If you read my blog often you’ll know that I am quite peaceful vegetarian and don’t push my dietary choices on anyone else, ever. From time to time, though, I do need to have a rant at the ignorance of others towards vegetarianism.
I am a firm believer in accommodating others’ beliefs and most people generally are too…except when it comes to vegetarians. It’s like as soon as you utter the ‘V’ word, you become a disgrace to society and a disappointment to the human race. If certain religious beliefs require you to abstain from certain foods, e.g. Pork in the Jewish faith, how is this acceptable to others whereas vegetarianism is not?
From now on I’ll just call it ‘V’ so as not to offend anyone. Like the ‘F’ word sounds much more PC than swearing directly on my blog.
I think it is far more difficult in a rampant meat-eating country like South Africa to have a non-meat diet, which is why you lucky readers get to hear my rants from time to time.
I’m at a beautiful resort in the Transkei at the moment, which I’ll blog about when I’m back, with fully catered meals 3 times a day. The mass of food is insane, and the variety is crazy…yet I am still struggling to have a healthy ‘V’ diet here.
Any other ‘V’s out there will know how this is so, as the mentality seems to be: ‘What should we feed these stupid ‘V’s? I know, whatever we would feed the ‘normal’ people, but without the meat.’
So we end up with side veggies and potatoes most of the time (Oh ‘F’, should I have used the ‘V’ for that too?). Or a ‘V’ pasta with leftover veggies and loads of oil tossed in pasta. Or some sort of pasta bake drowned in a creamy cheese sauce. Or my personal FAVOURITE…spinach and feta in some sort of oily pastry.
I may be a bit dramatic in this post, but it honestly does not make sense to me. Generally speaking, ‘V’s are health-conscious people, so why would caterers want to feed us such rich and starchy rubbish?
In a world that is falling apart and being raped of resources (much of this is attributed to meat production) many people are already more socially aware of their impact on the environment and their general health. Where is South Africa in this debate? Nowhere.
At least be accommodating of other people’s beliefs and lifestyles, whatever they are. It helps. A lot.
On that note, let’s all go hug a tree and pray for a ‘V’.
