Vegetarians and non-vegetarians have co-existed in Mumbai, seated at the same tables in educational institutions and work places for years. As the Mumbai meat ban drama unfolds, vegetarians and non-vegetarians give us some food for thought about their eating experiences.
<img title="The Bombay High Court on Monday stayed the ban on the sale of meat, tomorrow. Pic/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/sep/Sale-of-meat.jpg" alt="The Bombay High Court on Monday stayed the ban on the sale of meat, tomorrow. Pic/AFP" /> The Bombay High Court on Monday stayed the ban on the sale of meat, tomorrow. Pic/AFP
College student Cheryl Baretto, 17 says, &ldquo;For birthday parties, my friends and I have to buy eggless cakes since our vegetarian friends do not eat cake with egg. These are expensive and stretch the pocket money we get.
There are a few friends who do not like to be near me when I eat non-vegetarian food. It makes me feel very sad that my friends overreact because of the food, I eat.&rdquo;
No non-veg For Raina Dsilva (25) it was the workplace that laid down the rule. The finance professional says, &ldquo;At my earlier workplace, the management would not allow non-vegetarian food. They had a vegetarian only rule. We had to get only veg food to work.&rdquo;
Mumbai locals, the city&rsquo;s lifeline are a seething cauldron symbolic of the city&rsquo;s diversity, amongst other things. These differences should be the cause for celebration. For commuter, Sujeet Nagmote, 23, though, it was not so. He was told not to eat non-vegetarian food in a local.
He says, &ldquo;I was eating a chicken burger and a couple who were sitting next to me started lecturing me on how I should not eat non-veg in front of them. I was shocked when they told me to stop eating since I was hurting their religious sentiments.
Fortunately, the other passengers came to my aid.&rdquo; Nagmote was allowed to continue eating his snack by fellow commuters who said that he was free to eat chicken in a local train. Ginelle Dsouza also had a similar experience while in Gujarat. She says, &ldquo;When I was staying there, I got bad vibes from vegetarians, when I ate non-veg food.
In Mumbai too, I have felt people give me that disapproving look especially when I eat a chicken sandwich or burger in a train or bus. I have not faced anyone telling me not to eat yet, but the way they look at you makes swallowing your non-vegetarian food tough.&rdquo;
Teacher Shilpa Ghosh, 27 says, &ldquo;Many vegetarian women tend to get into the impurity angle. Men are more accepting in that way, and less dramatic. I was once unaware that a colleague was vegetarian, so I shared my tiffin with her. When she came to know I had given her non-veg food, she reacted as though I had contaminated her.
She accused me of disrupting her faith. It was very embarrassing. I apologised, even though, I was not at fault, since I was unaware but the scene she made has made me very cautious about sharing non-veg food with others.&rdquo; Charmi Gada (26) though says she prefers non-vegetarians not eating chicken or other meats in front of her.
She says, &ldquo;Most of my friends who eat non-veg are really nice and have vegetarian food when they are out with me. They respect my sentiments. If someone does happen to eat non-veg, I walk away.&rdquo; That may be too extreme a reaction for some vegetarians who believe in live and let live.
Free choice Prachi Kerkar, 23, a physiotherapist says, &ldquo;People should be free to eat what they like. I don&rsquo;t eat non-veg, that is my choice and so I respect those who eat. There are many nutritional benefits of eating certain non-veg foods which no vegetarian food can give. I mind my own plate and let my friends eat their food freely.&rdquo;
Media professional Dazy Verma (25), says, &ldquo;I think if I am a true friend I should let my friends eat what they like. I don&rsquo;t force them and they don&rsquo;t force me. We hang out together and eat our respective foods enjoying each other&rsquo;s company.&rdquo; There is a dash of philosophy too mixed in with this logic.
For 26-year-old Jayna Punamiya, judging anyone on their food choices is narrow-minded. She says, &ldquo;I am a Jain. There are many who think of themselves as saviours of the world by preaching and enforcing vegetarianism as the self-defined &lsquo;ahimsa&rsquo; principle. Vegetarianism is a huge problem if it is an ethical issue and not a matter of choice.
Wonder how &lsquo;ahimsic&rsquo; it is to judge anyone based on their food choices and ban or enforce certain kinds of food. Enforcement is a violent streak.&rdquo; Kartikeya Jain, 22, says, &ldquo;I am vegetarian and a Jain. I believe in jiyo aur jeene do (live and let live).
I let my friends eat what they want and I do the same. I do not eat non-veg, this is my choice and I respect the freedom of my friends who do eat.&rdquo;
Cosmopolitan Prince Wellington, 20, a college student says, &ldquo;Many of my friends who are vegetarian also eat non-veg food at times. They love the fish that my mother makes. We all share our tiffins, and if I happen to bring non-veg food they have no problem, in fact, they taste it often.&rdquo;
Advertising professional Saloni Gajjar (26) says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a vegetarian and I think it is utterly ridiculous to clamp down on personal food choices. It is my choice to be a vegetarian, how and why should I want to impose my choice on others is beyond comprehension.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/sep/Prachi-Kerkar.jpg" alt="" />
My non-vegetarian friends eat their food with me on the same table. There is no stigma attached to their food choice; it does not make them bad people.&rdquo; College student, Sujoy Kamat, 18 says, &ldquo;I had an argument with my parents recently.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/sep/Shilpa-Ghosh.jpg" alt="" />
They feel that I should stop being friends with non-vegetarians as they say paap lag jayega (sin will be committed) if they feed you non-veg food. But I think that we should be good humans above all. That is what God judges us by, rather than by the food choices we make.&rdquo;
What can we say, except amen to that.

Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Whispers

As the veg-non-veg battles acquire a political colour, ordinary Mumbaikars talk about subtle and not so subtle messages on the table. Food for thought

Mumbai debates: To eat or not to (m)eat

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