NOTHING BUT CHICKEN

 

“Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends.”

George Bernard Shaw

 

 

The definition of ‘Integrity’, I leant many years ago, went like this: “When you do what you know.”

As per this definition, one of the areas of lack-of-integrity in my life is the fact, that I still eat animals. Well, if that sounds crude, let me put it in a more acceptable way: I have been a non-vegetarian all my life.

Paul McCartney’s famous words come to my mind:

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian.”

I don’t think, my favourite ‘Beatles’ had seen any slaughterhouse with a glass wall. By all probability, somewhere along his adulthood, his inner walls must’ve seen how innocent animals were slaughtered to satisfy his fellow-human’s tastebuds!

I have not seen a slaughterhouse with glass walls, either. But, my inner walls have not registered what Paul’s had. I and my fellow animal-eaters are perfectly selective in what our eyes wish to see!

So, till they build glass walls around the slaughterhouses – or till I myself build them around my own conscience - I don’t think, my mouth will stop crunching animals!

So bad! So sad!

There is this chain of outlets by the name ‘Nothing But Chicken’. Many months ago, one of friends had recommended me to visit this outlet in our area. “You will never buy chicken from anywhere else, once you visit this place,” he had told me.

So, some days ago, when I made my maiden visit to this outlet, I couldn’t agree more with what my friend had told me… It was all nothing but chicken there… everything… Freshly-cut raw chicken, chicken marinated with different spices,  and flavors and  of different shades, cooked chicken all ready to eat, meal boxes, burgers, kebabs, and salads of several kinds. For a chicken lover – I don’t mean who loves those innocent birds – it was a paradise. On my first visit, I picked some cooked items to carry home. “So, you found a new paradise for you, now!” my dear wife cautioned, reminding, that I was supposed to reduce, if not completely stop, eating meat.

The evening before last, I wanted to try their different chicken salads. So, I picked small quantities of four different varieties and ensured, that I would be lectured at home!

An interesting sight I saw on both my visits to this Nothing But Kombdi outlet was this… I saw boys of roughly around 14/15 – all alone – sitting there and munching and crunching their favourite picks; yes, to their hearts’ content… No friends, no selfies to share on their Instagram or FB… It’s all quietly happening, just as how some men (Not me!) walk into the bars to drink all alone, without the knowledge of their wives!

When I looked at these school-going boys, I remembered two incidents  involving similar-aged boys…

Four years ago, I had taken a group of ten teenagers to a local fine-dine place. A few mothers, too, had joined. These kids were to receive their certificates on conclusion of a 10-session programme (Personality Development) I had just concluded. I had added a chicken dish to the menu that evening. During the dinner, I saw a 14-year-old boy pleading and arguing with his mother. They hailed from a Rajasthani business family, who ate non-veg only on some days of the week. Incidentally, the certification day was a ‘no-meat day’ for the family. But, the young boy was not at all ready to follow the family rule… He was adamant to eat, but mom was doubly-adamant not to let her son. I not only felt bad for the boy, but also felt angry for keeping a chicken dish on the buffet counter that night…

Last afternoon, this boy had come to see me. He had migrated to the UK to pursue his studies a year ago. While he was here, now about 18, I teased him. “So, now you must be happy to enjoy your non-veg food on all days of the week!”

“No Sir, it’s the opposite, now,” the boy said, “The way the meat and fish are cooked over there has put me off… It’s bland, sweet… almost raw! I have stopped eating them  totally.”

Then, there was this another 13-year-old. In one of our recently-concluded sessions, I had asked kids to talk on the topic – ‘Some family rules which I find it difficult to follow”. Well, they were all happy to share so many of them! But, the story of one of the chubbiest in the class entertained all of us… The young fellow was unable to control his own laughter as he was telling us the family rule he had broken that late night…

It was a birthday party of one of their relatives. There were veg and non-veg starters… Our chubby boy was unable to resist his temptation to eat the chicken starters. But, his strict mother said, “You can eat it only after 12!. The boy tried his best to convince his mother… Finally, when her eyes were not on her son, the son quickly grabbed a big fried-chicken-leg, slipped inside the washroom, broke the family rule… and, coming back, continued munching the veg starters. The mother was happy… The son was happy!

If you are confused whether I am writing this in glory of thangdi kebab or gaaspoos, (Cheeni Kum), let me tell you what I want to say, but unable to, so far:

“Now, I can look at you in peace; I don’t eat you anymore.”

By the way, these were words of Franz Kafka.

 

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic's: pixabay

 

Video: Mzaalo