i'm looking for tips on eating a vegan diet in India,are
there any vegan places to stay in Dehli or in the North?
and also - I'm a female travelling alone for the first
time, and wondered if any other women with dreadlocks had
increased problems because of them. Will it make me into a
big freaky lets all laugh at her thing ? Any help
gratefully recieved...cheers
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I'm a 20 year vegan. India is just great for me. I've never
stayed in a vegan place, don't think I'd want to, really.
But in terms of nourishment, there just isn't a problem.
Even the simplest restaurants will post what kind of oil the
food is prepared with. And the variety of preparations of
proper food is stunning.
You will find many many 'vedic nutritionists' with whom to
converse on tamassic, rajassic and sattwic foods. In every
region you'll encountre wonderfully different things to eat.
Watch out for the south-- they don't have the same meaning
for 'hot' that you might.
As for your dreadlocks, yes, in certain places you'll be
stared at no doubt. But I don't think that really bothers
you. You won't be excluded from anything because of your
dreads, unless they're filthy-- and then I TOO would give
you a wide berth.
Pay more attention to your general dress, as a woman. As
many many messages here remind us-- keep shoulders covered,
don't generally wear shorts, wear a bra, etc.
I'm sure you get stared at and giggled at in certain places
in your home country too. You have chosen a different path.
If it's your path, follow it!
Just thought I'd add my story of one very emminent
nutritionist who was lecturing on vegetarian food at an
ashram I once visited. This was many many years ago before I
went vegan. During the question time, I asked: "What about
eggs? I have 25 chickens..."
He didn't skip a beat: "Madame, if you have 25 chickens, you
should eat chicken!"
Good old pragmatic India.
Also, my hair is naturally bright red. It's often a show
stopper, especially in village India. Kids invariably want
to touch it, even pull some out as a souvenir.
But in the end, it's your smile that counts in India. If
it's quick and bright and honest, you won't have any problem
with anyone.
pongite - you don't have to go to India to get laughed at -
I'm rolling on the floor already with the thought of a
paranoid, rasta-wanna-be, grass grazer!! Thanks a lot, you
really made my day!!!
Hey, Pongite!
The above message is another good reason to go to India! At
least 'Get Real' won't be there. Careful though, they say
'Eat Cow' will be there-- ugh!
I don't really know what you mean by a "vegan place to
stay", although I'm sure such places exist. I've been vegan
from birth, don't have dreadlocks (is there a connection--
you seem to indicate that all female vegans have dreds...?),
travel in India alone 2wice a year at least and agree with
the first answer here that eating is just plain joyful for
vegans in India.
As for your dreadlocks, yes, in certain places they'll be
considered a sign of dirtiness, since often very unwashed
people have them in India. And let's face it-- they are a
haven for lice, fleas and just plain dirt. But they'll help
keep your head warm, and if they're that important to you,
then that's that.
My hair is totally normal dirty brown, but I'm 6'1" tall,
and let me tell you, people point so often they poke me! But
so what? Indians love to get a kick out of things, so let
them have an innocent giggle at your matted locks!
Just go and have a wonderful time.
But if you get a chance, tell me-- is there a connection
between being vegan and dreadlocks? I feel like I've missed
something!
no, no connection! just wanted to ask both questions, so
there you go.
*********
* * * *
* * @ @ * *
* * / * *
* * (---)* * bye.....
Oh- Get Real I don't want to be a rasta actually, and I'm
not a grass gazer, and I'm going to India and your stuck in
your shitty job not caring at all about the world or people
or animals. If your life has improved with my message well
thats just groovy as it obviously was pretty crap before.
Pongite I am disappointed in your reaction; all those
negative vibes will eat you up. I have dreds and am a
veg (although not vegan) and have like you had trouble
working through my self-righteous side; typical problems for
people like you and me. I have considered trimming my hair
and eating meat to cure myself. It is a hard lesson to
learn that no one is any better than anyone else; even if
you eat meat, work a 9-5 job as a businessperson, and live a
'typical' western lifestyle. Through spiritual experiences
and practices I've come to recognize the depth and beauty of
every being! some of the coolist people I've met since then
wear a suit, don't smoke pot etc....open your mind.
the guy in message three was very drunk,I can imagine.I say
go girl!I echo all the sentiments of the woman in message
one.The Indians stare at you no matter what you wear,but it
was an honest question you asked.Women are definetly more
well received in Asia if they are modestly dressed;you'll
find that more important than style of hair.I'm no
vegan,but you will have no problem,eating nothing but
veggies in India.I'm planning my next trip,you plan yours!!!
....yes, what IS a "vegan place to stay"??? Is it one that
doesn't allow pets, rodents or insects eat flesh?? Is it
one that doesn't have such disgusting table fare such as
meat, milk, eggs or cheese. I'm just sorry for people like
you guys who crawl into your own little closed world and
expect the rest of us to cater to your wants and needs...GET
REAL, there are more humanistic ways of getting the
attention you grazers crave!!
