Are there any Vegetarians in Third World Countries?!
Answers: I seem to notice a trend of people who are Vegetarians happen to be in First World Countries where there is an abundant supply of food thus the choices. I was wondering are there also Vegetarians in Somalia, Malawi, Yemen, Congo, Tanzania, Comoros, Burundi and many others. I am just curious because being a vegetarian is a choice, and if I am not mistaken I'm sure those people in Third World Countries would like to have a mouthfull of what we have here.
In the African countries you mentioned, it is not a matter of choice, most people are vegetarian because meat is too expensive. Live animals are a status symbol, the more you have the more status, therefore large animals like cattle are only killed on special occasions.
The majority of people live on crushed corn, pulses, fruit and vegetables. If meat is to be consumed, then it is more likely to be chicken or fish.
Myself, I'm not fond of the prosessed food the people in First World countries seem to crave.
If you consider India third world, then yes, there are vegetarians in the third world.
I don't know about vegetarianism in the countries you named.
Yes there are vegetarians in third world countries.
the majority of them are not vegetarians by choice, but by circumstance.
my parents are from india and i am a vegetarian and its a third world country so i say yes
in Ecuador they can get fruits and vegetables for almost nothing and to get a single piece of meat takes almost a weeks salary so not on purpose most Ecuadoreans are vegetarians...meats a treat to them!~happy Friday=]
Yes, there are. Many Buddhists are vegetarian - although many are not. The Jains of India are very srict vegetarians. But you are right to suspect that people living with minimal sustenence are less likely to question the food put in front of them.
But the issue for my daughters who are both vegetarians has more to do with the politics and sustainability of food production than with religious scruples. Read "Diet for a Small Planet" an oldy, but goody that talks about the problems of eating near the top of the food chain.
If you consider Brazil a Third World Country, yes, there are vegetarians here, But the poor is always eager for meat.
I don't know about the countries you mentioned.
Un Abrazo,
Most people in third world countries are partially vegetarian, for the simple reason that meat is expensive. For average people living in Africa, for example, buying meat would require saving money for several weeks. Meat is a delicacy and usually reserved for birthdays, holidays, etc.
I don't think there are very many animal-rights activist vegetarians in third world countries though.
When you consider that plant based foods are waayy more ecologically and economically reasonable than meat-yeah, most third world country citizens eat a mostly vegetarian diet. The difference is that it's not by choice-it's what they can afford.
However, if you presented it as "This plot of land can produce enough grain to feed the entire village or to feed one cow" what do you imagine the choice would be?
Yes there are many people that live on plant material alone.
That's where people are vegetarians due to lack of meat. They may not desire to be vegans, but all they get is grain and vegetables.
Vegetarianism is a choice. I'd say most of them HAPPEN to follow vegetarian diets, but they would not consider themselves vegetarians as they are usually vegetarian by circumstance or culture, not by conscious ethical/healthy choice.
Of course there are vegetarians in Third wold countries.Also being a vegetarian is not always by choice for many ethnic groups in Africa, India,Pakistan, Srilanka etc.It is forbidden by the religion to eat non-veg. And also there are many varities in veg food .So it is not boring. Moreover why would they desire something which they have never heard the names of?
Of course there are. Usually meat costs a bit more than a vegetarian diet would, so if the majority of a third world country is poor, they would more than likely have to make due with vegetarianism.