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There was a time, say thirty or forty years ago, when vegetarians had a difficult time telling non-vegetarians why it was so important to stop eating meat. The situation was made worse because vegetarians back then did not get the support from the food manufacturers and supermarkets that they do now either. In brief, it was far more difficult to be a vegetarian than it is now.

Moreover, in those far off days, lots of hippies and others following an ‘alternative’ lifestyle were first generation vegetarians and so they could not look to their parents for support and advice. Those individuals are now in their forties and fifties with children and even grandchildren of their own, many of whom are also vegetarian.

Being second or even third generation vegetarian is very different from being first, not least because they have been able to see the effects of a vegetarian lifestyle on their parents and even grandparents. It might never cross such a person’s mind to crave a bacon sandwich with tomato sauce or a French dip beef sandwich au jus, because the idea is abhorrent to them.

They have not had to take a conscious decision or a vast physical effort to cut meat from their diet after perhaps eating it for twenty years or more. My father gave up meat for ethical as well as practical reasons when he was sixty and he craved ‘bacon butties’ (sandwiches) for the rest of his life. He found it difficult.

His reasons for giving up meat were pretty typical: he objected to the cruelty to animals that is brought on by intensive farming techniques in some countries; he objected to the use of hormones and preservatives in live animals and he thought that eating so much meat was not a sustainable lifestyle for a burgeoning world population, that was becoming steadily rich enough that everyone would would like to eat more meat sooner or later.

Society does not help or encourage the would-be vegetarian. The farming industry has grown huge and they have a vested interest in selling us their dairy, meat and eggs. It is difficult to escape pictures and hoardings promoting their products. Although the situation is better these days, restaurants still cater usually to the meat-eaters and vegetarian meals always seem small and costly by comparison.

Fortunately there are lots of ‘Eastern’ restaurants that cater naturally to the vegetarian because numerous Easterners are vegetarian. You can always find vegetarian meals on a Chinese, Japanese or an Indian menu. Hindus are vegetarian. Thai restaurants will also have a high quantity of meatless meals.

However, if you do not like spicy food, you are back in the pizza hut or the sandwich bar in most towns. Society has moved on, yet there is still a long way to go but the vegetarian life is definitely becoming easier to maintain. There is support in numbers, so it would be worth taking vegetarian cookery lessons if your resolve starts to waiver.

Owen Jones, the author of this article writes on many subjects, but is at present concerned with vegetarian recipes for kids. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our site at Vegetarian Sandwich Recipes.

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