5 ms·

I can't imagine living in Japan as a vegetarian teetotaler. There's nothing wrong with that lifestyle but, man, pick your battles. Those things—the working, dri

by weeksie 17y ago

I can't imagine living in Japan as a vegetarian teetotaler. There's nothing wrong with that lifestyle but, man, pick your battles. Those things—the working, drinking, and meat eating—are part of the culture and it's not exactly a well kept secret. I know that I love booze and meat so I'm not going to relocate to Bangalore any time soon.

hsuresh 17y ago
Might not be a bad idea to relocate to Bangalore. It is the so-called Pub capital of India.
- weeksie 17y ago
  Mate, I've been to Bangalore and while there are more bars than elsewhere in India it's a far cry from, say, New York where I'm living in alcohol sodden bliss ;)
blogimus 17y ago
Add nonsmoker to the list.
rjurney 17y ago
You can get by fine as a meat eating drinker in Bangalore - although the bars are a bit depressing :)
yashodhan 17y ago
The author comes across as a whiney and effeminate control freak. Japan has it right; meat is awesome. 80's music is awesome. The liberty to choose what drugs you inject into your body is again, awesome. Seems like he would fit well with hipsters in NYC or SF. Apologize for the condescension but he just rubbed my the wrong way. I suggest he chills out and learns to go with the flow sometimes. But happiness is probably the last thing this guy wants, he's the type of guy who thrives on finding things at fault.
plinkplonk 17y ago
"I know that I love booze and meat so I'm not going to relocate to Bangalore any time soon." Plenty of Booze and meat in Bangalore. Good Pubs, not so much.
- weeksie 17y ago
  Booze and meat can be found in Bangalore, much the same way that vegetarian food can be found in Japan. And I've been to a few of the pubs there. Well. Yeah. Not to say I didn't enjoy my stay, on the contrary I loved it; but I wouldn't move there and act indignant because I couldn't get good quality wine and steak. The point was to illustrate that Southern India is a culture inclined to vegetarian food and not drinking. And while you _can_ find meat (and some semblance of wine) in Bangalore it's hardly the same as New York or Sydney (my two "homes") in that regard.
  - plinkplonk 17y ago
    "Booze and meat can be found in Bangalore, much the same way that vegetarian food can be found in Japan." From what I understand from the article under discussion , purely vegetarian food hardly exists in japan. I have no idea if that is true, but the situation wrt meat is hardly the same in South India, so your comparison above is demonstrably false. "The point was to illustrate that Southern India is a culture inclined to vegetarian food and not drinking." Rubbish. Your stay in Bangalore doesn't lead you to correct generalizations about South India. In Kerala for instance, (one of the four states in South India), practically everyone is a non vegetarian. Hyderabad(in Andhra Pradesh) is famous for its nonvegetarian food, specially Biriyani. You have no idea about the amount of liquor consumed either. Extremely large quantities of liquor are consumed in South India. There is a thriving illegal liquor mafia which would be very interested in your discuvery that South India is "not inclined" to liquor. The people you interacted with during your stay here may have been largely vegetarian, but South India is hardly "inclined" to either vegetarianism or abstinence from alcohol, the way the OP describes Japan as being "inclined to " non vegetarianism.Show me any locality in Bangalore and I'll find you a couple of dozen non vegetarian restaurants in a 5 km radius. And lots of liquor shops. I've lived here 35+ years. I should know. I'll grant you that you may not get a steak done the way you want it, but hey I can't get a Masala Dosa in the average restaurant in Arizona. That hardly means Westerners don't "incline" to potatoes (the major filling in a Masala Dosa. Most South Indian non vegetarians eat Chicken or Lamb (and not primarily Pork or Beef as in the United States). Beef is slightly rarer (but again not in Kerala). You need to distinguish "meat" from the "exact dish I eat in New York". I was saying there was plenty of meat In Bangalore, not sausages made Chicago Style (or whatever). Meat does not dominate the menu as much as in the West, but it is easily available almost everywhere. Some communities of people, e.g Brahmins or Jains or Buddhists are vegetarians. These are minorities. Large chunks of Hindus, Muslims and Christians are meat eaters (and alcohol drinkers). Apart from these minority communities, People who don't regularly eat meat do so because of economic reasons not any "inclination" to vegetarianism.
w00pla 17y ago
> Those things—the working, drinking, and meat eating— Meat is expensive in Japan. I buy a 400 gram steak and a Coke&brandy for $4.63 total.

