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 What are Dalit recipes, and how have they been archived and reproduced?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)