Vegetable Biryani

I am a Bengali and that information is known to a lot and as a race typically we are fish consuming people. So when my friend from Coimbatore asked me as to how we consume fish for lunch and dinner, day in and day out, well sort of literally....I exclaimed back...just like you have rasam and sambar and rice and pickles every day. But that did not deter him and he kept nodding his head like I was from Mars. I tend to think that this concept of eating meat or fish really puts the vegetarian's mind into a jiffy. They just cannot seem to accept and sometimes cannot perhaps even tolerate.

In my younger years I used to retort back with logical or contrived arguments. Then came a phase where I was like Buddha. I started ignoring any overture the vegetarian made. In an office canteen somebody would make that hiss hiss sound and stay away from you. Others would twitch their nose and look the other side. I could not care less.

But these days I have planned to give it back. Next time you get some Mashed Brinjal Indian style I might just get up and leave your table. Or say you get Indian Bread with Lentil Curry and some stuffed Bitter Gourd I might make some funny noise emanating from the stomach and then spit out some nasty exclamations.

But then I have discovered a problem. There are some vegetarians who would eat eggs. Some would not touch onions and garlic. Some proudly mention that they are vegetarians at home but can eat ''whatever'' outside. The pride to me is misplaced since my dear friend is fooling none other than himself. Then there are these pure vegetarians. What the hell is that supposed to be? On the contrary I am an impure Non Vegetarian since I don't shun vegetables.

The battle goes on.... while I order my Seekh Kabab from Daily I am in no envy of the Biryani being consumed in Kamat. But then what a shame for the Biryani since it turned a vegetable there!!!

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