How often does it happen that you are taunted because you can’t break a bone? How often are you assumed to be the weakling of the group in need of protection, because you don’t share the Chicken Tikka with your friends?
From India’s west where people don’t eat potatoes and onions in Gujurat to India’s east where people eat almost everything, our country has immense freedom for the diet.
Then why do the vegetarians face stigma and discrimination among their friends and colleagues.
“You don’t have to wait for the cook na? Grass and leaves can be eaten raw also.”
“Won’t you feel hungry again soon?”
“How do you get enough energy from your food?”
“Listen, order only for yourself. We won’t share your tasteless food.”
Some people blame the vegetarians for global warming. They say the vegetarians are eating up all the plants and trees, and are the main cause of deforestation.
“Don’t you even feel like tasting meat?”
“Where do you get your proteins from if you don’t have eggs and fish?”
Another common joke is that they will add non-veg to your diet without your knowledge and covertly convert you. Do vegetarians threaten you with broccoli or cabbage?
From Miley Cyrus to Jenna Dewan Tatum, Natalie Portman to Liam Hemsworth, all are vegetarians. They get their proteins from lentils, soya, beans, paneer, and nuts.
(Image credits: vergecampus)
World renowned chefs like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Tal Ronnen and Laura Theodore have created gourmet cuisines with vegetarian ingredients. Some dishes like the dosas in south and paneer recipes in north India are proofs that tasty food is a possibility for vegetarians also.
On this Hug, A Vegetarian Day, let’s appreciate the diversity allowed in our society, and let your vegetarian friend eat what he prefers.
