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Showing posts with the label Indian cuisine

Decision Making as Output and Bounded Rationality

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  The classical economics theories proceed on the assumption of rational agents. Rationality implies the economic agents undertake actions or exercise choices based on the cost-benefit analysis they undertake. The assumption further posits that there exists no information asymmetry and thus the agent is aware of all the costs and benefits associated with the choice he or she has exercised. The behavioral school contested the decision stating the decisions in practice are often irrational. Implied there is a continuous departure from rationality. Rationality in the views of the behavioral school is more an exception to the norm rather a rule. The past posts have discussed the limitations of this view by the behavioral school. Economics has often posited rationality in the context in which the choices are exercised rather than theoretical abstract view of rational action. Rational action in theory seems to be grounded in zero restraint situation yet in practice, there are numerous restra
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The Story of Indian Food

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  There was an interesting article appearing here on the origins of the popular Indian breakfast the dosa. It goes without saying that Indian food has origins in perhaps most unexpected of the places. The article seems to posit the origins of dosa in Bidar district of Karnataka or at least the recipes were described by the rulers there almost a thousand years ago. It is common knowledge that dosa perhaps originated in the Tamil country but this puts a new theory to play. In this context, it would be interesting to examine book “The Story of our Food” by K T Achaya published by Universities Press (2000). The author does trace the story of our Indian dining table to the Harappan civilization. While the author does add credence to some myths on contributions of others especially the Islamic rulers and the Arab world to the Indian cuisine, the book does touch upon interesting pointers that drove innovation in the Indian kitchen. Therefore, an examination of this short book might well give
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Indic Cultural Exports: Way Forward

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Cultural exports, numerous shortcomings apart, defined both US and British successes positioning them as a sort of aspirational society at different points of time. Interestingly at one point of time, French was a symbol of elitism in British society. To enhance the chances of upwards social mobility in British milieu, one had to speak and act French. It was not unlike Urdu of current Indian liberal elite described in the piece “ Urdu and Anti-Establishmentarian Movement: Dominant Strategy ”. Within a century or so, Britain could turn the tables around and emerged as the cultural superpower across the world. While Britain might be in a terminal decline, its colonial hangover lies in the cultural sphere where its bouquet of creations still pervade across the world. From dress sense to cricket to hill stations to way of life, British cultural creations perhaps stood way above the rest.   US as it expanded into a military superpower developed its own complement of cultural offe
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