The fast mushrooming of mid-night mutton, beef, and chicken biryani shops dotted almost all over the city. Targeting IT professionals, night owls, night shift employees, and people returning after viewing movies is a genuine concern for health-conscious ones. The majority of the people have become addicted to this mouthwatering dish which Muslims are running.
Earlier, people in Tamil Nadu ate Biryani prepared at home only on Sundays, or festivals, or when in-laws visit their houses. They won’t eat on New Moon, Full Moon, Tuesday, Friday and Saturdays, fasting days like Shasti. During the Dravidian rule, the leaders started giving a quarter of a liquor bottle and a packet of Biryani to cadres who attended its public meetings, campaign and party related gatherings. It is a time tested method to woo workers by tangling these freebies.
Biryani is a rice dish, which has roots primarily in the Muslim community and is cooked differently in different parts of the country.
In Tamil Nadu Madurai Muniyandi Vilas, Thalappakatti , Madurai Devar mess, Ponnuswamy hotel are famous. While Thalappakatti is known for its peculiar taste, almost all of the villagers near Madurai set up shops all over the state with similar names by offering the same quality cuisine which they have been doing for generations. They are household names. Unfortunately, the business competition from Muslims has thrown them out of business, and many are jobless.
After successfully establishing a monopoly in Textile, garments, footwear, hardware, electronic shops, tannery and leather sectors, mutton stalls and now biryani shops, they now offer Hydrabadi, Mogul, Ambur, tender coconut, earth pot, Bamboo, Dindugal, Thalacheri, Malabar, Lucknow, dumdum biryani etc. which are tempting ones taste buds. No street, gully, or road in Chennai is without biryani outlets. There are mobile vans and stationary pushcarts. In some areas there is a cluster, and people stand in queues to buy it. The latest addition is the midnight biryani stalls in Chennai, mainly targeting IT and night shift employees, and cine-goers. Now people, who ate once a week and avoid particular days, have become regular customers eating twice a day with family, alone or with friends.
It is a dangerous trend or we can call it a cultural terrorism or Biryani jihad on the native cuisine. During iftar parties and other Muslim functions, Hindus attend in full to taste the Biryani offered by them without knowing slowly. They have become addicted to the Biryani and give the Muslims an upper hand to indulge in conversion other unlawful activities. In Tamil Nadu wine and Biryani can do wonders to achieve your goals.
Many do not know the nuances of halal certification, spitting on the dishes and using rotten inedible mutton, beef, cat, dog carcasses. In Chennai 2,190 kilograms of meat shipped from Jodhpur to Chennai raised suspicions whether the consignment was that of dog meat. The long tails on the carcasses, sparked multiple questions. There are numerous instances that happened in both Central and Egmore Railway stations. There have been complaints about unhygienic preparations, mixed with a birth control pills – a way to cut down Hindu population.
What triggered a stir is about messages that went viral in social media that late-night biryani shops were functioning with the sole objective of causing infertility. It has happened in Sri Lanka. Indu Makkal Katchi chief said people become infertile after eating Biryani. But health officials debunked this after alleged inspections.
Close on the heels of a girl who died in Kerala, TN Health department raided Shawarma shops in Madurai and seized decayed chicken. 14, who ate Biryani from a shop, was admitted due to food poisoning. One comment by Gee Van in social said Arabian food items customaries to Dravidian model like hot decayed foul smelling carrion is a delicacy popular in TN.
Social media activist and HR consultant Saravanaprasad Balasubramanian’s Facebook was blocked after his posts. In an interview to the youtube channel, he said as part of night travels, “I found a lot biryani shops doing roaring business beyond midnight with more than 200 customers waiting for their turn to buy. It was not a one day scene and my regular observation raised questions. I found Youtube channels and a leading TV channel are promoting biryani sale. There are 40,000 midnight biryani shops in the city and are not getting the meat from government approved slaughterhouses. Of this 40,000, only 10,000 or so follow quality control rules and hygienic ways. Others do not have FSSAI certification which is a must. The food cart vendors may not be there if anything happens to you and there is no guarantee to your life. There have been instances and the media hushed up deaths. Go and ask any dietician or gastroenterologist on eating Biryani during midnight times and if they say no harm would happen, then I will remove my post and offer an open apology”.
He said “Biryani contains heavy masalas, ghee, oils which cannot be easily digested and will create hormonal imbalances. I am not targeting any particular community. Thousands of people abuse me on Facebook in filthy language, threatening me. I am a big fan of Biryani and am against eating it at midnight only. What concerns me is the sudden rise in numbers and the associated health hazards and ailments. Regular eating will affect digestion power, water collection in your lungs, and heart issues. Biryani is an overrated food with more fat content. They also use formaldehyde (formalin) soaked meats. The number of goats, chicken slaughtered are not matched with the proliferating biryani shops. They may use beef or other animals. Officials have confiscated dog and cat meat and perished chickens. Food cell can only prevent this adulteration. Why are they pushing Biryani too much? It concerns me. In one place in Chennai there are 4,000 midnight shops. It is a business tactic to woo more and more customers”.
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