Bangalore Beef
Finally saw some water buffalo. The little beef you eat here is "bangalore beef" also known as water buffalo. Its a little tougher and a little saltier than USDA ground chuck. Also, all the leather shoes and jacket are buffalo leather. Not sure about comparisons, but it looks about the same.
The reason for the substitution should be obvious, since bovines here are sacred as...well...Hindu cows.
posted by Linton at 12:10 AM
2 Comments:
Linton, a task. Find out why people in India are OK with eating and wearing water buffalo, but not cattle, since they're very, very closely related (same subfamily: bovinae). I'm genuinely curious. It's very strange. Cattle are basically just domesticated water buffalo. Does that not seem odd to you?
I am guessing that the “cows=sacred but buffalo=okay” distinction is the sort of practical compromise necessary for followers of most major religions. I’ve been told the Hindus claim "hindu cows" are a separate species from buffalos and western cattle, and so are not given the same consideration and/or respect as their own cows. From a practical standpoint it gives Hindus access to leather for shoes, protective equipment and other items where leather is useful. It also lets most believers off-the-hook for having to take action against western beef eating. This is likely a good thing--it pretty much forestalls a Hindu jihad against the state of Texas.
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