At this point, few are poor enough to not afford the cheapest protein available.

Info: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/comment/25631871

For example, I hail from the north-western region of India. We eat a lot of lentils, beans, and pulses. Once, I sat down for dinner with three of my coworkers who hailed from the eastern regions, near the Gangetic delta. That is a historically impoverished region, with rice making up the vast majority of their calories.

I, alone, ate as much lentil stew as the other three combined. I am not particularly gluttonous. They just aren't used to eating lentils as anything other than flavoring for their mountain of rice, whereas for me rice is just the means of transport of lentils down my gullet.

It is very hard for an Indian to not afford enough lentils, pulses, or beans. The government gives them away for free as part of rations for those too poor to afford them.