Beware of Beef in McDonald's french fries

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavatas:

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

 

Here is a cutting from page 5c of Plain Dealer Newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio

dated 3rd may 2001:

Anbil Ramaswamy

===============================================================

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE - McDonald's Corp. has been accused in a lawsuit of using beef fat

in the preparation of french fries more than a decade after saying it would

cook its fries in vegetable oil.

 

The law suit for unspecified damages was filed on behalf of two Hindus who

don't eat meat and one Non-Hindu vegetarian Tuesday in King County Superior

Court by attorney Harish Bharati, who said he believes the case is the first

such suit in the United States.

 

He asked that the case be certified as a class action on behalf of any

vegetarian who ate McDonald's fries after 1990 in the belief that they

contained no meat.

 

The law suit says McDonald's " intentionally failed to publicly disclose its

continued use of beef tallow in the {french fry} cooking process under the

guise of 'natural flavor' "

 

McDonald's announced in 1990 that its restaurants no longer would use beef

fat in making french fries and that it would use only pure vegetable oil.

 

The Oak Brook, III. based fast-food chain released a written statement

yesterday saying it never claimed the fries it sells in the United States

are vegetarian. The statement said the recipe for the fries uses ' a

miniscule trace of beef flavoring, not tallow " .

 

Tallow is essentially shortening made from beef fat. McDonald's adds a small

amount of beef extract while potatoes are being cooked, the company said.

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[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE vEdAnta guravE namaH

 

Sri Murali,

 

murali sampath <ingit wrote:

> What one should do or not is one's personal choice.

I don't think it is

> essential for anyone to advocate what one should be

eating or doing

> irrespective whether he or she is a Vaishnaivite or

whatever.

 

I don't know whether you have ever heard about " AahAra

niyamam " of SwAmi vEdanta dEsika, the foremost among

the vEdic authorities and Vaishnavites. This grantham

of SwAmi deals with what kinds of food that a

VaishnavA can eat and what are shunned from eating.

Please read it before advocationg your personal

beliefs and philosophies to the public.

 

Here is a translation of 8th pasuram of AhAra niyamam.

 

(Translation is done by Sriman

Dileepan SwAmi).

 

[8] forbidden foods continued...

- Calcium (suNNaambu) extracted from sea shells

- bubbles and froth from water

- foods that are not offered to our Lord

- harvested from the stems that were previously

harvested

- foods avoided by learned persons with pure heart

 

 

> Atleast I think it's a matter of personal

> choice - be it French fries at MacDonald's or Milk

> at Taj or Dosa at Connemara or wherever.

 

Yes, it is just your thought. Not a VaishnavA's

thought. I don't think McDonalad's, Taj or Connemara

serve the foods offered to Sriman Narayana.

 

> Folks, let's not debate nor lose our sanity over

> this debatable subject that

> has already been done a zillions of times

> by others elsewhere.

 

Invariably, all the achAryas icluding GeethAchAryan

Sri Krishna, recommends sAtvic food for vaishnavAs.

Where then is the place for debate

on this subject?

 

> Nowhere does he nor the others insist what one

> should be eating.

 

Again, you propbably never heard our SadhAchArya's

preaching.

 

For instance, once in one of his tele-upanyasams, His

Holiness SrImad Poundarikapuram Andavan swami advised

vaishnavas NOT to eat anything that is not offered to

our Lord Sriman Narayana. " If one eats anything that

is not offered to the Lord is verily a theif " , he

further added.

 

Our Srivaishnava acharyAs, unlike other sampradaic

achAryAs, follow vEdic commandments

(which are verily the commanments of Lord Sriman

NArayana) 100% as it is. They are the

best examples for a vaishnava to follow. It is in the

best interest of every prapanna to safeguard his

consciousness, nay, his chasteness to his Husband,

Sriman nArAyanA, by trying to not eat

any food that is not offered to Him.

 

Please do not try to preach your personal beliefs in

the Vaishnava lists, which can hinder the

improvements of novice Vaishnavas like aDiyEn.

 

I would request " practise_first_and_preach_next " SrI

VaishvAs like our dear Sri Anand sWami, etc, to write

more on the importance of AhAra niyamam.

 

 

aDiyEn,

LakshmikumAr.

 

SrImad azhagiya singar thiruvadigalE saranam!

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

SrI:

SrImathE rAmAnujAya namaH

SrImathE vEdAnta guravE namaH

 

namO nArAyaNA!

