Stupid food politics: Mumbai edition
So food is always a fraught political topic, I get that. It gets into questions of culture, identity, land use, ag policy, transportation, trade, economics; really most of the political world in one way or another. That's fine: food will always be political.
The particular way it's political in Mumbai right now is that a right-wing Marathi Hindu organization (Maharashtra is the state Mumbai is in; the most populous ethnic group in the state are the Marathi people) is boycotting and even vandalizing restaurants that do not serve "native Marathi food" in addition to whatever their normal menu is. Because Mumbai has gotten "too westernized".
Examples of the "native Marathi" food they would find acceptable, because Mumbai has gotten "too westernized", include:
Kopi aloo: a gravied mixture of cauliflower and... potatoes. Because Mumbai has gotten "too westernized".
Vada pav: a sandwich consisting of... a fried mixture of (wait for it) potatoes and chili peppers. Wrapped in a yeast roll whose name ("pav"
is literally just a Marathi-ized version of the Portuguese word ("pao" for it. Because Mumbai has gotten "too westernized".
Pav bhaji (which I just finished eating one of): A pav (see above) used to sop up... a stew of potatoes... and chillies... and tomatoes. Because Mumbai has gotten "too westernized".
Somewhere the Jains are laughing their asses off, though even they eat tomatoes I think.
That said, pav bhaji is ****ing amazing.