Vege-life

I've always had an interest in non-veg food though I don't actually eat it. When I tell someone else this,  the immediate question is something I can never anticipate: "Are you a Brahmin?". Granted, it's a common conception but still, just because I'm a Tam Brahm doesn't mean we don't touch the stuff. In case you haven't noticed, a lot of them eat meat on the sly; in fact, KFC, at any point of time, will always have at least one of them gorging on a chicken bucket. But I'm not one to judge. My reason for refusing to eat non-veg is something very few people both believe or accept: I'm allergic to it. I start choking if I have any product that was once a part of an animal. And no, that does not include leather, in case anyone thinks of it. Now, this becomes a huge problem when you live in a country that hasn't heard of the term 'vegetarian'': Saudi Arabia. In fact, they don't have a veg Happy Meal or a veg burger either. People literally stare at you if you ask them for a veg burger, as if not opting for a kind of meat is blasphemy, a crime worthy of death. The situation becomes more acute as you move towards East Asia. My dad once took a trip to Taiwan and had to survive a week on Cup-a-noodles and fruits. Now, personally, I wouldn't mind a diet like that but not for more than a day. In that case, I admire his fortitude to stay in a country where vegetarian translates to 'non-seafood yet meat'. I remember an exchange I had with one of my Dad's colleagues; in response to why I ate only 'vegitabools', I replied," You eat the bull. I eat what the bull eats." which for some reason he admitted was reasonable. I said this when I was 9 so I still have no idea how it makes any sense. But then, I also went to my cousin and ate the paper wrapper of the chocolate she stole from me thinking it would spite her so I guess I'm not going find an answer.
Eggs on the other hand have always been a hotly contested issue as to their vegetarian nature. I guess we shall never resolve that one issue. But then, there will always be people like my friend, a die-hard 'eggitarian', who say, "Egg is a vegetable!" (which leads me to seriously question her mental age)...... ;)

Çiao!