Indian thali (thali refers to the steel plate that you see above) is well designed and scientific. It satisfies all the taste buds as per Ayurved. Has all the macronutrients as per modern medicine/nutrition science. Is eco-friendly, diverse, and tasty!
Any day, I would prefer an Indian thali. One exception....the unlimited thali in restaurants. It is a food orgy. I think the Gujarati thali is really difficult to digest in terms of the multiple assaults on your stomach every few minutes. The number of items is stupendous. It is a buffet on a plate. In this case you don't even have to burn a few calories fetching it from the Buffet. The food walks up to you every few minutes....that too with complex signaling to avoid any traffic jams while serving. Does not matter the jam that you are causing in the stomach.
French translator mode: Buffet is the sideboard/table on which the food is served. That's how the word originated.
Obesity/overweight is a big concern for India and the world. Ecology too is a big concern. Times of India has an excellent page today covering Food and Ecology. How ecology is being destroyed for food and how food is destroying our ecology, opps physiology.
Our food environment has got messed up and our health has got messed up too. Food environment is what we eat, what food we find cheap and affordable, what we see, what our friends eat, what's easily available in market.
Inventing a new acronym - WYSWYE (pronounced vyswe) -- WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU EAT!
Well-known environmentalist Sunita Narain has written a powerful article in the Times of India today (page 22) on Indian diets and how Indian food is sustainable (environment friendly).
Indian diets were both scientific and sustainable -- these must be saved
Article by Sunita Narain in Times of India today (January 9, 2021 Saturday)
Here are my notes from this article.
India's diets were closely connected to the local ecosystem. Individual health, local foods and seasonal factors were a part of our diet.
Indian diets recognized that food is medicine.
Monoculture diets is where everyone eats rice wheat and hamburger.
Our diet was disrupted by market forces.
The disruption is happening because of the power of markets, food companies and food commodification.
Earlier we were taught about hot foods, cold foods and seasonal foods. We eat dry fruits in winter to give us warmth. They are not a summer food.
Food has come to mean overindulgence.
On a daily basis we should eat local foods and seasonal foods, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes. Indian cuisine has antioxidants and probiotics.
Do not be discouraged by small point food labelling. Labels with no information or information that is of no use to us.
We need a tremendous change in our consciousness. Rise of junk food and foods high in salt sugar and fat in India is concerning.
India has a huge problem of obesity and food is responsible for it.
Indian food was medicine once now it is poison.
Desi Khana is Best -- Order of Eating
Ananth Kumar @ananthkumar on Twitter feels that Desi Khana is Best Khana. He tweeted:
Sequence of eating items is also well defined in desi khana starting from appetite trigger till digestives..Desi khana best khana
He then elaborated:
Take the example of a typical Udupi sathvik meal served in family functions. They contain a minimum of the items below.They are served in the same sequence and eaten in th esame sequence.
1.Abbhigara or Ghee or little payasam to kick start .
2.Kosambari(salad)
3.Less spicy chutney
4. 2-3 Palya (subjis) with locally available veggies like Tonde kayi (tendli, tindora, ivy gourd), suvarna gadde (suran, elephant foot yam)
5. Pathrode (patra, alu vadi, colocasia leaves fritters)
6. Chitranna or lemon rice
Most of the above items are eaten without rice. Then comes main course of Rice, Tambuli, rasam, papad. A few digestives like menaskai (veggie dish made with red chillies and coconut), sour mango ras. Another round of rice and sambar, majjige huli for able batsmen..
Meal doesn't end without sweets like laddu, payasam and snacks like bonda, chakkuli (chakli).
Finally butter milk or curds for better digestion.
It's not mandatory to eat all. Depending on your taste and preference you can choose. If eaten moderately this is a complete meal covered with most veggies, pulses everything.