The Eternal Food: Gastronomic Ideas and Experiences of Hindus and Buddhists

The Eternal Food......Page 1
Contents......Page 6
Note on Transliteration......Page 8
Illustrations......Page 9
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 14
Introduction......Page 15
Food as a Subject of Study......Page 16
Self-Evident Truth......Page 19
Three Major Discourses......Page 21
A Comprehensive Food Culture......Page 24
Toward A New Turn: Critical Food Studies......Page 30
Notes......Page 32
References......Page 34
The Cultural Language of Food......Page 40
(a) Food for Sustaining Life . . . ahara*, bhiksa*, and vrata-upavasa*......Page 43
(b) Saint's Healing Foods: sant prasad* sé dava* aur duva*13......Page 47
(c) Super-Foods with Sadhus, Yogis and Devotees: alaukika prasad* and sukrta* phala14......Page 48
Experience and Expressions......Page 51
Foods with Saints......Page 54
Notes......Page 56
References......Page 61
2 You Are What You Eat: The Anomalous Status of Dog-Cookers in Hindu Mythology......Page 66
Classifications of Food and Jati* in the Manu Smrti*......Page 68
Betwixt and Between Svapaca* and Brahmarsi*: the Rajarsi* Visvamitra*......Page 72
The Epic and Puranic "Visvamitra* Cycle" of Myths......Page 76
Heterodox Subversions of Orthodox Codes Concerning Food and Marginality......Page 87
Conclusion......Page 90
Notes......Page 94
Primary Sources......Page 101
Secondary Sources......Page 104
3 Sharing the Divine Feast: Evolution of Food Metaphor in Marathi Sant Poetry1......Page 107
Jnanadeva*: The Bliss of Bhakti Yoga......Page 109
Namadeva*: The God's Pal......Page 112
Ekanatha*: The Brotherhood of Sants......Page 115
Tukarama*: The Solidarity of Bhakti......Page 117
Notes......Page 121
References......Page 125
4 Mountain of Food, Mountain of Love: Ritual Inversion in the Annakuta* Feast at Mount Govardhan......Page 128
Festive Menus in Krishna's Landscape of Memory......Page 132
Myth, Ritual, and Place at Mount Govardhan......Page 134
Symbols of Mediation......Page 136
Frame Switching......Page 140
Symbols of Inversion......Page 141
Annakuta* Food Practices......Page 143
Conclusion......Page 147
Acknowledgments......Page 149
Notes......Page 150
References......Page 153
Introduction......Page 157
God, Food, Life: The Cosmological Triangle......Page 159
Food for the Gods......Page 161
1. The Personality of Murukan......Page 167
2. The Winter Pilgrims: Nattukkottai* Cetttiyars*......Page 171
3. Pancamirtam*......Page 174
Process......Page 175
Conclusion: God as Rasam......Page 177
Appendix: God Murukan's Daily Feeding and Bathing Schedule......Page 179
Notes......Page 180
References......Page 182
The Ingestion and Transformation of Food......Page 189
Rasa: The Essence and Relish of the Aesthetic World......Page 192
Food in Sri Lanka: Variation on a Classical Theme......Page 196
Notes......Page 206
References......Page 208
Background......Page 211
Gross and Subtle......Page 213
Model I: Axiomatic and Ontological......Page 215
Model II: Transactional and Therapeutic......Page 216
Model III: World Critical and World Redefining......Page 219
Synthesizers......Page 223
Overview......Page 226
Notes......Page 227
References......Page 228
8 Food for Thought: Toward an Anthology of Hindu Food-Images......Page 231
Food Cycles......Page 232
Entropy and its Products......Page 235
Distinctive Features......Page 238
Figures of Food......Page 243
Filthy Lucre......Page 244
Food Metaphors......Page 247
The Karma Eater......Page 250
Taste Makes a Difference......Page 252
The Fastidious Brahmans......Page 253
The Gift of Food......Page 254
References......Page 259
A......Page 261
B......Page 262
J......Page 263
M......Page 264
P......Page 265
S......Page 266
V......Page 268
Y......Page 269
Contributors......Page 270
A......Page 272
C......Page 273
D......Page 274
G......Page 275
K......Page 276
M......Page 277
P......Page 278
S......Page 279
V......Page 281
Z......Page 282