"We love Vegetarians
More Beef for us"
said an Ad in a magazine. Surrrr.... climbed anger on top of my nose but then gotta agree with the Ad. guy's kurumbu!!
A few years back a friend and her husband visited us. My friend's husband's work involves a lot travelling abroad, entertaining clients etc. He told us about the many awkward situations he had faced being a Vegetarian. He even seemed to be upset with his parents for having brought him up a Vegetarian!!! As if they would've known he would be living abroad, entertaining foreign guests!!
During my school days, most of my friends were NVs though they hardly brought it to school lunch(not sure if it was not allowed). But I was never the fussy(nose-shutting!), complaining(aiyo!) Vegetarian like some others. Even used to go so far as to boast that I was not afraid to eat it if I got a chance. Even argued with everyone about how plants have life and how we, vegetarians are killing life too!!
Once during our Sports day function which was held outside of the school campus, a friend brought some NV food and said, 'I got it especially for you. You always wanted to try it, isn't it?'. It sure was a great chance but I just couldn't bring myself to eat it! Was it fear of going against my parents? my religion? or Mohandas Gandhi's lesson? I don't know!
As a child, many a statistics had taken me by surprise. Like Christianity, the largest followed religion in the world(I used to think, only 'MV' is a Christian in my class then how come??') or Chinese the most spoken language in the world. Similarly, the statistics about Vegetarians.
Setting foot outside of mother-land, began a whole new challenge. Reading the miniscule sized ingredients list in every can/container, missing parties b'cos they have to order 'special' food for our sake, amusing others etc. As always, I don't have a problem with NVs as long as they respect mine. Many a times I have wondered how if not for those people who can survive on anything and everything that I am able to sit comfortably & read, learn about the many things that I wouldn't dare to travel to/experiment.
As it is, flight journeys are tiresome and a nerve-wreck for me. Once while flying BA, we were stranded in London due to bad weather and had loitered in the Airport nearly 10 hours. My husband, the ever calm and super-understanding personality that he is, had been 'sorry for interrupting' to find seats for us the whole time. Suddenly, just 20 mins before the flight departure, they called us to board the flight. In all the confusion, we forgot to mention about our Vegetarian preferance at the time of the check-in. In flight, when we asked for Vegetarian meals, the way they created a fuss about us not informing at the time of check-in!! OMG!
Anyway, the idea to this post was born when I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the many Vegetarian restaurants(not just Indian cuisine) in the Atlanta area. I like to try new cuisines, new dishes and if it is fully Vegetarian, I can experiment without fear and drag my husband along too!!
18 comments:
vegetarianism implies compliance with ecological communism.
It is definitely getting easier being a vegetarian. I have been initiated but never took to it. I recently read an article which mentioned that the 'need' to eat meat is no longer necessary. The amount of protein a body needs can easily be satisfied without killing a bird or 2. But that is just me. To each his/her own.
yeah I hav had similar instances but as Munimma says, I too feel tat vegetarianism is gainin more popularity...
Some points
1) In a meal with a group of friends or a team, the NV's have an advantage because they get to have their dishes as well as the veggies'.
2) For people like me [who just have chicken/egg in the NV category], answering the question "Are you a veggie or non-veggie" in a meal with a group of new friends is a tricky affair.
..@ lunch i go to subway...my sub is prepared atleast by 4 ppl...most of the time every person touches the meat before serving me...and it is not possible to ask them to change their gloves during the peak hour when atleast 15 ppl are standing behind me....now comes the classic dilemma...& u know what it is....[type adika bore adikidhu]
..while going out with friends.... i ordered a veggie fried rice at a indian-chinese place....it came with chicken...i went and complained and they took the food back and in 5 mts my veggie fried rice was ready....i am 100 % sure chicken was removed and they gave me the same stuff...[ctrl C ctrl V last line of prev para here]
..once i ordered bean chalupa and it came with just a small beef piece in it...
yebba evalo periya comment..idhey nan oru postaavey potrukalam...
I've seen this happen many times. The ticketing agency for my-company used to book Asian Veg Meal for all flyers and NVeggies used to ask for an NV meal in exchange while onboard. It's the travel agent's duty to ask this info at the booking time itself.
I too was enamoured by Indian desi restaurants till I learnt that most of the dishes are recycled and "refurbished" to last 3-4 days.
A few NVs have tried to make me eat meat or chicken. Sometimes they claim that I've eaten NV. I always irritate them by saying that they are eating carcass. Saying that they eat the dead somehow manages to prick them. Ofcourse I don't do that to my otherwse countless NV friends. Just to those who tend to look down on vegetarians.
I, another Leftie connection, eh?
Munimma & KC, right! The presence of Chinese Vegetarian(which I thought were mutually exclusive!) restaurants proves it!
B(K), Your first point reminds me of an incident that happened in a tour when a person from the Veg. group(and they were in majority for once)who brought the only Veg. item available at that hotel to our table earning the displeasure of the NV group!
me, I used to 'safely' order soups until I found out that chicken broth is used widely in all soups!!
ttm, we do mention our preferences(veg meals, bulk head seating) at the time of booking but always make it a point to reiterate at the time of check-in. Indian restaurants, be it desi or swadesi, that is the norm!
JC, tit for tat! Good for you!
Good one at the right time.. Surya, after seeing so many lives being taken away (and so much blood) has decided to turn vegetarian for sometime atleast..
Then, there is Madhavan who is doing a propaganda on vegetarianism ..
~5 years ago, I was gutsy enough to tell a Mallu Christian prof. that I am such a strong vegetarian who cant even tolerate the smell of meat.. the expression on his face.. paavam..
The fitter animal kills and eats the weaker one. Food chain 101. Why read too much into it? It's just a matter of food choice.
There is a place in NYC that serves vegetarian chicken, pork etc. They are all made with soy and apparently made to taste exactly the same as their NV counterparts. I guess its for people like you since you'd like to taste but not feel guilty.:-)
...one of my chinese friend kept recommending abt this nv tasting soy stuff...
hey deepa have u had any of those...
me too, talking of non-desi restaurants, there's a very good one(forgot the name) near Dunwoody/Chamblee area which has a great salad buffet spread. The ice-creams are multiflavored and just gorgeous and it was just $7-8.
Raju, wow! Semma news(adhenna sometime atleast?)!
Prasanna, yes, the world is waking up!
I, you go tiger!!
Deepa, no! I didn't mean the fake NV items. I want to try regular Veg. items of other cuisines without the fear of what 'me' has listed.
me, me not into fake NV items!
ttm, do you mean Veg. only restaurants? Anything from this list?
sorry, none of the names look familiar :( it usually has a long line during lunch on weekdays, and rarely frequented by desis.
ttm, seriya pochu!! The next time you come by this place, find out!!! Aama, sollitten!
Dont think its possible but as compensation I can give a link to download 50 songvideos of Aamir if u like!
ttm, why? no more via ATL? Anyway, ippo link, later name!! :)
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