Vegetarianism

It wasn’t too long ago, that a vegetarian diet, a way of life for millions in India and other Eastern countries, was still considered the eighth wonder of the world. It conjured up images of a monotonous diet with a paucity of form and flavour—boiled green beans and mashed potatoes on an otherwise empty plate, and of bony, slightly wild-eyed young men in sandals.

Nowadays people are coming to realise that those ideas are cultural myths spawned by a society addicted to hamburgers, barbecues, roast beef and medium rare steaks. In truth, a vegetarian diet is anything but strange. There are at least 40 or so kinds of commonly eaten vegetables, 25 kinds of dried peas and beans, dozens of varieties of fruits, nuts, grains and many types of dairy products.

Dal is the generic name for all members of the dried pea and bean family, and also the name of the dishes made from them. Dal is also the ultimate Indian comfort food. It’s hearty, but not heavy, rich in flavour but light on digestion, the protein-rich staple for millions. Dal is not only delicious but it’s a good source of iron and B vitamins, and an excellent source of vegetable protein. 

When you combine dal with a food that has complementary protein, like breads, rice or dairy products, a synergistic reaction occurs, and the usable protein in the dal increases by as much as 40%. In other words, if you eat ¾ cup of dal with 2 cups of rice, you get the protein equivalent of a quarter-kilo steak. 

And if you eat dal and rice today instead of steak or hamburger, you won’t have to worry about cholesterol or calories. You won’t be having dinner that was once an innocent steer who suffered in filthy, over-crowded pens, was injected with antibiotics and tranquilisers, and was forced to eat an unnatural diet so he would gain weight quickly and cheaply. 

Nor need you concern yourself about the fear of poisons that animals release into their blood at the time of slaughter. Nor about the bacteria from putrefactive decomposition. (They’re not all killed by cooking.) You won’t have to worry about the dozens of diseases and parasites that a meat-bearing animal suffers from, nor how its life was utterly miserable from birth to death. Nor will you pay exorbitant prices for your food. Yet you will receive all the protein your body requires for good health. 

Some noteworthy quotations on Vegetarianism: 

“Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind.” 

---Albert Einstein 

“There is just no reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. Man can live without meat.” 

---Dalai Lama 

If man wants freedom why keep birds and animals in cages? Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! I have since an early age abjured the use of meat.”  ---Leonardo-da-Vinci 

“I do feel that spiritual progress does demand at some stage that we should cease to kill our fellow creatures for the satisfaction of our bodily wants.” 

--Gandhi 

“Flesh eating is unprovoked murder.” ---Benjamin Franklin