Food is a matter of expression. It is as much a matter of culture as of belief and living.
I don’t eat beef. Neither does anyone in my family. I would even shy away from touching it. However, we respect any other person’s choice to consume any food of his liking until it doesn’t harm the society and is not against the law.
As long as you don’t want to kill and eat a protected animal like the Tiger or a Bison ( against the law), or want to take up cannibalism or slaughter in an unhygienic environment ( harms the society) I don’t have any problem with anyone around me eating either beef or pork or a cockroach.
I think most Malayalis understand this.
PS: That said, there is also a perverse political agenda behind all these food brouhaha. Beef festivals are often lauded by many in the State, while pork festivals attract stiff resistance. Anyone who genuinely respects food choices should be tolerant of all such choices. Both reactions are extreme and unhealthy. Also, there were reactions to the recent circular by the Union Government where slaughter of animals were conducted openly without any regard to humanity. All these extreme actions, I think, should be curbed.