This episode flips the script on caste and food by celebrating and exploring the food practices of caste oppressed communities. Is there such a thing as “Dalit cuisine?” Do Dalit chefs and food enthusiasts accept this term? What are Dalit recipes, and how have they been archived and reproduced? Can food be a site of caste abolitionism? The two guests on this episode – Vinay Kumar and Rajyashri Goody – who self-identify as Dalit, offer their own personal reflections on food and food politics.
Topics covered in this episode:

Min 0:48 : The caste system in India
Min 3:38 : Meet Vinay Kumar
Min 4:10 : Meet Rajyashri Goody
Min 7:37 : Caste and food
Min 10:14 : Is there such thing as standalone Dalit cuisine?
Min 12:32 : Access to food (and lack thereof)
Min 14:49 : Where there are no butchers, there are cinnamon buns
Min 19:56 : When elite words are applied to Dalit food
Min 25:49 : The complexities behind the idea of a Dalit cookbook
Min 27:43 : Limitations to a “recipe”
Min 31:19 : Balancing moments of joy and struggle
Min 35:15 : Food as protest and resistance

Learn more about this episode of Bad Table Manners at www.whetstoneradio.com, on IG and Twitter at @whetstoneradio, and YouTube at WhetstoneRadio.
Guests: Vinay Kumar (@thevinaygreen), Rajyashri Goody (@rajgoody)