Why arent Hindu's allowed to eat seaweed?!
Why arent Hindu's allowed to eat seaweed?
On asking a friend to come and eat sushi, (as there are vegetarian options too, and sushi is delicious), i discovered my friend does not eat Seaweed because of her sector in Hinduism.
Although I've searched on the net, I cant seem to find why this is.. other than seaweed not coming under the division of a plant (as i thought it was).
If anyone can let me know why it is prohibited, i would be most grateful! thanks
Answers:
The Yahoo India crowd will be here in a few hours and maybe they can shed some light on the question. This is a new one to me and I can only guess at two possibilities. One is that she really is part of a sub-set of Hinduism that restricts seaweed; the other is that she used that as an excuse to avoid going to a sushi restaurant in a manner that wouldn't offend you. I've gotten quite a few sushi fans quite angry when I've told them that I won't eat sushi from a non-vegetarian sushi bar. A Texan totally understands that a veggie wouldn't want to go into a BBQ joint that stinks of burned flesh; but those same Texans throw a hissy-fit when you tell them that you don't want to eat in a place that stinks of slaughtered fish. Try and figure that one out...
Source(s):
Vegetarians do not eat fish. A fish eater is a Piscivore. Spread the correct word!
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/piscivo...
That's odd. I've never heard of that. I have Hindu friends and although they don't like seaweed (too fishy!), they have no religious restrictions on it. Are you sure there wasn't a misunderstanding and does she understand that seaweed IS a plant?
Maybe she thinks seaweed is along the lines of sea cucumbers, sponges and other sea animals. I guess you need to explain the difference to her.
I am Hindu, first I've heard of it. I think she probably didn't understand. I eat seaweed but I am vegetarian so don't eat meat or fish.
Apart from the possibility that she misunderstands what seaweed is, there is one other explanation that I can think of.
There are some off-shoots of Hinduism that have subscribed to a vegetarian diet which restricts certain other foods in addition to that of a regular vegetarian, namely onions and garlic (and maybe seaweed, I don't know). I believe that they may eat dairy, but not eggs, and limit other foods, such as chilli. The reason is because of eastern philosophies attributing different properties to food which affect the temperament and the chakras (energy centres) in the body. Onions and garlic are supposed to stimulate the 'base' chakras, those connected with sexual desire, and for a sect which commits to celebacy this is a no-no. They call it 'pure vegetarian' and apparently it is commonly understood in India.
To clarify: you can eat seaweed and be Hindu. Hinduism is a history of many ancient traditions, and some newer sects.
i want to be hindi and i want to eat seaweed, this is a tuff call
maybe she is getting mixed up with seaweed,and thinks it is a living being.
i'm a hindu, i am a vegetarian and i do eat seaweed . i've never heard of this before. i think the girl is misunderstood..
I've never heard of this and I'm been veggie for lots of years. Unless she belongs to a little-known sector of Hinduism, which is a possibility I suppose.