What’s at steak?

I grew up in a strictly vegetarian household and until the age of 17, I had only allowed myself the transgression of eggs in my birthday cake. I vividly remember my first chicken sandwich. My toes had curled with pleasure, and I was desperate to take this seductively guilty relationship to the next level. Sitting in a posh restaurant a month later, I felt it was finally time for a juicy steak. Placing my order, I stuttered, “Um, a fi-ley min-yon for me, thanks.” But then the steward bowled me a googly. “Sir, would that be rare, medium, well done?” Convinced that he was asking me to pay a prior compliment to the chef, I said, “Well done, of course.” I saw him screw up his nose. I didn’t know my beef then. With time, though, that has changed. The Filet Mignon has made sure of it.

Like all forbidden fruits, it must be said, it can sometimes be hard for a beef-eater in Kolkata to find his or her fill. Banned in a majority of homes, it is also missing from the tables of most restaurants in the city. Even an eatery like Shiraz, famed for its biryani and kebabs, adheres to a strict no-pork-no-beef policy. When asked if the omission of beef helps make the restaurant’s menu secular, co-owner Atiqur Rahman says, “You could call it secular, but I would refer to the decision as business-minded. Roughly 80 per cent of our clientele is non-Muslim, so why take a chance?”

While a restaurant or two have bravely taken that chance, none seem to have taken the same kind of risk as Rubi’s Grill. Made to resemble a classic American diner, the three-year-old establishment offers variations of the beef steak, shepherd’s pies and an assortment of beef burgers. Proprietor Manish Das says that it took him all of two years to realise that there would be a demand for beef if he added it to his menu. “I felt there was a mindset which defined us as a people who didn’t eat beef. Today, I can say that the amount of beef we use in a week equals the amount of fish we need in a month.” Despite his trade, however, 29-year-old Das admits he isn’t allowed to take beef home.

The Jhingan household is a peculiar exception. Even though beef was always cooked in their kitchen, 33-year-old Bhavna’s father had forbidden her from eating it until she was 18. It was a choice, he felt, she should make as an adult. In the end, the sight of roast beef and beef vindaloo proved to be enough of a catalyst. “I obviously succumbed.” For many friends who aren’t allowed beef at home, her mother’s steaks and curries have been frequent requests. Only too happy to comply, Bella Jhingan does have but one complaint: “The quality of our beef has gone down because a lot of it is being exported. I often need to inform my vendor a few days in advance.”

Surprisingly, it is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that might have an answer to Mrs Jhingan’s woes. Appalled by the fact that by selling beef to countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Egypt, India was fast earning the position of the world’s largest beef exporter, BJP leader Satpal Malik had declared a few days before May 16, “If elected, we will crack down on beef exports.” The saffron party, it seems, is serious about the promise it made in its manifesto. It plans to do everything in its power to protect the cow and its progeny. Since the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) already has experience in the matter of bovine protection, I choose to seek an appointment with Radharaman Das, general manager of the spiritual society’s Kolkata chapter.

Dressed in his all-white attire, the monk first hands me three pocketbooks — Cows are Cool: Love ’Em, Capital Communism & Cowism and Let’s be Friends: A Curious, Calm Cow. While the books teach you cow-whispering techniques and popularise forums such as MooTube, they also speak of the cow’s importance in a low-energy future. Das explains ISKCON’s philosophy. “A cow eats grass, which is largely insignificant and costs nothing. She then gives us milk, which is considered to be amrit (nectar).” Insisting that there is a shortage of milk in India, Das argues, “Unless we can give all our children milk, there should be no reason for a slaughterhouse to exist.” Listing the benefits of cow urine and cow manure, Das then barrels on about how nature has its own way of punishing cow slaughter. “I am sure you have heard of mad cow disease. That, you can say, is divine retribution.”

Feeling inexplicably chastised, I make my way to a butcher’s shop in the city’s Beck Bagan area. Pyaru Qureshi has spent his entire life selling beef. “There is one thing you must understand,” he says while trying to console me. “There is a reason why the beef trade will not go anywhere. People of all religions sell it and people of all religions eat it. They might not confess to it, but I sell more than two cows or bulls every day. I am telling you, it’s true.” My spirits slightly lifted, I ask him which animal ranks as his favourite. “The cow, undoubtedly. Gold will be gold. Always.”

Shreevatsa Nevatia is a Kolkata-based writer

COMMENT NOW