'I understand soy beans are nice'

[Guest guest]

Dear Kurma Prabhu,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Thank you for your letter

 

>So surely one comment in one letter at a certain point in time cannot be

>taken as absolute culinary instructions for ever, especially without taking

>the comment in light of many other LATER instructions on the matter of

>diet.

>

>Isn't this a reasonable observation?

 

It is.

 

But, once again, the quote from Srila Prabhupada about soy beans does not

mean that he condoned or preferred soy oil, but only that he did not call it

"nasty", "absolutely useless", "totally in the mode of ignorance" etc. and

definitely did not forbid it from use.

 

Besides, in another quotation he did explicitly condone the use of vegetable

oils whenever "ghee was not available or easily acquired".

 

Hence, since the initial question by Vidura Priya Prabhu was whether we CAN

(not should or must) use soy oil or not, Prabhupada's answer seems to be

yes, we can. If I see his more explicit statements to the contrary, I will

correct my opinion and apologize.

 

All other issues -- that ghee is tastier, more sattvic, more traditional,

better for preaching, and that there are much better oils than soy oil, and

that soy oil may be harmful if derived from GM-beans, etc. -- which I

completely agree with, are, however, utterly irrelevant for this discussion.

 

Please forgive me for not participating in this debate any further.

 

Your servant,

Madana-mohana das