The meat of the matter as a modern vegetarian<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Most of the time, Mary brings her own lunch to the office. It's
\nnot so much a choice as a requirement -- she is a vegetarian and
\nthere is no nearby food outlet offering something she can eat.<\/p>\n
\"I don't want to eat ketoprak (fried bean curd mixed with bean
\nsprouts and rice vermicelli in peanut sauce), and gado-gado
\n(vegetable salad with peanut sauce) all the time,\" she said.<\/p>\n
When she does not bring her own lunchbox, she will go out with
\nher colleagues, who agree to compromise by eating at a restaurant
\nwhere there are some vegetarian choices.<\/p>\n
\"In the beginning, they were very surprised to know that I am
\nvegetarian, but they could understand,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Mary, 34, decided to become a vegetarian in 1996 after a
\nfriend gave her a book about vegetarianism, which she found
\nreally \"made sense\".<\/p>\n
She had read a lot of news about the connection between diets
\nhigh in animal products and many \"modern\" diseases.<\/p>\n
Determined to become healthier, Mary, who lives with her
\nparents, decided to adopt vegetarianism.<\/p>\n
\"My parents, especially my mother, strongly opposed my
\ndecision. They were afraid that in being a vegetarian, I would
\nsuffer from nutritional deficiency.\"<\/p>\n
She has felt many positive changes in her life since becoming
\na vegetarian. Not only does she feel that she is more resistant
\nto common diseases, but she also has more compassion to animals
\nand people in going about her life.<\/p>\n
Still, she also has to battle common misconceptions about
\nvegetarians -- that they are strange, weak, overly sensitive
\nindividuals who have latched onto an \"alternative\" lifestyle to
\nsomehow make themselves feel superior to others.<\/p>\n
\"I have to show others that being vegetarian, I can also
\nachieve more,\" she said about her work performance.<\/p>\n
Lacto-ovo vegetarians do not eat meat but include milk and
\neggs, with beans, tempeh and other legumes recommended as protein
\nsubstitutes. Vegans cut out eggs and other animal products, while
\nfruitarians -- the strictest of all -- eat a diet primarily
\nfocused on fruit and vegetables.<\/p>\n
It used to be that people became vegetarian due to religous
\nproscriptions or spiritual reasons, such as for Buddhists to
\ndevelop greater compassion for the world, but an increasing
\nnumber of \"converts\" are concerned about their health and the
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
Suwandi, 28, who works in an IT consultancy on Jl. Gatot
\nSubroto, Central Jakarta, acknowledged it was difficult being a
\nvegetarian due to temptations in the immediate environment and
\nthe lack of vegetarian choices.<\/p>\n
\"I am the only one in the family and also in the office who is
\nvegetarian. My friends often joke that why did I become a
\nvegetarian while there are so many delicious foods out there,\"
\nsaid Suwandi, who leads a vegetarian life for both health and
\nspiritual reasons.<\/p>\n
\"Vegetarian food can also be delicious, depending on how you
\nprepare it,\" he said, adding that his favorites were vegetarian
\nmeals made from gluten but cooked to resemble rendang (sauteed
\nbeef), beef steak, fried chicken and shark's fin soup.<\/p>\n
Like Mary, he usually opts to bring his own meals to work.<\/p>\n
\"This morning I had cereal, cornflakes and some bread at home.
\nFor lunch, today's menu is ham, potatoes and tuna fish. Sounds
\ndelicious, doesn't it?\" he said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
Unlike Mary, who went cold turkey in switching to
\nvegetarianism, it took Suwandi three months to gradually
\neliminate meat from his diet.<\/p>\n
All agreed that vegetarianism has to be a personal choice, and
\ncannot be imposed or influenced by others.<\/p>\n
Willy Wibowo, 27, the operational manager of a vegetarian
\nrestaurant in the city, said that it took him a couple of years
\nbefore he could follow his parents and elder brother into pure
\nvegetarianism.<\/p>\n
\"I used to eat anything. I only ate vegetarian food
\noccasionally because even though I am a Buddhist, not all
\nBuddhist sects require the followers to become one,\" he said.<\/p>\n
About four years ago, he tried to regularly eat vegetarian
\nfood, and he found that he felt healthier and did not suffer
\ngastric problems as often as before. He ate more vegetarian food,
\nbut did not completely exclude \"normal\" food.<\/p>\n
\"Starting last year, I have become a pure vegetarian,\" he said
\nproudly.<\/p>\n
Links: International Vegetarian Union (http:\/\/www.ivu.org),
\nwhich was established in 1908 in Dresden, Germany; Supreme Master
\nChinghai Indonesia, a member of the Taiwan-based Supreme Master
\nChinghai (http:\/\/www.chinghai.com).<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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