Some people 'live to eat' and others 'eat to live'. I being a bong ( a bengali ), feature primarily in the first category though, sometimes when my lunch / dinner is purely vegetarian I tend to migrate to the second one (Tuesdays in BITS Pilani and when my mom cooks spinach and other bong veg delicacies).
Food to me is not just 'food' it is more of an 'art'. It is less about cooking and more about how the taste and style blend in with the mood. When I used to study for the dreaded 'IITJEE' my mother used to make my favourite dishes to keep me changa (healthy) and in the best of my moods. It was then that I found out that food could actually make my mood lighter and swing it from bad to good.
Food to me is not just 'food' it is more of an 'art'. It is less about cooking and more about how the taste and style blend in with the mood. When I used to study for the dreaded 'IITJEE' my mother used to make my favourite dishes to keep me changa (healthy) and in the best of my moods. It was then that I found out that food could actually make my mood lighter and swing it from bad to good.
But this post is not about how food is important in my life, it is more about the incessant questions of
"Soumabha, why do you eat non-veg? You are harming (actually more like killing) the poor animals..."
But no, I don't feel guilty about butchering these animals and eating them. Yes, it is wrong to kill them, but all I am stating is that I feel quite comfortable with the chicken and the mutton being diced in shops. As far as I am concerned, we rear them in farms and coops and so in no way are we harming the actual population of chickens or any other species. It is quite similar to what vegetarians do with the rice paddy fields or any other crops, they plant it one season and harvest it the next. If we are cruel then so are you !!!
"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it."This excerpt is quite clear but in no place does it mention that eating meat is wrong. If God had so willed that all the species should live harmoniously together then why did he ever put the appetite of non-vegetarianism into our forefathers? As the tiger consumes only meat does it make the least liked species to God? I do not think so...
Scientists say non-vegetarian food doesn't get the required nutrients and a few of my other friends seconded them. Now to all those people with such misconception please know that we are higher up in the food chain and if we don't get nutrients then you veggies should actually be malnourished !!! Why do you think sportsmen are advised to eat non-veg ? The rich protein supplements from fish and meat are necessary for the heavy strain and exercises they go through.
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2012/01/are-there-any-logical-reasons-to-choose-vegetarianism/
ReplyDeleteI'll also go through HELP
Delete1. Health - I am in no way advocating that slaughterhouses feed Cows grains,my post is whether we should eat non-veg or not and not about how cows are treated like children in Dharavi slums... About the diseses point check my next reply.
2. Nutrition - You are referring to us as carnivores, on the other hand we are omnivores. A good steak is served with vegetables, bread, rice and all other food. You mention those 5-6 lists of good protein rich vegetables but tell me do you eat them daily ?? If you consider nutrition I can hands down claim that we have a better and balanced diet otherwise coaches would not recommend sportsmen to develop their muscles by eating non-veg rather than lentils,chickpeas and peanut butter.
3. Disease - Heart diseases are caused due to excess blockages from cholestrol present in the red meat like mutton, pork, beef and not in chicken which is white meat. This harmful cholestrol is also present in chips, coke , any fried food, butter and the list goes on .... so not entirely our fault. ( PS - I have heard of vegetarian people having heart diseases too, so unfortunately we will not be able to erradicate by just switching over to vegetarian diet)
Cancer point , I agree to it but the chances are very minute that it is entirely caused due to meat. Yes similar to the pesticide point we take in more carcinogenic materials but it is not the case that every non-veg eating humans are affected by cancer. Non-veg just increases the risks as you have pointed out.
4. Pollution and Environment - These pollution levels are significantly lesser than that of factories, but yes it is alarming that we play a role in increasing the world pollution.
5. Livestock - Again my post doesn't deal with how poorly the animals are kept. This is a concern for the Animal Rights activists...
6.Poverty - "more land is used for growing fodder for livestock than for human food". So more land is used for growing fodder for human food than for human food... this should make sense now. Here the Spiritual Scientist suggests that we all change to vegetarian due to this... instead why don't you guys change to being meat-eaters?
Overall the environment pollution and poor conditions in which the government should create some legal laws so as to solve these issues.
http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2011/12/think-before-you-eat/
ReplyDeleteI have tried my best to not bring about any sarcasm into this reply as the Spiritual Scientist seems like a good guy who is simply stating his view.
DeleteLet us go about this point by point:
1. Nutrition and Anatomy - While I have heard people die due to excess alcohol, smoking and drugs, I have never heard anybody dying and people say " Oh!! He died as he ate too much meat". While I agree with the pesticide point, it is actually due to the pesticide being sprayed on the plants as a cow will eat lots of grassm the pesticide in ppm grows to a high amount in his body. This is passed on to us as a 'side-effect'. As the Non-Veg spidey would say - "With great nutrition comes greater amt of pesticide"
2. Health - He quotes Scientists and I think you have already seen the pic above so I'll not venture into what scientists say...
3. Environment - "Meat eating also has hazardous effects on the environment, such as forest destruction, agricultural inefficiency, soil erosion and desertification, air pollution, water depletion and water pollution." Here the meat word should be replaced by plant rite?
4. World Hunger - This point is the only point which raises some concern, but more the land used to rear livestock, lesser the price and more people can afford it... Economics and Price-Availability curves will take care of this so I don't think we need to worry about this.
5. Quotes - People are entitled to their views as I am to to mine.
sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
ReplyDeletemūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāḿ brahma mahad yonir
ahaḿ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
transltion
It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
krishna clearly states that he is the seed giving father.A father would never like any of his sons being killed.As far as the sloka u have mentioned krishna was very clear what he wants only we have misunderstood it when krishna metions flower fruit or leaf only these he didnot mention fish meat etc, This people had understood but as time passed by people started to interpret many things according their needs take bhagvat gita as it is there is no problem.
I am not suggesting that Lord Krishna eat Tandoori Chicken... I agree with you that he states what he would consider a worthy gift - a flower , leaf.... Like we go and tell the waiter in the restaurant " Bhaiyya , ek Alu parantha dena".. its quite similar.
DeleteAs to the point of Lord Vishnu being the seed giving father - let me remind you that plants have lives too so, if you don't want to hurt the Almighty.. stop eating plants too..
All interesting points and may all beings find peace and happiness. Here is a site that may help you see sportsmen (and women athletes) a little differently. Thank you!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.greatveganathletes.com/
Great site... :)
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