Social media has pushed our brains into instant gratification mode. Our minds constantly want to feed on something new, and the same mindset has started reflecting on our food plates. Earlier the food choices used to be repetitive and the same—dal, roti, and khichdi—but today’s generation wants variety on their plates, which makes them experiment with different ingredients, cooking styles, and presentations.
The rise of Modern Fusion Diet
Playing with different cuisines has become a modern trend. Food vloggers and creators just experiment with ingredients to make Italian-Indian or different fusion dishes from them. In this process, authentic cooking methods and ingredients are frequently replaced with sauces, refined flour, heavy spices, and deep frying. This leads to creations like roti pizzas, creamy rice bowls, or pasta biryani.
While these modern fusion foods appear more tempting and add variety to our plates, they often compromise with authenticity and nutritional value.
Western Choices over Traditional Foods
Food today is increasingly associated with luxury and aesthetics, sometimes giving a false sense of superiority. A fancy bowl of oatmeal may feel more appealing than a plate of white idli for breakfast. Traditional curd is gradually being replaced by flavored yogurt in our refrigerators. Imported fruits like blueberries and avocados are often perceived as premium or elite foods.
Although these foods may have nutritional value, they should not overshadow our healthy Indian foods that have been part of our diet and culture for generations.
Conclusion
It is important to make better dietary choices by improving the nutritional ratio of our meals—like by adding more protein to our traditional Indian diet. Exploring new cuisines is also perfectly fine as long as the foods remain authentic and nutritious.
But at the same time, food should be seen as a vital component that provides us energy and nutrition and not as a liability that gives us a false sense of superiority. Also, we should value our local farmers and traditional foods that are rooted deeply in our culture.
Are we doing any favors to our culture, different cuisines, or our health with these modernizations?
MBH/PS