In article <ghenE6n1Mw.J4M@netcom.com>, Paul Ciszek
<pciszek@nyx10.cs.du.edu> writes >Daly de Gagne <ambika@mbnet.mb.ca> writes: > >>Most of these quotations come from an excellent feature Hinduism Today >>did on vegetarianism a few years ago. The article stated: "There >>developed early in India an unparalleled concern for harmony among life >>forms, and this led to a common ethos based on non-injuriousness, and a >>minimal consumption of natural resources--in other words, to compassion >>and simplicity." > >How is it, then, that: > >1) McDonald's in India does a brisk business in mutton burgers? >2) Every Indian restaurant I have patronized in the U.S.A. serves meat? >3) Kali is called "the goddess of the slaughterhouse" in some texts?
I can see your point of view, however, not every one in India is a
Hindu, and those that are, may not necesarily be strict (just as not
every Jew keeps kosher). Many cultures have over the ages invaded
India, probably introducing meat dishes, and sometimes people just have
to eat what they can. You will also find Indian restaurants offer a
very wide range of vegetarian dishes, unlike many restaurants of other
cultures. These restaurants are probably also catering for a meat
eating nation. The little I know of Kali suggests that she is the
goddess to be worshipped by the outcastes of society, and she is the
'evil' goddess if there is such a thing. I'm not Hindu, so this could
all be wrong, but it fits with what I've learnt about Hinduism in my A
level class (UK).
