Appreciate his sense of humor. But, most folks are taken in by these generalizations about TN, Kerala and India in general. Go abroad and they all think ALL Indians are veggies. Tell them that more than 75% of Indians are non-veg and you'll get an incredulous look. I am a pucca veggie guy and have faced myriad problems travelling abroad trying to get a decent meal. So, I can imagine the hectic preparations of Vadukut's first boss. In Bangkok, they even call vegetarian foods as veg duck and so on. Unless theres that non-veg flavor at least in name, folks cannot swallow the stuff. Hilarious for us. Well, you have to be a veggie to know how tough it is abroad. Now, with increasing Indian tourists, things are improving with the Macdonalds in London serving veg samosas, though exhorbitantly priced.... good article, if people have a sense of humor.
RE:Full of generalizations - but a funny article
by Madhusudhan N.R. on Feb 06, 2008 05:15 PM
Rediff goofs up the title - where is mention of China in the entire article??? Japan. Wake up, Rediff editors
its very stupid and boring article I read ever I guess... and who told this fellow that chennai is core of idli,dosa, sambar etc..its actually orginate from Udupi,a place in karnataka...moreover mallu's are not so hardcore non.vegges like tamilians...
RE:so stupid and boring article...
by on Jan 21, 2008 04:43 AM
Seems like a stupid misunderstanding on your part.
He says and I quote "It is a popular belief that Tamil Nadu is chockablock with hardcore Sambar, Idly and rice consuming vegetarians. The diametrically opposite belief holds true for Mallus.
But even by popular, and exaggerated, standards ..."
There was a time when slavery was considered fine. In the distant past, cannibalism was an accepted practice. Sometime in the not too distant future, vegetarianism will be required by law in civilsed societies.
RE:Sometime in the not too distant future...
by Vishal Jadhav on Jan 09, 2008 05:03 PM
and btw...the so-called civilised societies are banning smoking in public places.....but they cant put a stop to the manufacture of the same....which is a sure shot way of stopping people from smoking!!...guess the lure of money is too great to do it!!
RE:Sometime in the not too distant future...
by Vishal Jadhav on Jan 09, 2008 04:56 PM
What have u been smokin dude???...that was funnier than the article!! lolz
guys...we have to realize one thing. in the western context "meat" means red meat. it DOES NOT include white meat (like chicken) or fish/seafood. all western studys about the ill effects of meat are carried out on red and fatty meat (beef, pork etc), which is high in unhealthy cholestrol. but till date no study has claimed that sea food is harmful to health. seefood is hailed as one of the most complete sources of protein and Omega 3 fatty acids. lean white meat is also a great source of protein and no study has disputed that. indian vegetarians proclaiming the ill effects of non-veg food either ignore this truth or are ignorant of it. if only anyone has travelled outside india, they woould know that in most countries, "vegetarian" may include sea food and sometimes chicken too. the nearest word for "vegetarian" in the indian sense is "Vegan" (which is also not entirely right since "Vegan" diet should exclude milk products too).
as far as india is concerned, the only state where vegetarians out number the meat eaters is Rajastan. and tamil nadu is a state with one of the highest consumption of meat (incl chicken n seafood) in the country.
To all who thinks they are virtuous because they are veggies, and Non-Veg are killers...please think again. Do you people use leather items? it is animal skin killed to make a bag or jacket or shoe for you. And what about silk cloth? a live silk worm is immersed in boiling water to have the cocoon seperated so that we can wear nice silk clothes.(And dont tell me by life, u only mean a goat or a chicken) So please dont make moral judgements about Non-Veg people
RE:Nothing to do with Virtue
by Rationalist on Jan 09, 2008 04:18 PM
I agree that inspite of vegeterianism you can't avoid using animal based product like leather, silk or even honey for that matter which humans claim right on. But one feels if that is not enough one has to be a vegan and not the other way as you mentioned. If you can'tn be the best(vegan) try to be one or atleast better(veggie) but not bad(non veggie). Do'nt have negative pessimistic attitude. We are not apes that we cannot understand what harm we are causing to other specis around us.
