Open Writing

I was a vegetarian for two years in my late twenties. I gave up when I went to South Korea from Britain because my diet was too limited and my ethical convictions were not strong enough.

Korean cuisine is heavily spiced and uses a lot of meat. The spices gave me stomach upsets so there was very little that I could eat. I could have relied entirely on vegetarian home cooking, but it would have meant not dining out with Koreans. Restaurants serving beef and pork are a major fixture in South Korean social life. (I should also add that I am a very bad cook.)

I was and still am ashamed of the speed with which I gave up vegetarianism. I promised myself that I would take it up again when I left Korea, which means next weekend.

It is not difficult to be a vegetarian in Britain, particularly in cosmopolitan cities like London. Shops, restaurants and cinemas know that many customers are Muslim, Hindu and Jewish, so foods containing pork and beef products are often labeled or alternatives are provided.

When I first arrived in Korea I found that food the shop assistants told me was vegetarian sometimes contained strips of pork or was flavored with other animal products.

In Britain it is unusual to find a restaurant or pub that doesn't have a section for vegetarians on its menu. Major supermarkets also give shelf and freezer space to processed food for vegetarians and even vegans.

International food is commonplace in Britain, which also makes life easy for vegetarians. North African couscous, Italian polenta and East Asian tofu are all mainstays of the British vegetarian's plate. If we had no international food we would be stuck with bread and potatoes.

In my experience, and that of vegetarian friends, some meat eaters can be quite hostile towards people who don't share their carnivorous habits.

I think it is because they believe that vegetarians have a holier than thou attitude and so feel threatened. Or perhaps in the manner of homophobic bigots who are secretly homosexual, they are vegetarians at heart but can't accept it.

I was not a particularly committed vegetarian so I never criticized meat eaters. I still wore leather, bought baked goods containing battery hen eggs, and for much of the time ate fish. Technically I was a pescatarian, a person who eats fish but not meat.

Meat eaters often criticized me for my lack of commitment. They seemed to believe that no person who wears leather or eats fish has the right to give up meat.

My response was isn't it better to give up one animal product than not make any effort at all? If you don't want to give your life savings to charity, does it mean that you shouldn't give $100?

I was also told that I was hypocritical for being a vegetarian because I enjoy the taste of meat. I don't have an answer to that one.

I really want to be a better vegetarian this time. I know that fish is a major issue because fish stocks are running low. I also realize that I should stop ignoring the battery egg problem.

If I manage to become the most perfect vegetarian in the world, I won't criticize meat eaters. Even vegetable farming comes with an environmental cost.