What You Eat at Restaurants
By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
4 February 2026
With the emergence of dining out culture, the cases of cancer and heart attacks have also emerged considerably. Have you ever given a thought to what you eat even at posh and swish restaurants? Mind you, seldom, if ever, does one get fresh nonveg food even at the best restaurants. Even vegetarian preparations at hotels are often stale and at times even smelly. The cooks at hotels are so skilful that they can cook anything and you won't be able to make out. They know the tricks and don't throw away anything. There's an Italian proverb, 'A master chef can prepare sumptuous meat balls out of rotten intestines.' He sure can. An English cook famously said that he could make a delectable omelette out of an addle-egg and no one could detect. But he wouldn't be held responsible for what would happen after eating such an omelette! If mutton or cabbage is not so fresh, chefs add vinegar (sirca) to it. Vinegar can cover up or mitigate the offensive smell. Cashew paste with a spoonful of buffalo milk can soften the hard chicken. Asafetida (heeng) with coconut milk can make a hopelessly rotten fish taste divine at hotels! Powdered coriander is an antidote to the offensive smell of rotten vegetables and even meat. Cardamom with ground peels of lemon can balance the sourness of slightly decomposed meat! Bay leaves with fenugreek can dispel the smell and staleness of red meat and paneer (cottage cheese). The paste of cucumber seeds can mitigate the extreme sourness of curd.
A pinch of tamarind with olive oil can change the bad taste and smell of refrigerated veg food items! Do you know, these handy tips are taught at many hotel management institutes. This is a part of curriculum at catering institutes even abroad. It's respectably called 'food innovations'. One of my friends had tried button mushrooms at a posh restaurant in Poona. It was tasty but he suffered afterwards because the mushrooms were stale. Fortunately, he didn't suffer from acute food poisoning because substandard mushrooms can even be fatal. Even in an Army mess, the quality of food may be better than that of a hotel, it's not irreproachable. One anonymous Major General, who retired from ASC (Army Supply Corps), admitted that the food served even at officers' mess could at times be below par. Often the meat is not that succulent. Very few airlines serve really fresh food. Air India has always been an offender on this count.
Only British Airlines, Alitalia, Qantas and a few others can be trusted when it comes to the quality of food on board. Yours truly once tasted smelling Lahori Aloo on a PIA flight from Karachi to London. So, think twice before trying mutton, chicken, fish, pork or even vegetarian dishes at hotels and restaurants. You may be served some stale meat or smelly cauliflower that may land you in a hospital with an upset tummy. Lastly, always eat in your senses, prefer home-cooked food and focus on your food, not on TV or cell phone. Eat less and chew more as it would reduce the chances of gaining fat. Always eat a variety of food rather than eating only red, white meat or vegetables. If possible, refrain from eating non-veg food whether at home or outside. The increasing fad of gorging non-veg food at hotels and restaurants is responsible for all types of ailments that have cropped up in the past two decades, precisely in the new millennium.
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A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/what-you-eat-restaurants/d/138716
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