 

SrI Manohar,

 

You opined:

> I agree with Sriman Murali Sampath that what one

> eats is matter of

> personal choice. In the Gita the Lord says, " offer

> all that you do and

> eat. " He does not put any conditions like no

> MacDonald french fries

> etc.. Ours is a religion of upadesa not

> commandments.

 

No one is born into any religion, whether it is

Srivaishnavam or anything else. Only when one accepts

the " upadesa " of the preceptors of the religion " as

commandments " does he / she become a follower of that

religion.

 

As far as a Sri Vaishnavam is concerned, the Supreme

Lord comes down as AchAryAs and gives upadesam to

those who are sincere. It is upto one to take the

upadesams as commandments or not; Yes it's a matter of

personal choice. But onething - when you don't accept

the commandments of Sriman Narayana (or SrI vaishnava

AcharyAs) you are not deemed to be called as a Sri

Vaishnava.

 

You opined:

> Someone those outside sri sampradaya have no reason

> lecturing us,

> considering that their original motive in

> participating in this forum

> is to learn Sri Vaisnava theology. Soon we will have

> the likes of the

> Talibans and Fundamental Baptist instructing us on

> what to eat and

> offer God.

>

 

Whatever SrI Jai Simman said in regards with eating

prasadam is in line with SrI Vaishnava AchAryas'

upadEsams. Hence there is no reason for you / me to

discourage him or the likes of him to write in this

forum. If he were to advocate something that is not

inline with our philosophy, then its a different

story.

 

You opined:

> First, I like to clarify that the term " demigods "

> was coined by

> Prabhupada. This word he 'borrowed' from Greek

> mythology and

> 'mis-used' it to refer to the devas. The term

> demigod is only

> applicable to someone like Arjuna.

>

 

Pray, what would be the correct term for devAs then?

When you can borrow the english word " God " to equate

with BhagavAn Sriman NarAyaNa, while the word God in

noway can be equal to " BhagavAn " , I don't think there

is anything wrong in using the word " demigod " for

devAs.

 

You opined:

> On the issue of mental offering, there is a story in

> the Srimad

> Bhagavatam, where a rishi mentally prepares an

> offering for the Lord.

> The rishi puts his finger into maenatlly visualised

> preparation and

> gets his fingers burnt. This story is an

> illustration on the power of

> an offering done mentally.

>

> On the issue of sattvic and non-sattvic etc. Hitler

> was a vegetarian

> but he killed millions of Jews, and minorities like

> homosexuals,

> gipsies etc. The leaders of a world famous Krishna

> cult, are/were

> 'pure vegetarian' who only partook bhagavad prasadam

> prepared

> according to 'shastric code'. But did that prevent

> them from molesting

> young children and having sexual affairs with their

> female and male

> disciples (which are still very rampant in that

> movement). Did their

> consciousness change from eating bhagavad prasadam?

>

 

Your kudharkAs (illogical arguments) can only be

considered under pure " Sectarianism " .

 

You opined:

> On the issue of killing silk worms and insects

> ....blah blah. Our sri

> vaisnava acaryas have not included insect/worms etc

> in the category of

> sentient beings, and for practical reason we do not

> try and emulate

> the Jainism concept of ahimsa.

 

Can some learned SrI Vaishnava scholars clarify if

insects/worms are not considered as sentinent beings

by our AchAryAs?

 

>

> Rules and regulations are used by some 'groups' as a

> means to achieve

> the end Goal - Sriman Narayana. But for sri

> vaisnavas the means and

> the end is one and the same. Acknowledging, that we

> are not capable of

> following all these rules and regulations of bhakti

> yoga, our alvars

> and acaryas have showed us the easy path, Prappatti,

> as taught by Lord

> Krishna Himself in the Gita.

 

While I agree with this point by you, it is not

written in its correct context. If you were to think

eating in McDonalds or Steak House is allowed for a

prapanna, I am compelled to write this:

 

Prapatti is not an escape for not following the rules

of ShastrAs. Prapatti has its own set of rules and

regulations albeit much easier ones. Infact, one of

the angas of prappati is taking the resolve to not to

do anything against shAstras (Sruti & Smruti), which

are verily the commandments of AchAryas, and another

anga is following the rules and regulations of the

Shastras.

 

I request learned scholars to correct my mistakes in

this mail, if any.

 

aDiyEn ramanuja dAsan,

lakshmikumAr.

 

Srimad Azhagiya Singar thiruvadigalE saranam!

 

 

 

 

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