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Sagefrakrobatik
26 September 2009, 08:10 AM
To veg or not to veg in Mumbai?


A12 Tuesday May 30 2006 Times Union Jacksonville

In the populous Indian city, eating meat could leave you out on the street.

By Ramola Talwar Badam

Associated Press

Mumbal, India—Never mind pets, smokers or loud music at 2 a.m. House hunters in Mumbai are being asked “Do you eat meat?” if yes, the deal is off. As the city of 16 million formerly known as bombay becomes the cosmpolitian main nerve of a booming Indian economy, real estate is increasingly intersecting cuisine. More middle class Indians are moving in and more of them are vegetarian.
“Some people are very strict. They wont sell to a nonvegetarian even if he offers a higher price than a vegetarian,” said real estate broker Norbert Pinto. Vegetarianism is a centuries-old custom among Hindus, Jains and others in India. The government estimates India has 220 million vegetarians, more than anywhere else in the world.
“Veg or nonveg?” is heard contantly in restaurants, at dinner parties and on airlines. And the question has long been an unwritten part of the interrogation house hunters must submit to. But its becoming more open, and its effets more noticeable, in Mumbai, which attracts immigrants from strongly vegetarian states, as well as followers of the Jain religion.
In constitutionally secular India, there’s no bar to forming a housing society and making an apartment block exclusively Catholic or Muslim. Vegetarians say they, too, need segregation. “I live in a cosmopolitan society,” said Jayantilal Jain, trustee of a charity group. “But vegetarians should be given the right to admit who they want.”
Rejected home seekers have mounted a slew of court challenges to the power of hosing societies to discriminate, but India’s highest tribunal ruled the practice legal last year. “Its just not fair. It’s a monopoly by vegetarians,” said Kran Talwar, 49, a prosthetics engineer who has seen vegetarianism take over restaurants and grocieries all over his neighborhood on posh Nepeansea Road. “If you step out to eat, there’s nothing for miles because everything around is veggie,” he said.
While Indians are accustomed to housing socities demarcated by religion, seperation by diet has meat eaters worried. Vikramaditya Ugra, a youn Mumbai banker in search of an apartment, said vegetarian colonies were fine in neighboring Gujarat, a state dominated by Vegetarians. “That’s in tune with local sensitivity,” he said. “But to impose this restriction is not right in a cosmopolitian city.”



What do you think of this? I had this article for a long time but just recently came across it while i was looking for otherarticles to see what i wanted to write my paper on for one of my classes.

LALKAR
26 September 2009, 09:47 AM
Namaste Sagefrakrobatik

In Fact Non-Veg smells bad, thats why Veg don't live with non-vegs:p

Eastern Mind
26 September 2009, 12:06 PM
As a landlord, I think you should have every right in the world to have this stipulation, but i doubt if it would be true here. At least here in Canada you can legally say, "No smokers" in the rental advertising. Its common knowledge that smoke residue stinks long afterward. I'm not sure of the legalities. Interesting debate.

Satyaban
28 September 2009, 08:49 PM
Namaste

I live in the USA and of course this veg - non veg issue would not get off the launch pad, infact it wouldn't get to the launch pad. People here think grilling meat is one of the finest of odors. Simply visit a the tailgate parties outside any American Football game and you will smell it long before you get there. But like my Chinese friend Liu LI said "Different culture." I use her statement a lot because it is short and correct.

I don't think people should face discrimination for their diet or religion really. If a person wants to live somewhere and can afford it there it is done.

Diversity, mix it up, melting pot, eliminate ghettos enhance understanding, learn to love your neighbor that sort of thing all good, no?

Peace
Satyaban

Eastern Mind
29 September 2009, 06:22 AM
Satyaban: I like that short concise phrase, "Different culture." Now I am wondering what India is like on the smoking issue. I checked Canadian laws, and smoking is a valid reason to discriminate. So is 'no pets'. I am betting that in India you can't legally discriminate against smokers, but at the same time I'm betting people do. I used to be an apartment building manager so was privy to my landlord's methods. He always just took several 'applications' and would then select, as if he was hiring. In this way he discriminated in lots of funny ways. No one ever challenged him.

We have occasionally tossed the idea around of converting our basement int a suite for rent. But that's one of the reasins we don't. I wouldn't be able to stand the smell of cooking meat wafting up.

Aum Namasivaya

Satyaban
29 September 2009, 09:34 AM
Eastern Mind

I participated in a veg v non-veg debate on a Sikh web site and no one mentioned the smells of cooking meat. Infact the debate was sharply divided. I do agree with you partially. Frying ground beef and other meats in a pan does stink and if I am present leaves me with a greasy feeling.

Om shanti shanti
Satyaban

Eastern Mind
29 September 2009, 01:18 PM
Infact the debate was sharply divided.
Om shanti shanti
Satyaban

That debate is almost always sharply divided. People just have this thing called my way is the right way. I've been a vegetarian for 38 years or so now, but I rarely argue for longer than to make the basic points. It is a personal decision.

Regarding smells, there is also the racist excuse that 'Indians smell." because of the oil cooking and the curries. of course that doesn't bother me as I quite adore that smell. Its all just diversity.

Aum Namasivaya

satay
29 September 2009, 02:57 PM
namaskar again,


Regarding smells, there is also the racist excuse that 'Indians smell." because of the oil cooking and the curries.
Aum Namasivaya

"Indians Smell" or rather the clothes of indians smell, this is quite true, especially, in Canada. Because of the way our homes are built in Canada (due to extreme weather conditions) it is almost impossible to cook anything good without the smell getting into your clothes or worse in your skin. I think this is true for Italian, chinese and any other types of cooking that involves 'onions' and any sort of spice. You would agree with me that proper exhaust of air in the house is essential if one has to do anytype of cooking.

of course, this is not a problem in India where houses are built on 'open' concept.

A comment on the topic at hand, cooking meat actually smells really bad, much worse than any sort of spice smell, especially in a canadian home. But as satyaban put it, 'different clutures'. The smell of cooking meat doesn't seem to bother anyone here but I used to feel like throwing up when I first smelled a patty of meat. The smell of fish still makes me run in the opposite direction.

Eastern Mind
29 September 2009, 05:20 PM
Satay: re smells ... I think some are universally pleasant, while others are universally unpleasant, but perhaps not. Rose would seem universally pleasant, unless you have an allergy to it.

Back when I was living at home in the process of 'becoming' a Hindu, when I burned a tad of incense, my father yelled. "What the hell is that awful stench?" He was probably trying to finish off his half cooked steak.

Aum Namasivaya