Woes of a Vegetarian

Vegetarianism is little heard of term in Portugal. Indian students are often seen facing this problem more acutely than others, writes Annie DattaFrom Varsity.

To a vegetarian student, the campus canteens of Coimbra have little to offer. Vegetarianism is little heard of term here in Portugal. Indian students are often seen facing this problem more acutely than others. An Indian student who came here in 1995 survived on rice and potatoes that were a mere accompaniment to the main course. As a result he preferred to cook at home, time permitting. Even today vegetarian students live on salads and soups only. A vegetarian canteen, the only one of its kind, has been a recent addition. Still young in the idea, it serves a monotonous melange - a necessity only for die-hards and health freaks.

Not that there is a shortage of vegetables in the markets only they are exorbitantly priced. A vegetable like okra has to be literally picked up by count let alone by weight. Brinjals are costly and so are cauliflowers. Meat on the contrary becomes economically more viable. The student who came as a strict vegetarian ten years ago is today on the other side of the spectrum - a pucca non-vegetarian, that is.

In a restaurant one is vulnerable to frustration when a purely vegetarian stuff like samosa (chamuça) is found to contain not potatoes and peas but a stuffing of minced meat. Another time one may bite into what might appear a fried salty savoury reminding you of the famous Indian pakora only to be met with a contrary taste. A first-time encounter with filhós is what one means.

Portuguese meals include generous quantities of sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines), caldo verde (a soup of cabbage and potatoes with slices of sausage) and bacalhau (salt cod). Roasted, stewed or grilled meat with fried eggs and chips is a must on every menu. Squid, octopus and clams are popular as salads and starters. To be frank one eats these more for the presence of green coriander and fresh lemon slices.

Vegetarianism is not a popular concept in Portugal. However, more people are aware of the goodness of a vegetarian diet compared to the situation, as it existed some years ago. "We mix a lot of ingredients," a workingwoman speaking of Portuguese gastronomy, told me. Her own familiarity with vegetarian food, however, was short lived. I also know of people beginning to be interested in Eastern cultures and way of life and developing a keen taste for the Indian kheer and other milk-based desserts. It is a pity that little is known in this part of the world of the richness and variety and the number of ways vegetables could be cooked and served in India and South East Asia.

A vegetarian often opts for omelettes, salads, rice, and soups. Things can become messy but functional when for instance a South East Asian student dexterously combines both salad and soup together to relish a new hotchpotch. But for the purist who avoids eggs, fish and cheese (lethally non-vegetarian according to a sensibility and point of view) the choice would be further reduced as she is left stewed in more abstract dilemmas.

If survival is the end goal then food should be taken as food without getting too much into detail. That seems to be the general view. A great animal lover, in our neighbourhood, living alone among pet animals, told me once that she would give up eating meat if given a vegetarian option. Though she eats non-vegetarian stuff she does it 'thoughtlessly.' Friends and relatives find it humorous to make her uncomfortable by pointing, at an unguarded moment, to the particulars in her plate. She is happy to eat as a generalist avoiding 'food with a face.' Her anger with stray cats disturbing her peace peaks merely at throwing a tumbler of cold water to shoo them away and no more.

For some the dilemma of staying rigidly vegetarian assumes a more ethical face. There is no way out. There are some who are more flexible like the Indian student, I met recently. She allows the situation to first get desperate before succumbing to the pressure of separating the curry from the objectionable non- vegetarian content. She is a model of survival on the periphery.