RE:Nothing to do with Virtue
by Vishal Jadhav on Jan 09, 2008 05:00 PM
Doesnt seem rational....choosing the lesser evil...evil is evil....no grey shades....just black or white1
if ur reason to not eat meat n seafood is caring for animals....then do not use any products which use animal parts or for which they are killed.
RE:Nothing to do with Virtue
by Rationalist on Jan 09, 2008 05:31 PM
I'm not saying about me. What I'm asking is not to justify killing animals to eat. If you want do it fine but don%u2019t try to justify saying vegiterians are also abusers so that makes no difference.No, it will certainly make a difference & you have to accept that.It is about less evil or more evil. It is about the difference you can make. When you have substitutes available there is no need to use animal products like today you have synthetic leather, rubber,plastics.So make use of them. Any ways I do'nt use talcom powder(though I do'nt know about presence of fish bones, I beleive not to use materials that are not necessary)
RE:Nothing to do with Virtue
by Kohinoor Gupta on Jan 10, 2008 12:42 PM
anyone heard about bone-crystallization (where are the VEGGIES?) ... animal bones are used as bone-charcoal and for crystallization of sugar ... yo veggies go have a trip to any sugar mill and have fun.
RE:Nothing to do with Virtue
by S Ramanathan on Apr 15, 2008 08:09 PM
I think the key is doing what is practical. Would I avoid meat, yes. But would I go to difficult lengths, probably not. Many people do not know about the crystallization process. I have met (vegetarian) people who avoid using crystallized for this reason. Apparently mishri (hindi for lumped sugar) is used after taking out the thread. Others who cannot avoid it do use it but use mishri for the elders and people they respect. Also, it is environmentally efficient to avoid meat products as meat is a secondary product. Is it virtuous to avoid inefficient food in these time of crisis and shortages? I think so. A chicken consumes much more than the vegetarian meal that it replaces. This is actually true in the animal kingdom as well. Most giant species are not predators (whales, elephants, giraffes etc.). Again whales consume plankton (it may be debatable if this is meat or not) and that is efficient as it is the primary product.
This is a well written and funny (here and there) article. but there are few things i cannot agree with. Veggies are not the party poopers...infact we are the ones that have to always adjust. it should be simpler for a NV to settle for veg, but seldom that seems to be the case.
I think a fine balance is always right, but have seen in many instances, NV's need their meat, like an addiction.
RE:Party poopers...come on..
by Arnab on Jan 09, 2008 02:26 PM
On the other hand, Dinesh, a NV wud always have veg in a veg party...while the Veg wud refuse to eat in a Non-veg party
RE:Party poopers...come on..
by Vishal Jadhav on Jan 09, 2008 05:01 PM
Yeah!!...I have noticed that the veggies are usually the ones who are more uptight about stuff, than the non-veggies.
RE:Party poopers...come on..
by S Ramanathan on Apr 15, 2008 08:13 PM
Obviously, if they were not particular about not eating certain things, they would be uptight while those who eat meat are the more virtuous adjusting people.
I clearly do not understand what was so good about this article that it was published here ? What message author trying to pass on .... if he is happy to be non vegetarian ... then who cares ? None of the vegetarian asking you to change your eating habits ... then why are you trying to portarit yourself one of elite class ?
RE:What is moral of this article ?
by S Ramanathan on Apr 15, 2008 08:18 PM
Do you recognize SENSE OF HUMOR. The joke is lost on her as her group is slighted. Everyone has a right to have a different sense of humor. Obviously, humor (as it usually is)slights one group and is of different kinds. Do not expect gratefulness as a right from those who are slighted by your jokes. I see that it is an article is meant to make people smile (and it succeeded with me) but the discussion is not. No need for heavy sarcasm when it is unwarranted.
