Guest guest Posted February 10, 2003 Report Share Posted February 10, 2003 It depends. No practicing Hindu will eat beef -- the cow is sacred. (Milk products are an important part of every Hindu's diet, however -- milking does not injure the cow.) Vaishnavas (worshippers of Vishnu and his avatars Krishna or Rama) are strict lacto-vegetarians. They also avoid certain vegetables like garlic and onions, and have food restrictions on certain days (no rice on ekadasi -- the 11th day after the full and new moons -- for example). Pork is considered a "lower caste" food, and avoided by the higher castes, and Hindus who've been influenced by Muslim neighbors. Many larger Goddess temples have animal sacrifices to Kali and Durga -- goats and chickens are the most common offering. The sacrificed animals are cooked and served to the worshippers as <prasad> (sacred food). So most Shaktas (Goddess worshippers) will eat meat occasionally, if only as <prasad> at a temple. Here in New York, restaurants serving "Indian cuisine" that have beef dishes are actually owned by Muslims, usually Bangladeshis. Even meat-eating Hindus eat a great deal less meat than is consumed by the average American. -- Len/ Kalipadma On Tue, 11 Feb 2003 07:33:14 -0000 "Jamie <suckitau" <suckitau writes: > >Are Hindu's alowed to eat meat? I got > the impression they did, but pork was out of bounds. I then got told > by a friend that was Muslims. I knew Muslims wernt alowed to eat it, > but Hindu's r allowed to eat meat?? > ______________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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