What Happened to Our Meals?

Fast food now rules young appetites in Kashmir. Reviving local food traditions offers a path to lasting well-being.

- Subzar Ahmad Reshi

I grew up seeing food as a form of love. My grandmother cooked with ingredients that always had a story behind them.

Fresh produce came from nearby farms, grains were ground at home, and fruits and vegetables were dried for winter. Noon chai paired with homemade bread. A simple bowl of millet or maize kept people going through long days.

No one counted calories or talked about nutrition. Health came from the food on our plates.

Today, I feel worried when I look around. Home-cooked food has lost its place in many Kashmiri lives. Lines outside fast food stalls grow longer every month. Even toddlers know the flavour of packaged chips better than the taste of a simple recipe cooked at home.

The change did not arrive overnight. It slipped into our everyday life until we started accepting it as normal.

I teach students who survive on fried snacks, sugary drinks, and restaurant meals from early morning until late evening. Many leave home without breakfast. They rush from school to tutoring centers and grab whatever is sold outside. Their parents try to cook for them, though their efforts often lose to catchy ads and shiny wrappers designed to make junk irresistible.

Health reports from hospitals tell a harsh story.

Obesity, hypertension, and diabetes show up earlier in life now. Doctors speak about teenagers with high cholesterol. Many young adults take daily medicines for issues that once appeared only in old age.