Opinion: Tourists Eat Beef Before You Come To India?

It seems as though we just can’t stop talking about beef (pun intended)! From the spat of protest brought on by the beef ban in Kerala to ludicrous comments being directed at beef eaters, we’ve seen it all. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon. Beef looks like it’s set to be a staple in the news (if not on our plates).

Recently, the Tourism Minister, Alphons Kannanthanam, while responding to a question posed by a journalist on whether the beef ban would affect tourism in India, said: “They [tourists] can eat beef in their own country and come here. This is a cock-and-bull story.”

While his comments lead us to believe that an end to the beef ban is nowhere in sight, he also commented, “People don’t come to India to eat beef.” Although we’re all for the lack of double standards (seriously, why should we be the only ones who suffer) his words seem to point toward a larger narrative. A much harder stance on beef consumption.

Ironically enough, Alphons Kannanthanam hails from Kerala, the state which, arguably, raised the most dissent toward the beef ban. All that aside, he was also a strong advocate of people’s “choice to food”. Unironically, we wonder how India would response if another country banned the use of spices in cuisine. After all, we don’t go to (insert generic tourist destination) for the curry.