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Old 24-10-2015, 04:42 PM   #18
internetpremi
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Default Re: शाकाहार

Thanks for keeping the discussion going.
The debate on food habits of various nationalities and religious/cultural and racial groups will be never - ending and may never be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Let me tell you a little more about my experiences in Korea. I was posted there at the Shipbuilding Yards of Samsung Heavy industries for three months in 1993.

Being warned that maintaining one's vegetarian habits will be very difficult there, I had carried a whole suitcase of Indian provisions and spices and masaalas and did my own cooking with locally available vegetables and fruits, bread, milk and cooking oil.

During frequent parties that my Korean friends would often invite me too, I used to practically starve and eat only ice cream and fruit juices if available and munch on bread slices or cookies/biscuits and nuts if available.

These Koreans are notorious for their food habits. Nothing is forbidden. Anything that walks, runs, crawls, flies or swims is edible and they even pick up fresh live fishes or crabs from glass water tanks in restaurants and order it to be cooked and served to them. They have a simple criterion. "If it moves, you can eat it."

The westerners (Americans mostly) were disgusted with their eating habits and often criticised them for eating dogs and cats. In America, these animals are household pets and lovingly cared for. The Americans were truly horrified to see Koreans eating these animals.

I often used to see some graffiti on the walls of public toilets, scribbled by these American Expatriates (soldiers and technical experts mostly) making fun of the local Koreans for their food habits. Since they did not want to create unpleasantness by talking to the Koreans, they would often resort to these crude methods of making their disgust known.

The Koreans were just not bothered about what the rest of the world thinks of their food habits.
I knew this was a sensitive subject to discuss with them and I avoided any discussion or giving my opinion for the first few weeks till one of them who spoke better English than the others finally agreed to discuss this subject with me.

His opinions were very revealing. He was talking sense.

It was his opinion that the Americans and Europeans were being totally illogical in their stand.
He told me, that I, as an Indian vegetarian, was more logical in my views and he respected it. Since I avoided all meat as a matter of dietary policy or principle, that was okay. Each community draws a line somewhere and sticks to this "Lakshman Rekha".

But once the west was willing to eat an animal, how could they decide which animal was okay to eat and which was not as long as the flesh was edible.

When cows, goats, pigs, chickens and fish could be killed and eaten without mercy, why stop with those animals? What is wrong with eating dogs and cats? They are also animals like the others. He claimed that dog meat and cat meat and snake meat was highly nutritive, and tasty and some believed that the meat had medicinal value too. Besides they did not eat their pet dogs and cats. They chose only stray dogs and cats or chose to breed them for food. As far as snakes were considered no one kept a snake as a pet. The same American would kill a snake if he encountered one. So what if the Korean went further and also ate it? At least Koreans don't do wild life Game Hunting like the Americans and Europeans do. Whatever the Korean kills , he eats.

I was convinced by his argument that every society is okay as long as they have chosen to draw the line somewhere and stick to it. We should not be quarelling on this issue. We, Indian vegetarians have drawn the line at grains, vegetables and fruits and dairy products like milk/curd/butter/ghee. Vegans draw the line even closer and avoid all animal products like milk and eggs too. Orthodox Jains avoid onions/garlic and any vegetable that grows under the ground. Most non vegetarians draw the line after including sheep/goats/cows/chickens and fish. Muslims and Jews exclude the pig. Hindu Non vegetarians exclude the cow. The entire world prohibits human flesh.

"So, why does the rest of the world have a problem with the line that we draw for ourselves and do not impose on others" asked the Korean.

I shook his hand and thanked him for explaining to me. I had no answer to his question.

Regards
GV

Due to shortage of time I wrote this in English. Writing in Hindi would have taken me much longer. Please pardon me.

Last edited by internetpremi; 24-10-2015 at 09:33 PM.
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