Veg or Non-veg

Hal

Inspired by some questions and comments I've heard about the Indian diet, I thought I'd ask what the relationship is between the veg or non-veg diet and the Hindu religion. I don't mean to offend, I just want to figure out what the dietary practices are in India, so I can possibly avoid offending people later

Some Hindus tell me they are mostly veg, maybe they eat chicken, mutton or fish once or twice a week, and sometimes they fast on certain days - which means not eating meat and certain foods, rather than a complete fast.

Others are strictly veg and they avoid restaurants or kitchens that serve any meat. I asked one acquaintance if they had tried Karim's in Old Delhi, and they were somewhat shocked that I even asked them, since it is a meat-heavy menu. Someone told me that the Hindus who are strictly veg are usually Brahmins.

Is there a simple explanation for dietary preferences related to religion? Or a good reference I can read?

shashank.aggarwal

There is no simple explanation. And there is not term as "Mostly Veg". Either you eat Non veg food or you do not eat it, regardless of the frequency.

I am a vegetarian, but I like to eat eggs. I also go to Karim's or other "meat heavy menu" places, where I find veg food to be good. But you cannot expect the same from my family members, my mom will not even enter a place with serves non veg. She doesn't eat mushroom, because it gives her a feeling of non-veg.

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Travelogue - Around India

skk

What a hell of complicated topic. I can only enumerate the factors, not the proportions involved and different factors trump others - my list is not hierarchical.

1. caste - brahmin or not.
2. coastal versus inland region.
3. modern versus traditional families.
4. types of acceptable non-veg - fish and|or eggs and|or chicken and|or mutton and|or ( o the horror ) - beef. But there's no non-kosher aspect to shellfish as far as I am aware.
5. regional variation independent of being coastal/inland.
6. Nowadays versus various pasts, going all the way back to very ancient times.
7. gender.
8. wealth.

Clear as mud ?

-skk

burf

gender???
wealth???

Hal

So are there varying degrees of vegetarian in India?

In North America, a "vegan" eats no animal products at all, including honey, and they don't wear animal products like leather or wool. A "lacto-ovo vegetarian" eats eggs and milk. A "lacto-vegetarian" just eats dairy, no eggs.

shashank.aggarwal

A Vegan and Vegetarian is different. If I eat eggs, I will not be considered a vegetarian by my family. And Actually no one knows about it..

A proper Vegetarian in Indian sense would consume Dairy products but not eggs.

PeakXV

An Indian colleague who immigrated to Canada in the 1970's and a strict 100% vegetarian all his life came within a whisker of chomping into a McD's Cheese Burger because he took that menu item listing a bit too literally.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

skk

Well, yeah I'm enumerating the "risk factors".

-skk

nayan

Main classifications......

Jain vegetarian - no meat(any kind), no fish, no seafood, no eggs(not even in pastries etc), no root vegetables(ie potato, onion, garlic, carrot etc).... orthodox Jains

Pure Vegetarian - no meat(any kind), no fish, no seafood, no eggs(not even in pastries etc)... many north and south Indian Brahmins

Vegetarian(the less strict kind)- no meat(of anykind),no fish, no seafood, sometimes eggs(usually outside home). ... less orthodox brahmins...and loads of others

Ordinary Non vegetarian - meat(mainly chicken and `mutton`... ie no beef or pork), fish, seafood(prawn,crab etc), eggs. Diet is predominantly carb rich though..... the non veg item is eaten in a small quantity along with the staple(rice or roti) and vegetable dishes. ..... most bengalis(irrespective of caste) and loads of others

Absolutely no food restrictions - eats beef and pork too..... very few among hindus.

tanyalynne

Actually I've been wondering about this topic as well. I'm vegan...I know avoiding meat won't be a problem and by the sound of it eggs as well. But dairy? Will I starve if I don't cave in and decide to eat some yogurt/butter/milk/cheese?

And also, are people pretty understanding when it comes to veganism? Is it a fairly common way of eating in India?

shashank.aggarwal

Veganism is not common here and is pretty unheard of.

And I guess Nayan has summed it up beautifully.

skk

I was pretty sure vegan was a Western thang - I'd never heard of it growing up in India, nobody in my subsequent circle of friends and relatives are one. I checked the wiki:

The word vegan, pronounced /ˈviːgən/,[11] or /ˈvɛdʒən/,[12] was originally derived from "vegetarian" in 1944 when Elsie Shrigley and Donald Watson, frustrated that the term "vegetarianism" had come to include the eating of dairy products, founded the UK Vegan Society.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism


-skk

tanyalynne

Alrighty, that answers my question. Thanks guys!

I guess I'll try my best and see how it goes.

Any others vegans out there have a hard time with the dairy factor?

jyotirmoy

Yes Nayan has summarised it quite nicely. With time the old order is fadin.... sang Dylan.
The eating habits are undergoing rapid changes at least in the urban areas. People were much more conservative when they lived in joint families. With nucleus families working couples many a taboos are no longer taboos add to it the exposures and interactions among the work group and friends.

kalyani68

Many veg Brahmins will also avoid onions and garlic.

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