Vegetarian?? Yes, that’s what I am!

An obvious question that many people never fail to ask me, how am I a vegetarian despite being a Bengali? Bengalis are known for their huge appetite for non-vegetarian food and fish and rice is like lifesaving food for such people. Well, the reason that I am not a non-vegetarian eating Bengali girl is because of certain family upbringing reasons. My grandparents believed that vegetarianism is a better food habit than its counterpart and one should it embrace it whole heartedly. No one in the family were forced to give up eating fish and meat, rather they were asked to make a choice.

I grew up eating a very typical staple diet that included almost all kinds of leafy and other vegetables. My parents followed the rules of my grandparents and encouraged us to eat vegetarian food but had always conveyed that should there be a craving for other non-vegetarian food, we are free to try them out. We, my sister and I, did that with eggs and we absolutely love them. So, I am basically an eggetarian as the nomenclature now refers to.

Choosing to be a vegetarian is a personal decision. I have no hard feelings for people who gorge on chicken pieces and admire them, neither am I stubborn to say that vegetarian foods taste much better than them. To each his own, completely. The infinite number of studies that reveal facts about which food habit is a better lifestyle choice can only confuse a person. There are both advantages and disadvantages to them. We vegetarians, at least most of us I suppose, have not become one to avoid or protest the killing of animals or support eating plants and vegetables because they are not made with flesh and blood. It’s how the digestive system in our bodies functions and accepts the choice of food. Yes, the argument of we are killing plants and thus, we are also committing sin will continue till eternity until some smarty finds the solution to end the debate.

Yes, our exotic options involve very few choices, but then, they can be cooked in multiple ways. Take for example, paneer. Our very own dairy product that we cook on our special days in different ways. In a hot and spicy gravy, or mixed with some flavoured paste, either works for us.

Many who are staunch vegetarians also avoid onion and garlic in their food, the reasons being something religious and spiritual. They are far more particular and follow the rules to the tee to avoid committing any sin. There are many who avoid eating in the same table if the other person in the close vicinity is eating a fish or a piece of meat. These are completely their own personality traits that they have.

I have been told many a times that I may be losing out tasting a few good dishes. May be, yes. But then, I believe in avoiding points of stress and stressing the stomach with something new and that doesn’t go well with the system is not something I would be proud to do. Let’s say, we stay on equal terms. You enjoy your food, I enjoy mine. In fact, why don’t you taste some of my vegetarian dishes for a change in your appetite?? J