Tuesday 14 June 2011

ABC Wednesday, V for vegetarian


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One of my daughters is a vegetarian. She hates to kill animals and eating them afterwards, although she eats eggs and fish. When she was a child, I often cooked for her a meat free dish. Fortunately she liked mushrooms, nuts, eggs, fish and cheese. So I made several times a dish with pasta and cheese and mushrooms.

 

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This is what Wikipedia says about the history of vegetarianism:
"The earliest records of (lacto) vegetarianism come from ancient India and ancient Greece in the 6th century BCE. In both instances the diet was closely connected with the idea of nonviolence towards animals (called ahimsa in India) and was promoted by religious groups and philosophers.

“ Indian emperor Ashoka asserted protection to fauna: "Twenty-six years after my coronation various animals were declared to be protected — parrots, mainas, aruna, ruddy geese, wild ducks, nandimukhas, gelatas, bats, queen ants, terrapins, boneless fish, vedareyaka, gangapuputaka, sankiya fish, tortoises, porcupines, squirrels, deer, bulls, okapinda, wild asses, wild pigeons, domestic pigeons and all four-footed creatures that are neither useful nor edible. Those nanny goats, ewes and sows which are with young or giving milk to their young are protected, and so are young ones less than six months old. Cocks are not to be caponized, husks hiding living beings are not to be burnt and forests are not to be burnt either without reason or to kill creatures. One animal is not to be fed to another." —Edicts of Ashoka, Fifth Pillar ”

Following the Christianisation of the Roman Empire in late antiquity, vegetarianism practically disappeared from Europe. Several orders of monks in medieval Europe restricted or banned the consumption of meat for ascetic reasons, but none of them eschewed fish. It re-emerged during the Renaissance, becoming more widespread in the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1847, the first vegetarian society was founded in the United Kingdom; Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries followed. The International Vegetarian Union, a union of the national societies, was founded in 1908. In the Western world, the popularity of vegetarianism grew during the 20th century as a result of nutritional, ethical, and more recently, environmental and economic concerns."


With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.We started round 8 of the fascinating meme of ABC. For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar or Here. This week we are looking for words beginning with V.

25 comments:

Gattina said...

My son's girlfriend a Dutch girl is also vegetarian exactly like your daughter and also for the same reasons. She eats fish and eggs but no meat. I eat less and less meat too and prefer chicken or turkey to beef or pork.
When she was pregnant she had a special meatless diet and the baby is a big boy ! 7 month old now 72 cm and 8 kgs ! and she is quiet small only 1.65 but my son is 2m long !

Sylvia K said...

Fascinating post as always, Wil! Perfect for the V Day! I always look forward to learning something new from your posts. I'm not a vegetarian, but I eat very little meat of any kind. I keep meaning to tell you how much I love your header! Hope your week is off to a great start!

Sylvia
ABC Team

Jane and Chris said...

Nice to know that there are other non meat eaters around. I'm vegan!
Jane x

EG CameraGirl said...

I had no idea vegetarianism has been around for so long. For many years I was a vegetarian but now I occasionally eat fish or chicken.

Roger Owen Green said...

I'm in favor of vegetarianism in theory. Haven't made it into practice.

ROG, ABC Wednesday team

Hildred said...

This is a great post for V. Wil, - it is good to see that vegetarianism is gaining in popularity and commitment. I didn't know of the history surrounding it, and it was interesting to know how ancient these modern ideas really are.

Karen said...

Vegetarian for many years, raised my daughter that way as well. My little granddaughter just loves hot dogs though! We can't sneak a tofo dog past her.

photowannabe said...

I love ABC Wednesday. There is so much information to be learned. Thanks for the timely information. I'm not a vegetarian but do limit my meat for health reasons.
Have a terrific week and I too love your header. It looks like a postcard.

Kay L. Davies said...

Very informatiVe post for V day, Wil. I was quite sick last month and didn't eat meat for a few weeks, and now I'm like Gattina, I have no desire for beef or pork. I don't know if it's the start of something, or temporary.
— K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Tumblewords: said...

Very interesting! I had no idea vegetarianism was an old practice. I play with the idea occasionally but haven't committed to it. :)

Arkansas Patti said...

I have just embraced vegetarianism though not a true vegan. I do eat eggs and dairy products.
I can't tell you how much better I feel in just a short time and I don't miss animal flesh at all.

Patty said...

We also have one daughter that is a vegetarian. But when she's here for a meal and I don't want to mess around fixing some dish, I just cook some kind of pasta for her, she likes it with or with out sauce, without she uses a little butter.

Vicki Lane said...

We are trying to raise most of our own meat, dairy, and eggs in a humane way -- we followed a vegetarian diet for several years a long time ago, but living on a farm as we do now, we take advantage of the excess roosters and bull calves.

ChrisJ said...

I meet more and more people who are vegetarians or vegans, especially young people. In all honesty, I've never considered it. But healthy eating or living was not really popular when I was young. Mostly in England just coming out of World War II we were just glad to have many more foods available to us.

Vagabonde said...

Quel post intéressant et éducatif aussi. Je ne suis pas végétarienne mais je ne mange pas de viande très souvent, je préfère les légumes, fruits et fromages.

Jama said...

I have friends who are strictly vegan and don't even eat egg and fish....we always eat together as there's plenty of vegetarian food stalls available here.

Dutchbaby said...

Fascinating that vegetarianism can be traced so far back. I'm afraid I love bacon too much to ever become a vegetarian.

Oh how I wish I had a cheese shop like that here.

Dianne said...

I'm a meat eater Will - but if I had to go out and kill to eat - I couldn't do it!!

Indrani said...

Vegetarianism is healthy, I try to follow it at least three or four times a week.

Arts Web Show said...

Oh, vegetairians are the bane of a chrfs life. lol

Unknown said...

Wow, all those cheeses! Yummy.

http://carabossesbedchamber.blogspot.com/2011/06/abc-wednesday-challenge.html

Maryhocam said...

Thanks for the article Wil. I assumed vegetarianism was relatively new. Interesting that it goes so far back and then waned with the spreading of Christianity. Maybe that is why I am a committed carnivore!

Paula Scott Molokai Girl Studio said...

Although I entertain the notion, the other two in my household would rebel and it is too much work to do all that separate cooking and shopping! Interesting that many of us enter the world being a vegetarian.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

what a big fish. My second daughter chooses to be a vegetarian when she wants,. If there is good food, she eats the meat,

Dina said...

Vegetarianism is not something I would think of looking up in Wikipedia. But I'm glad YOU did.
Thanks Wil, I learned a lot.