From the Operating Table to the Dining Room Table

On Going Vegan...

Food That Kills

Thailand

A month and a half ago, I arrived in Thailand. I am here volunteering with an NPO. That being said, I seriously expected it to be easy tone vegan in Thailand..... I was incredibly wrong haha... It is quite the opposite! Being vegan in Thailand, especially pattaya is very challenging because Thai people have really taken upon a more western/ meat based diet! There is meat meat meat everywhere. There also is no direct translation for vegetarian or vegan. The closest word is jey, which is vegan but it also means that you don't eat onions, chili, garlic, salt, curry, etc... I've learned how to say I dont eat eggs, fish, chicken, pork, beef....... Sometimes I'm successful in delivering the message and sometimes little bits meat come floating in my food...... It's a trial and error process.

I walked through the market today and saw 6 pig heads sitting on the table waiting to be purchased..... Quite an unnerving sight. It's really interesting actually because when western people walk past the pig heads they are absolutely shocked, disgusted, saddened, and grossed out...as if they don't know that their food looked just the same before it reached their plate.. And the life of cruelty that the pig they ate was probably worse than the one sitting on the table to be sold. It's amazing, our ability to rationalize our morals or to ignore our morals. I've been sharing with everyone about my being vegan and to most people, the idea is completely foreign..... " how are you vegan in Thailand...? That must be soooo difficult!" and ya know what, it is! It really is, but I choose to take the more difficult path and stick with my morals than to ignore what is true in my heart..... I can digest it easier! <---- pun intended!