{"id":15890,"date":"2020-08-04T10:00:13","date_gmt":"2020-08-04T14:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/?p=15890"},"modified":"2020-07-22T13:36:44","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T17:36:44","slug":"advice-for-those-who-were-raised-in-a-south-asian-veg-household-looking-to-transition-back-to-their-veg-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vrg.org\/blog\/2020\/08\/04\/advice-for-those-who-were-raised-in-a-south-asian-veg-household-looking-to-transition-back-to-their-veg-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"Advice for those who were raised in a South-Asian veg household looking to transition back to their veg roots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Juhi Dattani and Adhi Muthukumar, VRG Summer Interns<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, growing up and learning about the community around\nthem is a stressful process that requires them to open their minds up to new\nideas that have not been explored in their family circles. In an attempt to\nassimilate with the world around them and shed away from the rigid rules set by\ntheir families, many adolescents rebel and try to break away from anything that\nmight have defined them. For many first generation South-Asian Americans, this\nprocess includes breaking away from a principle that was enforced since birth,\nvegetarianism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     For example, in\nyour childhood it may have been difficult to relate with others in school when\nno one else looks like you. To make this difference even more obvious, the\nchildren at school may have had completely different lunches. It\u2019s human\ninstinct to try to fit into the majority, and an easy way to do this is to\nlearn to enjoy the same foods as people around you. At that moment, the\npriority is getting rid of any barrier that might separate you from friends. For\nmany, it\u2019s easier just to abandon all rules that come along with being raised\nas a South-Asian American. Unfortunately, this includes the principle of\nvegetarianism. It\u2019s difficult to pause and think about the logistics of this\ndecision. However, fitting in and growing up in a different culture does not\nhave to include ridding yourself of principles that make complete sense, just\nfor the sake of assimilating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     From our personal\nexperiences, Juhi grew up being vegetarian until she was eight years old, as\nshe was finally convinced from influences all around her to try meat.\nUltimately, the decision changed two years later after being confronted by her\nthoughts that this choice was not in alignment with her values, for she did not\nwant to contribute to animal suffering. \u201cAs many, I certainly believed that I\ncould not go back to eating vegetarian because of my desires to eat foods with\nmeat, as I viewed it with superiority and better than the Indian food that my\nmom cooked at home. I was one of many that hid my cultural identity from others\nbecause of internalized shame of being different.\u201d She later chose to follow a\nvegan lifestyle when she was seventeen due to one of her close friends\neducating her on the principles of veganism. \u201cIt\u2019s a choice I have to make every\nday, and I am not always 100% perfect, but it reminds me to be conscientious\nand question all aspects of my life. It reminds me that the choices I make,\nslow or larger, can help protect and pave the way to a better planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     In a different manner,\nAdhi was raised in a meat environment. She had some sources of vegetarian\ninspiration, including her grandmother, and attempted to be vegetarian a few\ntimes during her adolescence after watching documentaries. However, she was\nunable to withstand the peer pressure and meat-heavy culture around her. She\nultimately transitioned permanently once she built up enough conviction and\nsense of self to make firm choices, and found the new lifestyle very welcoming\nand full of new recipes and inspiration. \u201cGoing vegan was much easier than I\nimagined it would be. In today\u2019s society, we have a plethora of resources and\ninnovative options across the country and world.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     To highlight\nanother example, Sonu is a first-generation Indian American who was raised in a\nvegetarian household. He grew up in New York City and shares that the\nmulticultural environment bolsters diverse food options, and finding something\nto eat was never an issue. However, he noticed that the food he packed for\nlunch in elementary school was different from what was served, which did make\nhim feel odd. Fortunately, the growing popularity of Asian cuisine has made\nvegetarian options much more mainstream. Although it was difficult adjusting to\nthe college dining hall experience, he expresses that universities and food\ncorporations are expanding their vegetarian options along with the rest of the\ncountry. Ultimately, he has come to embrace vegetarianism even though it set\nhim apart at first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Regardless of when\nand why you decided to stop being vegetarian, it\u2019s never too late to embark on\nyour journey back into vegetarianism. We hope to provide you with easy ways to\nembrace vegetarianism, even when the society you are in and the persona you are\ntrying to create do not. We also hope that with these tips we have provided,\nyou will find it easier to live with intention. Although it may be difficult to\nfigure out the perfect blend of identities for you, remember that you are\nbeyond that. Make sure what you\u2019re doing is purposeful and meaningful to you,\nand not based on norms and expectations! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some advice and tips: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Learn to create\nrecipes that fuse familiar flavors from your background with innovative\ningredients<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You can make recipe ideas with vegetables like cauliflower,\nlentils, etc. This can even be implemented for desserts! (Recipe ideas with\nplant-based milks and coconut.) Over time, you can introduce these recipes to\nthe people around you, and get them excited about your lifestyle! <\/p>\n\n\n\n