The Noodle Trap

Maggi - In a Soup !

Noodles..the soft, hot, slurpy golden deliciousness which has been the life saver for many a tourist or a beaten, dog tired office goer or its yummy taste bringing a smile of happiness to any child's face...is declared not healthy and unfit to be eaten by any self - respecting Indian. Sigh...why, why? I have loved it, revelled in it and today feel a sense of loss. But I have also known that it is not healthy and should be had in small quantities and infrequently at that. But for it to have acquired this godzilla like killer reputation..nah ! 

I am not for a minute suggesting that errant companies should not be held accountable or that big business should be allowed to steamroll the lesser mortals, traders etc. On the contrary I am demanding that a stringent quality check be done on every single commodity that we consume..be it solids, liquids or gas. The state and status should not be mutually exclusive criteria.

When I do this and apply the strict code of health, business morals, integrity..I am appalled ! Nearly everything we eat, drink and breathe are contaminated, then why target this one? What triggered this witch hunt - like pursuit of a company whose innocuous looking product had become a staple diet for many?? Why did Nestle become the whipping-boy? A babu who got his tail trod on or a rival greasing the palms to oust this giant?

The air we breathe, the water we drink and every single grain and vegetable we eat is toxic, with suspended impurities, bacteria, pesticides and what not..the list is pretty alarmingly long. However, the government is silent on these killers. What precipitated this hounding of a brand which has been a part of the Indian kitchen for over 3 decades now, especially in the recent times - when in households where both parents work, children can return home expecting a steaming bowl of Maggi rustled up in 2 mins...convenience and fatigue-free instant gratification has won over conventional cumbersome cooking, nutrition is the firm casualty but no one wants to know. Our body has been made by God to withstand severe abuse, I am sure he knew the fickle pleasure-loving humans would always veer toward the easy to take path. But everyday abuse is bound to show its effects. Blame today's time strapped households who have more money than sense and the acceptability of processed food in all its avatars as being "in" with the times and everyone from the parent to child is happy having adopted this "time saving miracle" - add to it the advertising where with 2 bowls of corn flakes you get a skateboard flat abs in a few weeks, or an aata noodles which is equivalent to 2 rotis, or the numerous offers on burgers and pizzas which lull you into  a sense of well being and popular acceptance..you are a cool parent and a junk - happy teen whose waist line is growing with his age. Even rotis to idlis, chicken nuggets to fish fingers, everything is available in heat and eat format..in fact a powdered milk product is being advertised as being better than good ol' cow's milk as it is more consistent (do I hear the cows moo in disgust?). So parents and society have to take equal responsibility in taking a its-ok-to-have-it-once-in-a-while thing and making it a staple diet. 

But why is the Govt suddenly being the oh-so concerned  big brother? History has shown differently.

 Take alcohol or smoking...it is known for decades now that regular abuse of these will certainly spell doom, so what was the solution for these 2 two money making products of the govt. treasury - post a warning, put up some ads before a scene depicting someone smoking or drinking and making it illegal to smoke in public...but have they been banned? No way ! They are the big ticket items which can make or break economies and the reigning or potential contenders to the throne will leave them alone, as touching these is playing with fire. So an ITC will win for itself a CSR award despite churning out death filled rolls and liquor majors will own Cricket teams and propagate that they support the ecology and are green by making their team wear green colored uniforms for one match (sic) but barring an occasional rap on the knuckles for their straying from the straight and narrow,  banning it? God forbid ! The exchequer would go screaming and fish tail in to red and the stock markets will have a free fall resulting in a bear of a headache for all...so what has been proven irrefutably doesn't get banned but the comparatively lesser known evil gets sand bagged.

Can we have one policy for all? As a nation who breathes in more pollen than the bees, and a people who have iron clad constitutions thanks to a regular dose of various contaminants in our daily intake of food and water...be fair across the board and let Maggi stop advertising itself as manna from heaven available in 2 mins and put advisories on the packets calling it what it is.. flavored starchy wrigglies...with lead, MSG and a few other choice alphabets thrown in for good measure and not ban it? Or better still do R & D and see if they can get rid of these ingredients which have got them egg on their face? And kick all the mommies and daddies out there who are raising their kids on such rubbish, get their collective asses in gear and start cooking some honest-to goodness salt-of-the earth home cooked food as we, our parents and their parents before them did allowing the gen-next to grow and make such dumb mistakes? Because at this rate most edible and tasty stuff will be off the shelves. Boo hoo. I love my Maggi and have never eaten it on a regular basis but on a rainy night, with a cold wind howling..there's nothing like this bowl of hot sunshine yellow goodness to put the warmth back into the very soul...!! Here is hoping for the best and to have dear old Maggi back with us shortly.