From: vprasad@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg
Subject: Re: vegetarians in institutions
Date: 28 Sep 92 23:49:01 GMT
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services

konkar@finch.stanford.edu (Ranjit Konkar) writes:
> coleman@leland.Stanford.EDU (Michele Coleman) writes:
>    reasons?  What's the situation in India, where vegetarianism is more
>    accepted?
> 
> In India, vegetarianism is the norm and not the exception. You don't
> have to specify that you want something without meat - that is what is
> understood (No "bean burrito - no meat").

	I second that statement. That brings to my mind an incident from
	my undergraduate days in India, which I relate below: 

	In my undergraduate institute, we had one mess for each of the 11 
	hostels - the default food is vegetarian (lacto.) Any non-vegetarian 
	food, including eggs (and its products) must be paid for separately.
	{Fruits, sweets and other veg. snacks were also on the "extra" list}
	So, a person who wants to eat meat regularly must pay extra for it
	everyday. There was a sizable percentage of people in our hostel who 
	insisted that this situation was unfair - their argument was that 
	they take non-vegetarian food everyday, and not really taking the 
	veg. food but end up paying for both the veg. food [basic meal plan
	covers the vegetarian food only] and the non-veg. food. Their 
	suggestion was to bill the students based on the total cost of the
	food/no. of students, irrespective of whether a student chooses veg.
	or non veg. food. Vegetarians argued that we end up subsidizing the
	high cost of meat for the non-vegetarian food and opposed it. They 
	took this issue to the hostel mess-secretary, to no avail. I should
	probably mention that, we vegetarians numbered just 26 out of 120
	students in the hostel. The point is to show that, vegetarianism is
	considered as the norm by not only the vegetariasn themselves, but by
	a sizable population of the non-vegetarian population too. And oh,
	there were two foreign students in the NV contingent - one Iranian
	and a Kenyan (of Indian origin) who ate meat daily.

	In a different university where my high-school friend studied, the
	situation was a bit different. They had a collective mess for about
	5 or 6 hostels together - or rather two, one vegetarian mess and 
	a non-vegetarian mess. Students could register for either one. Trouble
	was that, the NV mess serves meat every day and nobody wanted to eat
	meat that frequently (meat is expensive; not subsidized as in USA)
	but it was not possible for the students to switch back and forth as
	they please between the two. The result was that almost all the
	students chose the vegetarian mess for their basic meal plan. The NV 
	mess functions only as an on-campus restaurant there now.

	Regarding Michele's original question about the availability of veg.
	food in the armed forces of India-yes vegetarian food is a std option.
	My cousin had a brief stint in the army (6 mo.s) and he did not have
	any problem. However, I heard a horror story from a retd. army major
	whom we met on a train journey - he told that he was stationed in 
	Kashmir (during peacetime) for ONE FULL YEAR; apparently, during 
	those months, the only vegetables in supply were potatoes and wheat.
	So, the only vegetarian food available to him was poori and aloo 
	kurma(potato curry). He was bragging that even the diehard vegetarians
	in his regiment took to non-vegetarian food like chicken and mutton,
	and he was the only one who survived through that period without
	touching NV food. I think that the army probably advocates 
	non-vegetarianism as a means for adaptability in hostile environment, 
	but by no means it is enforced on the troops.

	Hope that this is of some use.
	Siva Prasad.				vprasad@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg