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Food & Cuisine
The Poison on Your Plate! Unbelievable Food Facts With Krish Ashok — Rationable Food scientist and author Krish Ashok (of Masala Lab fame) debunks food myths and explains the actual science behind traditional Indian cooking — why certain combinations are beneficial, which food fears are unfounded, and how traditional practices often encode empirical nutritional wisdom. A science-communication podcast episode. https://www.berationable.com/rationable-blog/2023/8/the-poison-on-your-plate-unbelievable-food-facts-with-krish-ashok
All Your Questions About Milk Answered — Do You Need to Boil Milk? (LiveMint) A food science explainer covering the microbiological and chemical rationale for boiling milk in Indian cooking traditions — pasteurization temperatures, denaturing of proteins (relevant for making dahi and paneer), lactose intolerance prevalence in South Asia, and the A1 vs. A2 protein debate in indigenous vs. exotic cattle breeds. https://lifestyle.livemint.com/food/discover/the-science-of-milk-goes-moo-111630052539233.html
‘Pure Vegetarian Indian Dishes’ — New Trend Among Foodies in Pakistan’s Karachi (Deccan Herald) A Deccan Herald piece on the growing popularity of vegetarian Indian food (chhole bhature, dahi puri, pani puri) in Karachi — part of a broader cultural reconnection between the two countries through shared culinary traditions that predated Partition. An unusual case of cultural exchange across a heavily closed border. https://www.deccanherald.com/world/pure-vegetarian-indian-dishes-new-trend-among-foodies-in-pakistans-karachi-3146285
Nick’s Filipino Vegan South San Francisco A restaurant noted for Filipino-influenced vegan food in South San Francisco — an example of the globally distributed diaspora food scene that creates unexpected fusions between South/Southeast Asian culinary traditions and plant-based cooking.
Vegan Keema Biryani (holycowvegan.net) A recipe for vegan keema biryani — replacing minced meat with lentils, mushrooms, or soy mince in a spiced rice dish — from the Holy Cow Vegan blog, which specializes in plant-based versions of traditional Indian recipes. https://www.holycowvegan.net/
Easy Vegan Indian Curry (holycowvegan.net) A recipe for accessible vegan Indian curry from Holy Cow Vegan, designed for home cooks who want to replicate the depth of spiced Indian cooking without dairy or meat ingredients.
Thailand’s Jay Festival / 3,000-Year Holy War Over Eating Meat Coverage of Thailand’s Jay (Kin Jae) Festival — a 9-day vegetarian festival observed by Thai Chinese Taoists — and the broader cross-cultural history of vegetarianism as a religious practice across Buddhism, Jainism, and certain Hindu traditions. The “3,000-year holy war” framing captures the long-running debate within South and Southeast Asian religious traditions over meat consumption.
Rethinking Satvik, Rajasik & Tamasik Food (YouTube) A YouTube video examining the three-fold Ayurvedic/Sankhya classification of food — sattvic (pure, calming), rajasic (stimulating), and tamasic (dulling) — through a modern nutritional and psychological lens, questioning which aspects of this ancient framework are empirically supported and which are culturally contingent.
Should You Soak Your Nuts? (YouTube) A food science video examining the traditional Indian practice of soaking nuts and legumes before consumption — covering the science of phytic acid reduction, improved mineral bioavailability, and the role of fermentation in increasing nutritional value. The video grounds traditional kitchen practices in modern nutritional biochemistry.
The True Story of Wild Rice, North America’s Most Misunderstood Grain (Pocket) An article on Manoomin (wild rice) — the sacred grain of the Ojibwe people of northern Minnesota, harvested by hand and dried over fire — and how commercial “wild rice” sold in stores is typically paddy rice fraudulently labeled. A study in how traditional food knowledge gets commodified and distorted through industrial food systems. https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-true-story-of-wild-rice-north-america-s-most-misunderstood-grain
Karnataka Heritage
Incredible Inscription Stones of Bengaluru (Google My Maps) A crowdsourced Google My Maps layer documenting hero stones, sati stones, Hoysala-era inscription pillars, and other epigraphic monuments in and around Bengaluru — many unprotected and deteriorating. An invaluable citizen archaeology resource for anyone interested in Bengaluru’s pre-colonial history.
J P Nagar to Hebbal: Preserving Bengaluru’s History (thebetterindia.com) An article on grassroots efforts to identify, document, and protect historical monuments across Bengaluru’s rapidly urbanizing corridor — covering inscription stones, old wells, temple tanks, and colonial-era structures threatened by real estate development.
Kar_Bharadwaj Tweet: Holalkere Kannada Inscription Post-Talikota War A tweet by Kannada history enthusiast Kar_Bharadwaj about a Kannada inscription from Holalkere documenting local history in the aftermath of the Battle of Talikota (1565) — when the Vijayanagara Empire’s defeat by the Deccan Sultans began the fragmentation of southern power. Inscriptions from this transitional period provide ground-level perspective on a major historical shift.
Kar_Bharadwaj Tweet: Sandige Making in Chavundaraya’s Lokopakaram (~1000 Years Ago) A tweet highlighting a recipe for sandige (sun-dried fritters) in Chavundaraya’s Lokopakaram — a 10th-century Kannada encyclopaedic text that is one of the oldest surviving sources of everyday life and knowledge in Karnataka. The existence of detailed food recipes in a millennium-old Kannada text attests to the richness and continuity of Kannada literary culture.
Am I Water Secure? A Data-Driven Analysis of Bengaluru’s Water Security (anoopasranna.substack.com) A personal data analysis of Bengaluru’s water supply situation — covering dependence on Cauvery water (transported 100km), groundwater depletion, the impact of urbanization on lake recharge, and what individual households can do to improve resilience. A model of civic data journalism applied to a critical infrastructure question. https://anoopasranna.substack.com/p/am-i-water-secure
Man-Eater Tiger Shot Dead in Khanapur Taluk (Deccan Herald) A Deccan Herald report on the shooting of a tiger that had killed humans in the forests of Khanapur taluk, Karnataka — illustrating the ongoing human-wildlife conflict on the edges of Karnataka’s protected forest areas as both tiger populations and agricultural encroachment expand. https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/man-eater-tiger-shot-dead-2-2232326
Raj Bhagat P: Marina Beach Formation Thread A tweet thread by geographer Raj Bhagat on the surprising recent origin of Chennai’s Marina Beach — the world’s second-longest urban beach, which barely existed a century ago and was substantially shaped by the construction of Chennai Harbour. A vivid illustration of how dramatically human infrastructure alters coastal geography. https://x.com/rajbhagatt/status/1824422402433974343
Ayodhya Ram Mandir Timeline (Deccan Herald) A Deccan Herald timeline of the Ram Mandir dispute and construction — from the 1992 Babri Masjid demolition through the Supreme Court verdict (2019), temple trust formation, and the January 2024 consecration ceremony. A factual record of one of independent India’s most politically charged heritage controversies.
Comment on Rama Temples in Karnataka (personal note) A personal note on the distribution and antiquity of Rama temples in Karnataka, observing that Vaishnava devotion centered on Rama in Karnataka differs in character and timing from the northern Ramjanmabhoomi tradition — with many Karnataka Rama temples dating from the Vijayanagara period of deliberate Vaishnava patronage.