Family history, of course, has its proper dietary laws. One is supposed to swallow and digest only the permitted parts of it, the halal portions of the past, drained of their redness, their blood. Unfortunately, this makes the stories less juicy...
In "Midnight's Children," Salman Rushdie presents the idea that family history comes with certain restrictions, much like dietary laws that dictate what one can consume. Individuals are encouraged to accept only the acceptable parts of their past, metaphorically represented as halal portions, which suggests a filtering of stories to remove their raw, intense emotions and truths. This process of sanitizing history leads to a loss of richness in family narratives.
The implication is that by only embracing the palatable elements of our legacies, we miss out on the depth and vibrancy that comes from fully acknowledging our experiences, including the darker or more complex aspects. These "juicer" stories hold essential truths that contribute to a more authentic understanding of one's heritage, reminding us that the entirety of our history, with all its imperfections, is vital to our identity.
