One of the chief manifestations of the Hindu preoccupation with purity and pollution is in rela- tion to food and its preparation. This is particularly the case with the orthodox among the higher castes. R.S. Khare in his detailed study of the eating habits of nine selected caste groups in the Lucknow-Baiswara area of Uttar Pradesh confirms that despite urbanization and the breakdown of the traditional joint family, a substantial percentage of his respondents were indeed deeply concerned with the ritualization of the eating process.
October 1976, volume 1, No 4