by weeksie 17y ago

hsuresh 17y ago

Might not be a bad idea to relocate to Bangalore. It is the so-called Pub capital of India.

weeksie 17y ago
Mate, I've been to Bangalore and while there are more bars than elsewhere in India it's a far cry from, say, New York where I'm living in alcohol sodden bliss ;)

blogimus 17y ago

Add nonsmoker to the list.

rjurney 17y ago

You can get by fine as a meat eating drinker in Bangalore - although the bars are a bit depressing :)

yashodhan 17y ago

The author comes across as a whiney and effeminate control freak. Japan has it right; meat is awesome. 80's music is awesome. The liberty to choose what drugs you inject into your body is again, awesome. Seems like he would fit well with hipsters in NYC or SF. Apologize for the condescension but he just rubbed my the wrong way. I suggest he chills out and learns to go with the flow sometimes. But happiness is probably the last thing this guy wants, he's the type of guy who thrives on finding things at fault.

plinkplonk 17y ago

"I know that I love booze and meat so I'm not going to relocate to Bangalore any time soon." Plenty of Booze and meat in Bangalore. Good Pubs, not so much.

weeksie 17y ago
Booze and meat can be found in Bangalore, much the same way that vegetarian food can be found in Japan. And I've been to a few of the pubs there. Well. Yeah. Not to say I didn't enjoy my stay, on the contrary I loved it; but I wouldn't move there and act indignant because I couldn't get good quality wine and steak. The point was to illustrate that Southern India is a culture inclined to vegetarian food and not drinking. And while you _can_ find meat (and some semblance of wine) in Bangalore it's hardly the same as New York or Sydney (my two "homes") in that regard.
- plinkplonk 17y ago
  "Booze and meat can be found in Bangalore, much the same way that vegetarian food can be found in Japan." From what I understand from the article under discussion , purely vegetarian food hardly exists in japan. I have no idea if that is true, but the situation wrt meat is hardly the same in South India, so your comparison above is demonstrably false. "The point was to illustrate that Southern India is a culture inclined to vegetarian food and not drinking." Rubbish. Your stay in Bangalore doesn't lead you to correct generalizations about South India. In Kerala for instance, (one of the four states in South India), practically everyone is a non vegetarian. Hyderabad(in Andhra Pradesh) is famous for its nonvegetarian food, specially Biriyani. You have no idea about the amount of liquor consumed either. Extremely large quantities of liquor are consumed in South India. There is a thriving illegal liquor mafia which would be very interested in your discuvery that South India is "not inclined" to liquor. The people you interacted with during your stay here may have been largely vegetarian, but South India is hardly "inclined" to either vegetarianism or abstinence from alcohol, the way the OP describes Japan as being "inclined to " non vegetarianism.Show me any locality in Bangalore and I'll find you a couple of dozen non vegetarian restaurants in a 5 km radius. And lots of liquor shops. I've lived here 35+ years. I should know. I'll grant you that you may not get a steak done the way you want it, but hey I can't get a Masala Dosa in the average restaurant in Arizona. That hardly means Westerners don't "incline" to potatoes (the major filling in a Masala Dosa. Most South Indian non vegetarians eat Chicken or Lamb (and not primarily Pork or Beef as in the United States). Beef is slightly rarer (but again not in Kerala). You need to distinguish "meat" from the "exact dish I eat in New York". I was saying there was plenty of meat In Bangalore, not sausages made Chicago Style (or whatever). Meat does not dominate the menu as much as in the West, but it is easily available almost everywhere. Some communities of people, e.g Brahmins or Jains or Buddhists are vegetarians. These are minorities. Large chunks of Hindus, Muslims and Christians are meat eaters (and alcohol drinkers). Apart from these minority communities, People who don't regularly eat meat do so because of economic reasons not any "inclination" to vegetarianism.

w00pla 17y ago

> Those things—the working, drinking, and meat eating— Meat is expensive in Japan. I buy a 400 gram steak and a Coke&brandy for $4.63 total.