Ramblin' On...

Being a former chef living in western society, any opportunity to share the experiences of a foreign culture by means of food is always welcome; and recently I was fortunate enough to be invited to the Eid al-Adha festival while travelling India. The Muslim festival is celebrated by the ceremonial slaughter of a goat, and the accompanying feast, featuring the sacrificed animal. It was a very surreal few moments leading up to the event, standing above the courtyard of our gracious host, looking down at the cheerful scene of a small group of children playing with what could almost be described as family pets.

Once the inevitable was over, I was asked to help skin one of the still warm, and occasionally twitching carcass’, before both were butchered and sent to be prepared by the many aunts, sisters and mothers. The following few hours were spent enjoying several delicious mutton curries, while sharing personal stories with a family we had only met that morning. Speaking with both the children and the adults of the group, I was able to learn a great deal about the celebration, and the Muslim culture as a whole. One of the main aspects of this day is that only a small portion of the animal is consumed by the host family, while the remainder is shared amongst the less fortunate families around the neighborhood, to allow everyone to share in the festivities. Without at all pushing religion, the family graciously accepted a stranger into their home, something that is a key point of the Islamic faith. Important details like this are unfortunately a rare point of discussion in the west.

Being part of such an event, impacted not only the cultural experience that I love about travel; but also my appreciation, as a chef, of what must take place in order for an animal to become food, which is something so many of us take for granted.