Do you store beef in your freezer back home? Or is it buff? Don’t be surprised if the Delhi Police drops by to say hello. You never know if your neighbour tells on you. And the cops may just say it’s a ‘law and order’ problem, given what happened in Dadri.
Members of the Hindu Sena, deeply offended by the beef fry served at Kerala House in Delhi—its famed dish— promptly informed the Delhi Police, which decided to take necessary action. They even entered the kitchen. Following this, several establishments known to serve sumptuous ‘beef fry’ have clarified that they serve only buff, which comes from buffalo and not beef, which comes from the holy cow.
Predictably, there was much furore, with protests staged even at Kerala House (which will continue to serve its beef fry). Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy expressed his anguish over the act, as did Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee. Chandy also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister to ‘rein in the cops who had no business raiding the premise’.
Most establishments in Delhi and in other cities only serve buff. Ultimately, what must be kept in mind is that it’s food, on someone else’s plate. The Delhi Police should not have acted in haste. Even if it were a privately-run restaurant, certainly there are far more pressing issues to look into and resolve.
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