Meta perceptions: the ideas we have about other’s ideas about us. Some think about this. Some are haunted by it. And the rest don’t care I suppose.
Talking about vegetarianism is difficult for me because I am far from being a vegetarian. However, what leads me to write this are my friends who are. I have different kinds of “only veg” friends ranging from no tomatoes, no garlic to only fish and egg vegetarians. What is green about fish and egg, I wonder.
It is difficult to explain to my vegetarian friend what is so great about eating other animals, and taking other lives as she puts it. I counter by saying – it’s not animals dear, neither have we taken any lives. They are meat; one, and we rear them so that we eat them. It’s like planting green vegetables in your kitchen garden, only to pluck them later.
It’s odd talking to her about meat and fish. It rings in my head: She doesn’t know the taste of meat. You must find me odd; she says sometimes, that I don’t eat any of those stuff you really relish. I ask her: Can you imagine a person who thinks eating apple and bananas and potatoes is sin? I raise my eyebrows and give a smile, wondering what she thinks of me? Metaperceptions.
Being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian boils down to issues like ethnicity, caste and creed, or religion. It’s more about that rather than ones own belief or an individualistic stand. The majority is “born” a vegetarian or a meat and fish kind.
However recent trends have seen shifts toward the vegetarian kind giving it the benefit of being healthier and pure. However, it is difficult living as a vegetarian in a society where every house you go to has either meat or egg to offer as the side dish. This is drawn from my one year of experience as a vesgetarian, which I should not deny I enjoyed except the too frequent squabbles at each family gathering in or outside my own home.
Non-vegetarians among their vegetarian kins are scorned in their extreme extent as untouchables and vegetarians are looked with awe among their meat and fish eating pals. I always wonder why?
It is still difficult in more meat-eating families like Newars, and vegetarian families like the Marwaris, to accept the other eating habit in their daily menus.
However, among friends it is always enjoyable having diverse culture and a mix of thoughts, opinions and culture. I have savored many meals of vegetarian diet, and happily been introduced to the other side of happy eating. It is a pretty delicious idea for those stuck to the hard and fast meat kind to try such palate pleasure once in while.
(article drawn from personal experience)
2 comments:
My dad was a vegetarian for many years and I think that that kind of eating was partly to blame for his untimely last year at the age of 62. It's hard to say. Neverthless, he believed strongly in his vegetarian ways.
It was supposed to say his untimely " d e a t h " , but I'm using a public computer that deletes certain words for some reason. It's really annoying.
Post a Comment