On Christmas Eve there was a Gursikh wedding at El Sobrante Gurdwara, which is North of San Francisco. The Gurdwara Sahib is made in a really scenic location. From the Gurdwara Sahib you get a beautiful picture of the valley and all the scenery. Driving to the Gurdwara Sahib I was wondering how similar the drive would be going to Hemkunt Sahib!
After the wedding there was a house keertan programme at my cousin's house. A local Amritdhari Gursikh family made the Langar for the Sangat. The aunty jee cooking the Langar said that they won't use the milk the family had brought because it was not appropriate to use and instead said that Gursikhs drink a particular type of milk because the other milk contains fish and egg or something! I was shocked to know that milk is not necessary vegetarian in America! Waheguru!
When Gursikhs came to the house for the keertan programme they pointed out that there are two types of milk in USA. One contains RBST (added harmones) and the other is without. Apparently all milk from Costco (the American version of Tesco I think) contains RBST and is not suitable for vegetarians! To add further shock, I made some parothay that same morning and used a butter margarine which I was given. After hearing about the milk not being vegetarian I decided to read the butter margarine that I used to cook. Waheguru! The tub said "No added preservatives and colours" on the front but on the back in small writing it said it contained "Gelatine" (pig fat/skin). I felt sick of the thought of making a parotha with pig fat! Waheguru! Makes you realise how basic things can be a challenge for Sikhs living in America and you cannot take anything for granted.
I remember last time when I went to America, a Gursikh warned us not to eat red apples because beetles are crushed and sprayed on the apples to make them shine! Why can't people just to eat natural food without messing with nature! Makes you appreciate living in England and all the food regulations we have! Waheguru!
After the wedding there was a house keertan programme at my cousin's house. A local Amritdhari Gursikh family made the Langar for the Sangat. The aunty jee cooking the Langar said that they won't use the milk the family had brought because it was not appropriate to use and instead said that Gursikhs drink a particular type of milk because the other milk contains fish and egg or something! I was shocked to know that milk is not necessary vegetarian in America! Waheguru!
When Gursikhs came to the house for the keertan programme they pointed out that there are two types of milk in USA. One contains RBST (added harmones) and the other is without. Apparently all milk from Costco (the American version of Tesco I think) contains RBST and is not suitable for vegetarians! To add further shock, I made some parothay that same morning and used a butter margarine which I was given. After hearing about the milk not being vegetarian I decided to read the butter margarine that I used to cook. Waheguru! The tub said "No added preservatives and colours" on the front but on the back in small writing it said it contained "Gelatine" (pig fat/skin). I felt sick of the thought of making a parotha with pig fat! Waheguru! Makes you realise how basic things can be a challenge for Sikhs living in America and you cannot take anything for granted.I remember last time when I went to America, a Gursikh warned us not to eat red apples because beetles are crushed and sprayed on the apples to make them shine! Why can't people just to eat natural food without messing with nature! Makes you appreciate living in England and all the food regulations we have! Waheguru!
6 comments:
Bhai Sahib Jeevan Singh used to be a granthi at that gurdwara in the 1980s...
Bhai Sahib - It wasn't the RSBT that is the issue but rather that fish oil was used to fortify the milk with vitamins. Costco has since stopped using fish oil and unfortunately the family had old information - www.eatbibek.com has the details.
- Tarun Singh
A question for you - Why Gursikhs can't eat eggs??? I can understand meat as you have to kill the animal but eggs come out naturaly out of the animal??? You might aswell stop eating cheese or drinking milk etc!
Vaheguru Jee
Bhai Japnaam Singh - Thanks for the info.
Bhai Tarun Singh - Thank your for clearing up things.
Anonymous - The Panj Pyaare told Daas not to eat meat, fish and eggs. In the Indian subcontinent eggs are considered meat as well and NOT vegetarian. The fact eggs are called eggs and not ahloo means that is it is flesh as life evolves from eggs. Milk and cheese is obtained from cows without killing it and nor does contain flesh. Gurbani talks about butter and milk being used but no where are eggs mentioned in Langar.
Gurbani says:
ਬਾਬਾ ਹੋਰੁ ਖਾਣਾ ਖੁਸੀ ਖੁਆਰੁ ||
ਜਿਤੁ ਖਾਧੈ ਤਨੁ ਪੀੜੀਐ ਮਨ ਮਹਿ ਚਲਹਿ ਵਿਕਾਰ ||੧|| ਰਹਾਉ ||
"Eating those foods are false, eating which is unhealthy for the body and causes 'vikaars' (corruption/negative energy) in the mind."
(Ang 16)
This is from information from a website:
Is an egg vegetarian ?
The most obvious answer is that an egg comes out of a chicken. It is not from an aubergine or the child of a mango. It is from the sexual organs of an animal. Therefore it cannot be vegetarian. Why does the chicken have eggs ? In order to reproduce. The eggs are menstrual blood. If fertilized they turn into chicks.
If not, the egg menstrual blood has been discarded by the hen's body the way women discard their infertile blood every month. So they cannot be vegetarian by any definition of that term. Don't excuse yourself by confusing the definition of the term. Would you eat human period blood. That too is discarded eggs. There is a debate on whether human placenta which is the result of abortion can be used in anti-ageing creams. Would that be vegetarian? After all the human is an animal just like the chicken.
This tendency to reclassify food simply because you want to eat it is annoying. The Bengalis call fish " river vegetables" and the vegetarians eat them. Abroad you have ovo-vegetarians, lacto
vegetarians, ovo lacto vegetarians, piscitarians – anything that will bypass your conscience while filling your stomach...."
http://www.salagram.net/veg-EGGS-NOT-Vegetarian.html
90% of eggs come from hens who are severely mistreated so it is an ethical not technical decision.
Eggs also has the same hormones, antibiotics, solidifying fats, and cholesterol in meat. the hens are forced to lay massive amount of eggs which is
unnatural & then they get slaughtered at the end.
Hens that lay eggs go through a lot of suffering. your choice mate.
I still can't see the problem. So it's better to throw them away when their prefectly healthy to eat? On the topic of mistreated eggs you can go for free range. Plus Sikhi says there's life in everything so when you cut the vegetable you eat from it's root are you not killing it? Thank for the reply and I'm not judging either way just confused.
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