I am sure that some hardcore Hindu fundamentalist will object to it.. Ahmedabad's Temples Recycle Coconut Offerings to Restaurants
Source <http://www.infoahmedabad.com/2008_06_26_archive.html> AHMEDABAD, INDIA, September 3, 2013 (infoahmedabad): Having south Indian food can be a spiritual experience, if you are in Ahmedabad! If you are wondering what is the divine connection in idli or dosa, it is in the coconut chutney that is a must-have with any south Indian delicacy. Few food connoisseurs in the city would know that the coconut chutney served in restaurants across Ahmedabad is made out of offerings made by devotees to temple deities. The fact that Amdavadis are a very religious lot has kept a steady supply of coconuts to restaurants. "An average sized coconut costs Rs. 10 (US$0.15) in the market; it works out to be much cheaper to buy broken coconuts from the temple," says the owner of a restaurant on Ashram Road. For Rs. 10 a restaurant owner can purchase six half coconuts from any temple. When the sriphal (coconut) is made as an offering, only half of coconut goes back to the devotee -- the rest is retained by the temple to be given away as prasad. "There is a limit to giving out coconuts as prasad because the intake is so huge. If the coconuts are allowed to lie around for a couple of days, they begin to rot. So, we decided to sell these to restaurant owners," said a priest of a temple in Satellite. According to a rough estimate, on Saturdays and Sundays, an average of 150,000 coconuts are offered at big temples in the city. This is then recycled to restaurants for making chutney. In the same manner, the coconut husk is also bought by traders for making ropes. -- With best wishes S Chander -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