...BTW, I will be in Nepal and Tibet Oct/Nov of this year
and even though I don't drink liquor I won't be posting a
message on here asking for tea houses and restaurants that
are "alcohol free". Just food for thought. Also, if you
are in the neighborhood, I'd love to invite you folks over
for dinner - as the main course. You'll probably be a bit
stringy, but what the hell.....
I've been vegan a long time and if I eat dairy products or
meat now I'd get pretty ill. I've heard in villages it's
normal to eat where you stay, and often meat selling places
don't understand that I don't eat milk, butter ghee etc,
well thats what I've found in many other countries.Places
that are entirely vegan i.e. sell vegan foood only, are
much easier for me to eat at.
Also of course omitting dairy products from your diet
doesn't make you cool, and I don't claim to follow any
ideal spiritual path, in fact I think my morals and my
lifestyle are in many areas dubious.
I know that people go beyond their outer selves, suits
don't mean much, virtually all people do need to work, and
who says people with dreads automatically smoke pot? On the
other hand if people make judgments about what I'm like,
when I genuinelly(yeah can't spell) am just asking for
information to help me, not preaching a lifestyle, I do get
irritated . So forgive me and peace and love to all
..I still don't understand the vegan lifestyle, but I do
admire your honesty. Didn't mean to offend. I've been to
Nepal before and as in most developing countries (like
India) meat is considered more of a luxary than a staple.
You'll have little problem staying vegan. I hope you enjoy
your trip to India!!!
if you go south you WILL be laughed at stared at
excessively, but not any more than any other westerner! I
found it totally weird to be stared at and treated as a
freak; as a white male with short hair that does not happean
to me to often. I don't know about vegan places to stay,
but there are plenty of veg restraunts all over the place.
Brahmins sp don't eat eggs, meat, etc....but they do eat
anything(meat eggs) if they are invited into anothers home.
Something you might be aware of if you are invited to
dinner with an Indian family.
Has anyone really met a dredlock who does not smoke pot?
That would be as easy to find as an accountant who does not
own a tie!
what the hell is a VEGAN????????
and quit proving disproving whatever.........
dear pongite get a haircut real job and eat whatever you
feel comfortable with. who cares! You sound to anal for
india they dont give a rats about you they will just laugh
at your birds nest and think that you are a pseudo saddhu
love and peace bye
sorry pongite, I can't recommend a vegan hotel.
However if you'd like a vegan haircut, I'll point you in the
right direction.
just tell indians who stare at you that you have taken a vow
and that you are going to offer your hair at tirupati, the
temple in southern india where people go and shave their
heads. the belief is that they have surrendered totally to
god, even offering hair - something which they cherish
dearly. people in the south will readily understand if you
just say you're growing it for tirupati. in the north some
may understand the concept.
get a grip of the culture are you a blatant liar all the
time why live a lie Tirupati show some respect you
shithead i hope your on the hit list. wanker
This is something that I always woundered about and I hope
all you vegans keep in mind. India is pretty clearly the
culture where vegatarianism is the most entrenched. It has
been around for sooooo long and is important to the
religious life, etc. In other words, they know dal!
My interest has to do with the things you hear from militant
back to nature types in India about Ghee (when I say
militant back to nature, I mean the Indian equivalent of the
American Religious Right and Rasta wanna-bes rolled into
one). They will often tell you, with no irony, that Ghee is
where its at, and that vanaspati is this sick, unhealthy
modern western perversion and is in fact India's version of
McDonalds- cheap and nasty. So tell me India loving vegans
with dreads(or without) what your take on this whole ghee
thing is.
Back to my dal...
First it was a "blue" post, and now yawn's posting is
dated 6 Feb, which won't happen for two more days. Ah.
Hi pongite, /i am a vegan dreadlocked woman too and I was in
Nepal for some time last year. I think having dreads was ok
, it was definitely a conversation starter! Lots of people
woul;d come up and look at me and touch my hair and ask me
why it was like that!
But no worries really. As for veganism, it was a little
tricky as communication has to be clear and simple, and it;s
hard to convey that you don't eat meat OR dairy OR animal
fats etc, a lot of the time I think I was eating some dodgy
stuff because I didn't know how to explain it to them.
Rice and dahl is fine, but watch what they call 'tofu', or
'curd' because it is not soya based but milk based.
i am going to India this year so maybe we'll meet up
somewhere!!
Good luck!
I'm a 9-5 corporate suit-wearer, and I often wondered why
people who wear huge tatoos, pierce their face, have dreds,
wear their underwear on the outide, etc. etc. don't like to
be looked at? I always thought that those who strive to be
different do so precisely because they want to be noticed. I
agree completely with Christof in his comments.
Pongite, you mention that you feel that you are judged
unjustly when people automatically think that you consume
drugs because you wear dreds. Please remember that those of
us who don't try to make a statement with our "look", are
often misjudged as well. Just a thought.....