Disclaimer: This post of mine is in no way intended to offend the people who eat meat products or to promote vegetarianism. This post simply reflects my thoughts and opinions when people question my vegetarianism, and that too an extent which throws me off.
"So you have never had any kind of meat in your life?"
"You don't even eat eggs?"
"You must be eating the seafood then?"
"what do you eat, then, for like dinner?"
"How do you make sure you are getting enough proteins in your diet?"
"And you do not allow your son also to eat meat products?"
"How do you bake a cake then?"
"Do you feel restricted when it comes to choices you have when eating outside?"
So, this is just a sample of questions I am showered with when I tell people that I do not eat meat or eggs. and it happens everytime I mention this. So much so, that now I have stopped mentioning it explicitly and occassionally try to avoid group lunches at work.
Why is vegetarianisn such a difficult concept for people to grasp?
Why can't it be a lifestyle I chose and not be related to religion or a medical condition?
Vegetarianism is a perfectly healthy lifestyle, which started for me as a part of the religion I belong to. But over time, it has become a preferred lifestyle for me. I have stayed in hostel for 3 years, worked out of my hoemtown for about a year and have lived in US all by myself for about 6 months. All these times, it would have been more convenient for me if I had opted for food choices that were more readily available. But somehow I couldn't bring myself to do that.
And now even after living in US for about 7 years now, and that too in locations where Indian grocery items are not easily available, I never felt the need to reconsider my decision or felt restricted in my options.
I am perfectly happy with my lifestyle as I explore new receipes for cakes and pies everytime I bake them, as I try all different combinations of 10 different lentils available in grocery stores, as I explored new food options such as tofu, coucous, 10 different varieties of greens, salad combinations, variety of cheeses, pastas and yogurts.
And as for my son goes, I am following the same policy which my mom followed. As long as he is too young to make his decisions, I would make this decision for him so that at least he knows what lifestyle he came from. But once he iscapableof making his own decisions, it's all upto him and I would be happy for him either way.
So, why this blog? Well, when people ask me all those questions, sometimes, it is not the occassion or time to give all the above explanation. But I always feel singled out in the crowd, which is not a comfortable feeling for me. And I always want to say some or all of these things to them. So what better way then to blog it off...
Dil se...
And here comes the sweet dishes:
I hope everything turns out as good as they look in these pictures !!
