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International Cuisine Conference on Traditional Asian Diet
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Hei
There is absolutely nothing special about the Goans except that they can
associate themselves with the place Goa.
As a people the Goans have nothing to show for themselves. It is a divided
society with petty delusions of grandure.
I have been brought up a catholic by very devout parents. I was born and
lived abroad most of my life. Given my experience of the christian religion
I believe that blind faith has helped lull our minds into a soft and
spineless society.
I was on holiday in Goa and found my parents entertaining a German priest.
Of course I ignored the man. But I did have time to quiz why a German priest
would be spending his time in Goa when he had better things to do in Germany
both from a religious and social point of view.
As I said I was bron and bred abroad in Africa and Europe. I have to say
that it is an insult to be associated with the Portuguese. They have been
the most incompetent of all the european colonialist.
The goans have had more association with the British. The British partiality
to the Goans has been for selfish and not alturistic reasons. Goans only
have high esteem when in the company of other goans and never when in the
comany of his masters. There is nothing to be proud about being Goan.
I did not know till quite in my late teens that there were Hindu goans and
worse still that they were in the majority. When I met one they were no
different to any christian goan with the common goan phobias. The goans took
themselves abroad and a microcosm of Goa with them. So you have a little Goa
in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Canada, USA and UK whereever a size goan
community exists.
The only way the goan has known to survive is to serve or at best overcome
the mine field to prevent them from taking up to professions. The goan
community is only a venue to exaggerate achievements and to pick up any
stray news of what others may be doing. It is a sad way for a community to
operate. But that is how it is in all goan groups. The worrying thing is
that wise goans are not all that wise. That is the sadest fact of all.
It took me by surprise that goans have the same attitudes in Goa too. It
comes as no surprise to me that Goa is overrun politically, economically and
socially by anyone but the little goan.
I recall my next door neighbour being imprisioned in Fort Aguad as a
political prisoner of the Portuguese. I cannot remember ever that my parents
encouraged us to applaud the man as a national hero. Yes Sir three bags full
Sir was the order of the day of most goans. A mangloreian I moaned to about
my parents lack of guidance in the political field may be have helped me
understand their position. He said you cannot know how difficult it was for
them to survive and raise their children in an environment they understood
so little about. I can see he was right and makes a good case for my
parents.
The Goans have to do better then bank on their religions and enslaved
positions. Goans have to stop being escape artists. The family unit is the
goan's greatest strength. It has survived the test of time place and
occasion. What we need is to breed a spine and guts starting from the family
to encompass all goans of worth to be a viable respectable society.
Individuals are important but a united group has much to say for it. Most
achievements in the world have been made by made by groups and brilliant
individuals have set it alight. Sadly the goans are too small minded and too
limited culturally to ever attain greatness.
No matter where one comes from one has to be proud to where you belong. That
being the case I guess I have to be proud to be a Goan.
smirky
