Controlling the Private Space: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Majoritarian Vegetarianism in Gujarat, India

Food practices and access to space in the Indian context are deeply shaped by caste and communal relations. By engaging in autoethnography, this article dives into the lived experience of the author during his search for accommodation in Ahmedabad. Through an analysis of his experiences, he explores how access to spaces is not only conditional on one’s caste but also on conformity to dominant, majoritarian food norms and how surnames in India are more important than names, as they hold your caste/religious identity and work as a litmus test for landlord/landlady. This article contributes to the growing literature on food studies in India and its relation to caste, religion and space.