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Anand Ramayya is caught between two worlds as a Canadian born Hindu. On the one hand, the cow is a sacred animal to his cultural ancestors. On the other hand, he was brought up eating beef - which is his favorite food - and he has married into a family of cattle farmers, whose livelihood depends on that continued want of beef consumption. Upon the birth of his first offspring Owen Ramayya and his want for Owen to have a safe supply of food, Anand views critically the state of the cow in society, most specifically the disconnect that seems to be happening between the traditional role that cow used to play in different parts of the world, and the current global crisis in the safety of food, beef most specifically with regard to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), better known as mad cow disease. In Canada, Anand talks to cattle farmers - including his in-laws - and research scientists to see what has changed in farming and processing practices over the past half century that has led to mad cow and other issues with safety in consuming and processing beef. In India, he speaks to people involved with the role of cow in Hindu society. There seems to be global pressures for India to get into the beef export business with the economic benefits to the few at the greater societal cost. Although the discussion about what is happening in Canada and India are different, the path to which they are leading and the source of the problem seems to be the same.—Huggo imdb.com