We Eat What We Sow: A Simple Village Story with a Powerful Message

Are you a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian?
 Have you ever paused to think why you eat what you eat?

Our food choices are deeply shaped by culture, society, geography — and as one insightful village story reveals — even by what we grow.

The Invisible Connection Between Agriculture and Eating Habits

Anthropologists have long studied food habits across societies. Food isn't just sustenance — it's identity, tradition, and a reflection of how communities evolve.

A friend once shared with me a fascinating observation, sparked by a concern from a villager in a remote hamlet.

This villager lamented a change in his community’s food pattern. The roadside tea stalls that once served simple, vegetarian puffed rice snacks, were now replaced with flashy stalls selling chicken kebabs.

You could call it the effect of globalization, or maybe a shift in local taste. But his explanation was deeper and more profound:

"We eat what we sow."

A Village That Once Lived on Paddy

A few decades ago, this village thrived on paddy farming. Thanks to good rainfall and a well-fed lake, rice cultivation met the needs of the entire community. Farming wasn’t just a livelihood — it was a legacy. There was no greed, just a rhythm of life that respected nature.

The entire local economy — though no one called it that — revolved around the paddy fields. Alongside rice, the village produced puffed rice and its derivatives, feeding not just stomachs, but also small-scale local industries.

Every evening, farmers returning from the fields would gather at thatched tea stalls at the village’s edge. The common snack? A warm cup of tea and a handful of puffed rice — simple, nourishing, and tied to their soil.

And Then Came the Change

Over time, rainfall became erratic, farming less rewarding. The youth sought other professions, and landowners began switching to more "profitable" crops.

Paddy gave way to maize. Why? Because maize needed less water, promised faster yields, and offered better Return on Investment (ROI).

But here’s the twist: people didn’t eat maize. Chickens did.

With maize production booming, poultry farming followed. Chicken feed was readily available, and soon, chicken dishes — once rare or occasional — became everyday food. And so, the tea stalls serving puffed rice gave way to permanent stalls grilling chicken kebabs.

The result?

If you grow paddy, you eat puffed rice. If you grow maize, you eat chicken.

A Lesson Hidden in Simplicity

This village tale might sound anecdotal, but it carries a broader truth:

✅ Our food habits mirror our environment.
✅ Agriculture shapes culture.
✅ Economic shifts redefine our plates.

So next time you wonder about vegetarian vs non-vegetarian diets, or the rise of fast food in rural spaces, ask:

What are we sowing? And how is it shaping what we eat?

At the End,

"We eat what we sow" is not just a proverb. It's a social theory. It’s a window into how deeply our food, economy, and values are connected.

As globalization and climate change continue to shift farming patterns, we’ll see even more changes in our diets. Understanding the roots helps us make more conscious choices — for our health, culture, and planet.









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