Wheat flour - the connoisseur's delight

by Afreeha Jawad

Be it a wayside kiosk, cafe or high profile hotel, one is sure not to miss out on the high degree consumption of starch and oil - needless to speak of rising numbers of diabetics and heart patients.

Come to think of it wheat flour has some sort of magic in it for devoid of such one cannot even dream of any gourmet's delight - spring rolls, Quiche Loren, souffle, trifles, Black Forest, Rum and Raisin nut brownie, tarts, coffee gateau, Modeira, Mocca, Nuggets - Oh! the list is never ending, none of which is a reality with rice flour - or is it that we do not have the necessary technology to equal the magic effect coming off wheat flour.

Whatever that may be one thing for sure is wheat flour currently enjoys global supremacy in the world of culinary delight. But the punch lies here - the world's agenda setters while delivering that kind of connoisseur's delight also are quick on the follow up - what with those tongue twisting brands of drugs so speedily churned out to treat diseases that strike the wheat flour obsessionists with diabetes taking the lead.

Significantly, the food and drug industries are two major rollicking income generators. While one creates disease, the other treats and who keeps these rewarding reservoirs going? - certainly we the world's populace. We consume what agenda setters generate. Incredible but true, a sort of thriving on large-scale ignorance.

On the rise is people's big time fancy to munch one thing or another - mainly savouries and sweets. Not to be overlooked in this is the alarming rate apart from wheat, the consumption of oil and sugar as well. In an interview with the Information Technology Institute it was disclosed sometime back of the inclusion of lin seed in making all kinds of vegetable oil.

Now, this component according to ITI personnel is used heavily in the paint industry. I leave it to reader imagination what negative impact it could have by way of health erosion - the only available alternative being coconut oil which credentials are intact provided it is made in one's home. Asking for too much isn't it considering the gymnastics of daily living? By the way, NERD assuredly was a place manufacturing coconut milk extracting machines - supposedly out of production now though started off with a big bang - typical Sri Lankan style of doing things - but there it is - all fact not faction.

So where do we go from here. Either we build up sufficient emotional strength to fight the increasing moral degeneration that doesn't care even a fraction of a tuppence for social well-being or yield to it by having a go on all of the system's offering in sub standard food only to find the beneficiaries being big time mudalalis in the medical industry. Thriving on other's ill-health, riding in chariots, residing in manors is to their favour and past time.

But my moot point is this. Why wait for some sickness to grip us. The old adage prevention is better than cure could never be so apt as today.

Incidentally, a widespread contemporary belief runs like this; 'Why worry, eat as much as you can. There's a drug for every sickness!' Talking of drugs, it was only the other day over radio I heard a medical doctor say something stunning. While drugs treat sickness they also deposit large amounts in the body which in later years gives rise to other sicknesses despite a certain percentage of its release from body waste - allopathy's weak point much to Ayurveda's gain.

Resorting to Ayurveda as a last resort is no panacea for all evil - something akin to asking feathers from a tortoise - for its very nature being not of instantaneous results but of its practice as a life style which brings me to square one - a lid on fast food!