Thanks.....But i am a vegetarian.....

Today, sitting in the Cafeteria, staring at my plate with "Gemuese ravioli mit tomaten Sosse", i suddenly got inspired to write. Why exactly??....Because it tasted terrible. But ofcourse i didnt have a choice, it was after all the only vegetarian dish in the menu! Thank God there was one! i started gulping it down my throat.This is the sad life of a vegetarian.....to make things even worse, An "Indian vegetarian" when they travel around the world!..

My mind wandered to India. The vegetarian friendly country, where there are always so many many options to choose from even if you dont eat meat. Where there is a sign on the product saying whether it is veg or non-veg. Where there exists the only vegetarian Mc Donalds!...And where it is normal to be a "vegetarian".....

It all started with my trip to Germany, where i went to pursue a higher education, my idea of starting to explore the world. My first flatmate was a latin-american girl. She and her friends were cooking together once..i didnt exactly know what, but it was a smell which choked me...i knew it should be meat. When i passed through the kitchen i saw some red meat being chopped....absolutely not a sight i was used to. It didnt feel good. I rushed to the toilet and was sprinting back to my room..her friend called out to me.."Hey Asharita, do you want to join us for dinner?". He was smiling pleasantly. I feld bad but then i had to say, " Thanks a lot...but i am a vegetarian". Then followed a set of questions. I didnt know these questions were going to haunt me over and over again. Let me give you some examples of the questions and comments i have faced in these three years in Europe:

Non-Indians

• Vegetarian? Is it because of your religion?...Oh btw is it true that you can find cows on the roads in India?
• So in India people dont eat cows?why?
• You have never eaten meat in your life? Never??
• So you dont eat any meat?? What about birds?
• Sorry we dont have any vegetarian dish in our menu..But we have fish?....You also dont eat fish??
• Vegetarian......oh ok, sure, we have boiled potatoes.
• Oh you are vegetarian...see there is also cheese on the plate next to the meat. You can take that. You eat cheese right? ( Err...Thanks...but it is touching the meat. I find it hard to eat it. But its fine..i am not that hungry.)
• Ok,that day i observed that it was not ok for you if the meat was touching the vegetables and cheese, is it ok if the vegetarian dish is also cooked in the same pan as the meat ??( My boss asked me this, as he wanted to invite the international students for lunch to his home...i felt odd...i just smiled).
• Ok then it is not really ok...But is it ok if the meat and vegetarian dish are cooked in different pans, but they are standing next to each other while cooking? ( Actually it was not ok when i was in India...But Europe changed me. As long as it does not have any contact with the meat, i still eat it.)
• Vegetarian?...Oh..I dont know what you could eat when you come to Latin America..We just eat lots and lots of of meat there. But hey, you could get lots of fruits and vegetables. ( Thanks...thats good for health. Maybe i could lose a few kilos as well!).
• You know in our country they discourage children from being vegetarian. It is believed it is not good..But obviously it is ok i guess.

Indians

• So tell me...are you really still a vegetarian?? Tell me the truth!
• How do you survive in Europe yaar?!
• You are really missing something in life...start eating non-veg.
• Eating chicken is like eating paneer you know, just try it once
• Arey what is this! you people think too much of yourself...You treat meat like it is an untouchable!!
• You know meat is a rich source of protein. Vegetarian food hardly has any nutrition...what is your protein source?

The questions, comments and criticism we the vegetarians face....Life is not that easy. Initially i was defending my stand, then started explaining to people about the psychology of vegetarians....But finally i got immune to all the reactions i received. Now i just say...I am a vegetarian because i chose to be, and i dont have a problem about being one.

So this is what it boils down to....

(a) If you feel like eating something spicy and yummy, cook it yourself !( or wait for invitation from other Indians for lunch or dinner).

(b) If you are too lazy, then there is always bread and cheese, Yogurt, Pizza Margerita (frozen ones mostly), salads ( a healthier option) or Pommes!....

(c) and for extreme laziness, there is Vegetarian Doener, falafel............and the single vegetarian dish in the Cafeteria menu -The tasteless Gemuese Ravioli mit tomaten So
sse today!!

So i finally finished my lunch and left to continue with my work....