If it is not a problem to share, which country it is?
In my country (Spain) where meat and animal abuse is so deeply ingrained in our culture everyone looks at me like if I was retard or something. I always thought that the situation was similar everywhere else so I’m curious.
India. We have more than enough issues, but suffering for being vegan ain’t one of them.
Meat consumption has greatly increased with economic upliftment, but still far below anything seen elsewhere.
I’ll share some more insights with you, freely given:
The northern half of india has most of its vegetarians. The southern half is traditionally more meat-friendly, but they do have some full-on vegans, being mostly lactose intolerant.
The most vegetarian states are not the most malnourished. It’s almost the reverse, since our staple foodstuff (whole grains and pulses) together are a complete, if sparse, source of protein.
In households that are vegetarian, it’s often forbidden to even bring in meat, much less cook it.
In households that do consume meat, mostly in the south, it’s still something to prepare in an outside kitchen, so as to not ‘pollute’ the house. (Citation needed, I only have three southern friends to confirm this)
In the state of West Bengal on the gangetic delta, for example, almost everyone is a meat-eater. But most only consume fish. And of those that do, they still won’t cook chicken or goat inside their house, but in a separate outdoor cooking area.
Many people not only refrain from consumption of meat, but also alliums and other ‘pungent’ foodstuff, since they ‘cloud the senses’. You may not bring garlic or onions in such households. They’ll also not be very happy if you talked to them with heavy garlic breath, but then, that applies to most.
Unfortunately, this does not imply that we greatly prioritize animal welfare. Many do it out of concern for purity of the mind, body, and soul. They believe that consumption of meat pollutes the consumer, imparting beastial attributes to them.
Agriculture is the fruit of civilization, whereas meat (which used to be mostly wild game) is of the uncivilized. Hence, a civilized person should only subsist on the fruits of agriculture. That’s my understanding of it, at least.
There is an exception. A sub-section of hindu tradition, called the Jains. They arose around the same time as Buddhists, but are different. They don’t consume meat for the sake of practicing the highest possible level of non-violence, since they believe that it is violence that pollutes the soul. They will not consume anything that came from killing, even if it’s a plant. So, no potatoes, since that requires uprooting the plant, causing death.
Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, and Tribal folks, by and large, regardless of region, all consume meat. The above only applies to most hindus, sikhs, and jains. Kinda funny that modern hindus who don’t consume meat do it because of residual teachings of the Buddha, but modern Buddhists don’t care.
I probably missed some stuff and made many mistakes, so let me know if something feels off.
Another fun fact! It’s very common to have entire apartment complexes/gated societies where all manner of meat consumption is strictly forbidden. You cannot even order takeout if it is not vegetarian.
Fun fact number duo! We just had a week or so of a period called ‘Navratri’. It is an observance where we fast, pray, and purify ourselves. Mostly followed in the northern half. Even the meateaters will not consume meat during this time, and most shops selling meat will be closed. Kinda like Lent, with just as many loopholes. We’re not supposed to eat anything during the day, but only foodstuff that existed thousands of years ago is really banned. New things like buckwheat, potato, tapioca, etc is all kosher, and people gorge themselves on it.
I love India with all my heart, I’ve already been there 3 times, but only on the northern area. And yes at least from a vegan perspective it was a paradise in comparison with my country where from the article being a “chameleon” is a basically a need to not isolate yourself.
The areas I’ve been were mostly Buddhists and yeah it hurts seeing how many Buddhists just don’t care when the Mahayana teachings basically tells you go vegetarian at very least. But I’m glad that it worked for the Hindus, a funny thing, I didn’t know that! Well I didn’t know most of what you said, makes me want to go back again hehe
If it is not a problem to share, which country it is?
In my country (Spain) where meat and animal abuse is so deeply ingrained in our culture everyone looks at me like if I was retard or something. I always thought that the situation was similar everywhere else so I’m curious.
India. We have more than enough issues, but suffering for being vegan ain’t one of them. Meat consumption has greatly increased with economic upliftment, but still far below anything seen elsewhere.
I’ll share some more insights with you, freely given:
The northern half of india has most of its vegetarians. The southern half is traditionally more meat-friendly, but they do have some full-on vegans, being mostly lactose intolerant.
The most vegetarian states are not the most malnourished. It’s almost the reverse, since our staple foodstuff (whole grains and pulses) together are a complete, if sparse, source of protein.
In households that are vegetarian, it’s often forbidden to even bring in meat, much less cook it.
In households that do consume meat, mostly in the south, it’s still something to prepare in an outside kitchen, so as to not ‘pollute’ the house. (Citation needed, I only have three southern friends to confirm this)
In the state of West Bengal on the gangetic delta, for example, almost everyone is a meat-eater. But most only consume fish. And of those that do, they still won’t cook chicken or goat inside their house, but in a separate outdoor cooking area.
Many people not only refrain from consumption of meat, but also alliums and other ‘pungent’ foodstuff, since they ‘cloud the senses’. You may not bring garlic or onions in such households. They’ll also not be very happy if you talked to them with heavy garlic breath, but then, that applies to most.
Unfortunately, this does not imply that we greatly prioritize animal welfare. Many do it out of concern for purity of the mind, body, and soul. They believe that consumption of meat pollutes the consumer, imparting beastial attributes to them. Agriculture is the fruit of civilization, whereas meat (which used to be mostly wild game) is of the uncivilized. Hence, a civilized person should only subsist on the fruits of agriculture. That’s my understanding of it, at least.
There is an exception. A sub-section of hindu tradition, called the Jains. They arose around the same time as Buddhists, but are different. They don’t consume meat for the sake of practicing the highest possible level of non-violence, since they believe that it is violence that pollutes the soul. They will not consume anything that came from killing, even if it’s a plant. So, no potatoes, since that requires uprooting the plant, causing death.
Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, and Tribal folks, by and large, regardless of region, all consume meat. The above only applies to most hindus, sikhs, and jains. Kinda funny that modern hindus who don’t consume meat do it because of residual teachings of the Buddha, but modern Buddhists don’t care.
I probably missed some stuff and made many mistakes, so let me know if something feels off.
Another fun fact! It’s very common to have entire apartment complexes/gated societies where all manner of meat consumption is strictly forbidden. You cannot even order takeout if it is not vegetarian.
Fun fact number duo! We just had a week or so of a period called ‘Navratri’. It is an observance where we fast, pray, and purify ourselves. Mostly followed in the northern half. Even the meateaters will not consume meat during this time, and most shops selling meat will be closed. Kinda like Lent, with just as many loopholes. We’re not supposed to eat anything during the day, but only foodstuff that existed thousands of years ago is really banned. New things like buckwheat, potato, tapioca, etc is all kosher, and people gorge themselves on it.
Wow thank you for such a great response!
I love India with all my heart, I’ve already been there 3 times, but only on the northern area. And yes at least from a vegan perspective it was a paradise in comparison with my country where from the article being a “chameleon” is a basically a need to not isolate yourself.
The areas I’ve been were mostly Buddhists and yeah it hurts seeing how many Buddhists just don’t care when the Mahayana teachings basically tells you go vegetarian at very least. But I’m glad that it worked for the Hindus, a funny thing, I didn’t know that! Well I didn’t know most of what you said, makes me want to go back again hehe
My pleasure!