Keeping up with Vegetarianism in the West

[goodsense]

Many people are not really use to eating meat, fish or chicken before moving to the west where they become bombarded by it. A real problem is, how do you cope when you are on an outing and very hungry, but have no access to vegetarion meals or snacks? Is there any cravings for the meat, fish and chicken around you and how do you abstain from such cravings?

Any wide selections of vegetarion foods with high source of proteins other than the different lentils (which could take long to cook - see I am afraid of pressure cookers) and tofu?

[Lambretta]

Being veg'an, I've faced a similar problem when I was in Singapore........except for "Little India" u don't hav much chances of getting abundant veg. food over there.......so I was allowed to cook in the house where I lived......when I went out I wud normally go to a McDonalds there but all I cud hav was French Fries! Then one day i went to KFC w/ sum friends (I didn't believe they'd hav nething veg.) & saw tat they served cheese fries.....I really liked these & so when I went out I now began to look out for KFCs in those areas & hav 2 packets of cheese fries!
This of course tended to get boring in due course of time. but I was left w/ no option.....& I cud never bring myself to swicth over to NV!
At times when I visited "Mustafa's" Shopping mall at Little India, I wud buy packets of frozen veg. cutlets (which were US made!), tat jus cud be either oven-heated or stove-heated......but again, these got boring in due course of time! :P
Still, I wud suggest u try these, I'm sure u'd get them in Canada (isn't tat where u live?) as well.

[Raghu]

I am also a vegetarion , well I only gave up eating non vegs in the last 5 years, since then I have had many hard times when it comes to food during office hrs or when I am out, but if u have strong will u can over come any problems, when there is a will there is a way.

any way, ellam Isan seyal

[goodsense]

My problem is a bit more complicated. I was put on a high protein diet a little while ago. My GP suggested fish and chicken. I decided to substitute that with a variety of dhal and other lentils and I have added tofu. I do get bored sometimes as Lambretta shared. In addition to that, with a busy life and living on my own, it’s easier and cheaper to eat out than in, and you save lots of time.

The choices of food outside are wide and while vegetarian foods are available e.g. noodles and rice on their own with some vegetables, the source of protein is poor. This is the problem in central Toronto, unless you go out a bit more to the east where you get full Indian vegetarian foods with good protein sources.

I have to confess, during certain periods of boredom and desperation, I have allowed temptation to take grip of me. It happened mainly at McDonalds too. When I get bored now and then with veg foods, I crave for the non-veg. After I overcome my boredom in this fashion, I feel aggrieved, because it means I can't go to my altar for days, I feel less valued etc. and other things start to go wrong. I am just getting over this since the Christmas holidays (visited some people who had similar foods around me although they know that I am a vegetarian when they invited me). I really don't want to fall back into this mess

But Lambretta, those fries from McDonalds and KFC, are they cooked in meat, fish and poultry oils?

[Lambretta]

My GP suggested fish and chicken. I decided to substitute that with a variety of dhal and other lentils and I have added tofu.

Well, dals r good subs. for proteins no doubt......but as a Last resort, I wudn't think nething wrong in having hard boiled eggs (jus the white) as well.....

But Lambretta, those fries from McDonals and KFC, are they cooked in meat, fish and poultry oils?

Um.....yea I do rem. being told this abt the fries in McDs once....another reason y I stopped going there!
But not sure abt KFCs........& even if they were, I had no other option, as I said....!
'had a terrible time then! Like u, even I was living on my own then & just learnt how to cook.....even tat wud take time so it was mostly for dinner.......sumtimes I'd get frustrated when my cooking din't turn out well & then go out for the cheese fries @ KFC & go to sleep having eaten jus those (& sumtimes sum fruits I had...even those turned out to be boring often!).......watever said & done, I guess India is the only safe haven for strict/conventional veg'ans!

[goodsense]

That McDonalds and even Harveys have a strong influence in the west. My cousin in the US and I always have good laughs about this. Just a day or two after Christmas, people flock these places as if they were starving for days being kept indoors. They behave like penned up sheep finally being released from a pen

[Lambretta]

That McDonalds and even Harveys have a strong influence in the west. My cousin in the US and I always have good laughs about this. Just a day or two after Christmas, people flock these places as if they were starving for days being kept indoors. They behave like penned up sheep finally being released from a pen

Actually tat jus shows their giving in to hardcore consumerism.......pity!
I guess this makes it no surprise abt increasing obesity in the US!

[goodsense]

It’s true, if you observe the way they eat - very quickly they gobble up a large burger (two bites and its gone) with, large fries and drink and ready to make another order

[dev]

goodsense,

If U can cook & if u can spend around 2- 21/2 hrs a week for cooking, you can make ur own high protein veg food... Since U r afraid of pressure cookers, soak the dhals overnight(4-5 types,seperately-sprout it if u prefer to)as it helps faster cooking...I belive U have a 3-4 burner stove... if yes, U can cook 3-4 dhals at the same time... put it in deep vessels with enough water (the lid a bit open) & let it cook on medium flame for 1/2 hr -45 mins(depends on the dhals U use)... U can carry on with any other work coz U don't need frquent monitoring... once done, drain the excess water if any,let cool & U can store these dhals in the fridge for a few days(a week max) & cook when req OR prepare the dhals as U normally do & u can store it in the fridge... Dhals,if prepared properly can stay good for 2 days without refrideration & for the weather in Canada, U shouldn't be having much problems with storing cooked food...

I don't find much options here in Singapore other than to go searching for an Indian restaurent or to look for an Italian restaurent where U can find some veg Pizza & stuff... Though there r a few chinese veg stalls in some food courts, I don't find it appealing...Luckily for me, we've a new Indian restaurent opened in our neighbourhood(Lamby, it's at the junction of pasir panjang rd & South Buona vista rd...I guess U would've stayed somewhere around this place had U been with NUS) Ethiopian cuisine too have some veg options like some pancakes(looks almost like dosas) & some kind of lentil chuneys & stuff... I found their cuisine to be very similar to Indian cuisine... Try it out if you can find one in ur neighbourhood...

[Badri]

Goodsense and Lamby: You could ask in KFC of MCDee's what oil their fries are cooked in. There is an increasing awareness of Vegetarianism these days, and many large food corporations are respecting the need for people to choose their dietstlye.

For instance, the pizza cheese we eat often uses Rennet as a setting enzyme which is derived from the stomach lining of calves. The usual method is killing the calves to get this stomach lining. Among the greatest sins of Hinduism is eating beef! Yet, while we eat pizzas happily, the cheese may well be made with rennet!

But now, pizza makers too are recognizing this. For instance, Pizza Hut now uses microbial rennet, which is different from animal rennet. Alternatively, you could ask for cheeses without animal rennet - like Feta or Ricotta.

So, I think it is getting easier these days to be vegetarian and eat out!