India, Aug. 30 -- I'm on a getaway, ostensibly to recharge, but really to escape the cacophony of buzzwords that have invaded every nook and cranny of modern life like a swarm of unruly wasps.

Organic, vegan, curated, sustainable, zero tolerance-these words flutter around me like moths to a flame, relentless and impossible to swat away. I had planned to write this column after my return, but these verbal gremlins kept tapping on my skull like a particularly persistent woodpecker, so here we are!

Living in this world is like being a fox in a henhouse of pretension, where every salad leaf is handpicked with the precision of a surgeon, and every oat milk latte is crafted to the tune of vegan hymns. You're either the top dog or the unfortun...