Indian cooking relied on coriander or the humble dhania to be the quintessential garnish on most dishes from Poha to Chicken curry, from Rasam to Dal fry. The beautiful Coriander leaves adds that bit of flavour and freshness to any dish, and before you wonder if I am paying a tribute to Coriandrum Sativum also known an Cilantro or Chinese parsely, I am simply feeling a trifle blue, about the hefty price that one has to pay for these beautiful leaves these days. I suppose you may have noticed how your samosa vendor in the neighbourhood has started watering down his dhania chutney or he may have even stopped selling it altogether. Cannot blame the poor chap, he is a victim of the rising prices, just as you are!
I'm sure most of us recall the golden old days when we could buy some Dhania leaves for 25paise and the vegetable vendor would nonchalantly hand over the leaves without so much as a shrug, these days if you ask for some Dhania leaves for a rupee all you get is a deadpan stare accompanied by a comment of "Atleast do rupaye ka le lo, usse kam mein nahi milega!" The veggie vendor's comment had me wondering, will the rising prices change the way we eat, will it affect how our dishes are garnished? Of course for many of us, we wont mind paying that extra buck or two for some fresh cilantro leaves, but can everybody afford to do that? I think not, so what does someone who cannot afford to, do? Well, they eat their food without it or learn to live without the presence of Dhania and let go the thought of having any kind of garnish at all.
Why much ado about Dhania, you may very well ask? Well because sometimes the supposed insignificant of things can throw quite a bit of light on what to expect in the future. It is not doomsday syndrome just as yet, but we are getting there pretty quickly. Soon everyday food will see changes not so much for the rich or well-off (probably) but the middle class will certainly feel the need to adapt to cook food without a few ingriedients. So why this ho hum, you may wonder, because now more so than ever, a whole new way of zero garnished dishes could evolve and perhaps garnishing itself will no longer be within the reach of the middle class. Why am I sad? Because I simply for the life of me cannot imagine my Amma's dishes without that dash of coriander, Rasam would be completely bereft of its rasam-ness without that special smell of fresh cilantro!
I'm sure most of us recall the golden old days when we could buy some Dhania leaves for 25paise and the vegetable vendor would nonchalantly hand over the leaves without so much as a shrug, these days if you ask for some Dhania leaves for a rupee all you get is a deadpan stare accompanied by a comment of "Atleast do rupaye ka le lo, usse kam mein nahi milega!" The veggie vendor's comment had me wondering, will the rising prices change the way we eat, will it affect how our dishes are garnished? Of course for many of us, we wont mind paying that extra buck or two for some fresh cilantro leaves, but can everybody afford to do that? I think not, so what does someone who cannot afford to, do? Well, they eat their food without it or learn to live without the presence of Dhania and let go the thought of having any kind of garnish at all.
Why much ado about Dhania, you may very well ask? Well because sometimes the supposed insignificant of things can throw quite a bit of light on what to expect in the future. It is not doomsday syndrome just as yet, but we are getting there pretty quickly. Soon everyday food will see changes not so much for the rich or well-off (probably) but the middle class will certainly feel the need to adapt to cook food without a few ingriedients. So why this ho hum, you may wonder, because now more so than ever, a whole new way of zero garnished dishes could evolve and perhaps garnishing itself will no longer be within the reach of the middle class. Why am I sad? Because I simply for the life of me cannot imagine my Amma's dishes without that dash of coriander, Rasam would be completely bereft of its rasam-ness without that special smell of fresh cilantro!
You sure are a rasam afficianado :)
ReplyDeleteLalita
He he:) true that Lalita...but it is more than that, we are soon going to adapt to having to do without certain commodities and food or we are all going to start our own kitchen gardens! I know I will...
DeleteFood and the imapact economics has on it..one of my perenially favourite topics, Varsh. Remember when onion prices went thro the ceiling? Publications devoted reams of newsprint to recipes that didn't require onions, jain cooks' favourite ones and other saatvic recipes.
ReplyDeleteI too have listened to my maid complain about the cost of garlic, an ingredient used heavily in maharashtrian preparations not only for flavour but also for its medicinal and nutritive value. But like us, she too learned to take in her stride.
People will not stop using coriander to garnish their rasams because it now costs 16 bucks a bundle. They'll crib a bit about the unbridled inflation, then sigh and pick up the freshest (and seemingly biggest) bundle of the lot.
I know I will. ;)
True Natasha. I remember standing at a fruits cart one day buying some apples when a lady with a toddler walked by and asked for the cost of the apples, after hearing the costs smiled sadly and told her little son that will buy the apples for him later when they have the money..rising prices are going make so many things dearer!
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