Veg. or Non. Veg? I’m a Non-Assholistic Vegetarian
There are a variety of food preferences, but everything boils down two kinds of food-arians — Assholistic and Non-assholistic. That is, you have your unique food preferences, but are you an asshole about it?
You know what whole gist of Vegan jokes is? They are assholes about it. In India, replace Vegans with Jains and same jokes. I know vegetarians who are assholes, I grew up among them. I was told pock marks are due to non veg. food. I was told, people who eat non. veg food are more evil. I had a room mate in college who’d, whenever he smelt meat being cooked, loudly chant, “Shiva-Shivaa!”
Non-vegetarians can be assholes too. #PaneerSamajhKeKhaJaa
I have no beef with this woke bro coz I’m a vegetarian. Just kidding, but I feel for meat-eaters, they are going through some hard time these days in the country. Nobody killed a man for eating paneer. These are strange days, people who hate ‘minority appeasement’ want the rights of vegetarians, who are a food minority, appeased. I’m confused too, I’m really confused. IIT-B introduces separate plates for non. vegetarian food, people are shouting exclusionary. And my work place, takes into account all the demands of vegetarians, they call it being inclusive.
Let me tell my experience of it so far. The people around me taught that non-vegetarians were disgusting. Hating non vegetarians achieved both aims of Casteism and Islamophobia (Killing two birds with one stone, and not eating it). How can I tell for sure it was so, coz the instructions were accompanied by slurs. So, vegetarians are often assholistic, sometimes what vegetarians ask for — sounds like they are making up for the animal cruelty there. One woman I knew, was an egg vegetarian, demanded it be made in a separate utensil. The head-chef seemed surprised. I think he was frustrated, can’t make in the veg. utensils, and this woman doesn’t want it in color coded non veg. utensils. Where does this end?
If it was just the matter of plates, this matter could have ended if everyone had their own plates Or just have banana leaves as plates. But we know it is much more than that. It’s about the relentless ass-holier-than-thou attitude that just doesn’t seem to stop.
So, if someone asks me for my food preferences, while I will look to that my preferences will be taken care of, I will also look to it that the dignity of the person with a different food preference is taken care of, for I am a non-assholistic vegetarian.
[P.S: A vegetarian reading this might be thinking, “Wait I can tell him about the wonderful argument about vegetarianism to tell him, how he is wrong an we are the best.” Do it some other day, please. About vegetarian food being more environment friendly, and there’s argument about the adverse effects to environment if everyone turned to vegetarianism. These are good conversations to have, I’m having a different conversation though. It was about being nice. Peace.]