Tomatoes Perched High
The luscious, ubiquitous tomatoes have always painted every kitchen red with their abundance. The more of these in food impart the needed tanginess and a deeper, visually appetising red colour, making people smack their lips in anticipation. But never get fooled by such colours in a budget restaurant. You see, it’s a fantasy world. If there was a slight hint of tomatoes in your soups and gravies before, it might be just the colour now! If in the past, tomatoes were stored in open ventilated baskets in our kitchens to be consumed frequently, it now fights for space in the refrigerator, to be used sparingly.
A race has begun. Vegetables are inching toward the price of fruits. Once upon a time, it was the onions that fought and rose as a strong contender! They have retired for now with no imminent threats of a comeback. However, the jolt from the fast moving and perishable tomatoes is hard to digest. What could be some possible outcomes of this situation?
Many Indian households may still not afford fruits, but satisfy their minimalistic needs with some seasonal vegetables, tomatoes being on the top of that list. Despite scientific explanations, one remains confused whether this wonder product is a fruit or a vegetable. It is categorised as a fruit but consumed as a vegetable! But now that vegetables and fruits are competing neck and neck on price, it makes the choice between fruits and vegetables easier with simple unapologetic reasoning—if we have to pay such a high price for daily vegetables, we might as well try out the hitherto unaffordable fruits now priced at par! Thanks to the unabated price-rice inducing people to voluntarily adopt a self-psychological arm twisting tactic, catapulting all into the affordability bracket.
Consuming fruits have fringe benefits too. We don’t have to spend time cooking, waste fuel, clean dishes and so on. All we need is a knife. Sometimes not even that. But, wash them well we must! For that is another story alien to none! I am referring to pesticides, cosmetic polishing of fruits, chemical ripening and the likes. Besides, if business houses can resort to cutting corners when prices of raw materials go high, shouldn’t so a homemaker, who in reality is a top-notch fund manager not only looking for cost-effective quality alternatives but also believes in enjoying less stressful times outside the kitchen!
And there is more, such as the fantastic possibilities of slimming down, and the extra dose of micronutrients granting new radiance to the hair, eyes and skin. So how about using this adversity to get on to a fruit diet at least for one meal a day? Just as mad-fad diets don’t last long, good and bad things don’t last for long either. And rest assured, the price of tomatoes won’t stay unfriendly for long. Till then, we might also strengthen our friendship with the not-so-healthy ketchup, perhaps that’s cheaper! Or, should we be warned that this partial goodness too shall pass, becoming price sensitive! Well, what might trigger the next goodness or madness is the eternal quest of true seekers.
The search is on. Only, the waiting seems endless! Patiently going with the flow for one’s own mental sanity may not be a bad idea but raising one’s voice for better price stability is a good idea.
PS: What if we grow tomatoes at home, even if only in small quantities in our balconies for our personal needs and minimise the purchase of this vegetable, er, fruit! It will, in a way, be similar to our independence struggle, where under Mahatma’s instructions we spun our own khadi to oust the expensive mill-made, imported cloth of the colonialists. Will it keep the prices of tomatoes in check?!
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