Mahek this is true but it’s also true that they have servants in India in every household including middle class that has tons of help to cut the vegetables and clean. And to also fresh grind ginger and spices, etc. When my relatives visit the US from India and try to cook three meals a day they get exhausted because they don’t have any help. They always say they don’t know how we work so hard here because the daily grind is crazy in the US since we have no household help.
I completely agree with your point that fresh food is best. But as someone with a home in India, and in the US, I can see that it’s simply not possible in the US to replicate what we get in India. You can cook fresh here three times a day but then there are many other things that you would have to skip because you don’t have time. Like socializing, or doing charity work, or self-care in other ways.
There are only 24 hours in a day and realistically there are so many hours needed for cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping. Even with food prep, and being a fast cook. So I have seen Indians who come to the US and maintain that cooking schedule for the first couple of years and then they become like the rest of us and have to resort to freezing batches in the freezer or having leftovers for a couple of days.
It sucks but the offset is that we have human rights in the US where people who cook or clean in peoples homes are paid fairly and have enough time off. The situation of maids in India keeps me up at night constantly. They are not given proper days off in the week and they are worked to the bone from morning to night. And I’m talking about even good households who are kind to their servants.
Because there are not proper labor laws, people naturally take advantage of those in the lower class - especially because maids tend to be young women they don’t speak up.
That said, I completely agree with what you are saying. That doesn’t take away from your message.. it’s just that treatment of lower class in India is one of my greatest sorrow - in addition to the suffering of animals for the enjoyment of humans. These two things give me so much grief. So, as I was reading your article, it just reminded me of all of my issues with maids and their plight in India.
