Waiting for the cows to come home

Ever wonder why people in India don't eat beef? Have you ever seen bovines in India? If you do, you'll never wonder again.

I'm in India previously to do some network upgrade stuff at the US Embassy. The driver who picks me up from the hotel and takes me home each day offered to take me on a tour of old Delhi. It's was... enlightening to say the least. I enjoyed the historical stuff, but Holey Moley! what a mess, and the bovine population is just roaming around at their leisure, blocking traffic, snacking on the shrubbery and looking rather disreputable. Ne'er hath mine eyes beheld less appetizing critters than doth walk thither!

I asked the driver what they were (being somewhat unskilled in bovine identification).
"Those are being bulls", he replied.
"Hmmm... bulls?" said I. "You mean like water buffalo?"
"No sir," he replied with a bobble of the head. "Those are being bulls, like your American cattle."
My mouth opened. My brain froze. My mouth closed. My eyes watered (but that was just from road dust). My mouth opened again as if to say "uh...?"
He looked at me in the rearview mirror and laughed at the 'shocked disbelief 'apparently stamped on my forehead in large block letters.
Then he smiled and said, "Now you know why we are not eating them." Bobbled his head some more in self-satisfaction, and took me back to the hotel where I very carefully avoided eating beef for the rest of my trip.

These "bulls" don't graze in pastures. They aren't owned by any farmers. They just sort of wander around whither they will, single or in pairs, and are fully integrated into the anarchy New Delhians call rush hour.

Mangiest animals I've ever seen that were still up and moving under their own power, albeit with about as much motivation and energy a bear in hibernation. They all look in desperate need of caffein.