Sizzling steaks made with soy beans and vegetable protein, Jjambbong made
with vegetable spices infusion instead of chicken gravy, Bulgogi made from
wheat protein processed with nuts …
These are foods that can scarcely be imagined without meat, yet meatless
versions filled the table at a vegetarian restaurant in Insa-dong, downtown
Seoul, during a regular Sunday lunch gathering of Korea Vegetarian Union.
How do they taste? Just like meat but softer, tastier and simpler.
"I used to love meat too, but these are pretty good, aren’t they? I became a
vegetarian three years ago, and ever since, people tell me I look younger,
and I am more relaxed," said 30-year-old Go Eun-mi, who runs an organic food
store, while enjoying her dish of Vege Bulgogi covered rice. "I was one of
the people who thought meat was essential for health. But when I visited
India and met the large vegetarian population, I figured out that it was
nonsense."
Jang Byung-jin, another member, became a vegetarian seven years ago. Having
seen bloody excrement after eating chicken one day, he became certain that
meat is not something people should eat.
"Everyday I feel like flying. I feel healthier than ever, like I can do
anything one can do using their body," Jang said. Leaving the restaurant,
the vigorous 27-year-old bought some vegetarian meat and ramen to take home.
"There has always been interest on what we should eat, but people are
recently more interested in vegetarianism due to the string of food scares,"
said Lee Won-bok, 40, president of the union.
"About 3,000 to 4,000 people used to visit our homepage, but since the swine
flu started raging, the number of visitors shot up to around 7,000," Lee
said.
Vegetarian restaurants in Seoul these days are crowded with people during
lunch and dinner time. Some of them are actually non-vegetarians taking an
interest in the vegetarian dishes, Lee said.
Buddhist temple food, which only uses natural ingredients and no meat,
became so popular recently that temple cuisine cooking classes opened
throughout the city.
Although health authorities have made it clear that the flu has nothing to
do with pigs, many people seem tired of meat.
"The vegetarian diet is the best alternative to the risky meat. Not everyone
would turn into vegetarians right away, but the preference for vegetarian
diet is definitely increasing," Lee said.
It is actually a worldwide trend. It almost seems essential to be a
vegetarian, or at least an animal lover to survive in Hollywood. The
vegetarian diets of celebrities like Pamela Anderson, Reese Witherspoon,
Maggie Q, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Christian Bale have received attention
online.
The Korean society, however, is not so warm towards the vegetarians yet,
says Lee.
"In the United States or in Europe, no one minds when I say I’m a
vegetarian. Most of the restaurants even have vegetarian dishes prepared for
me. But here, people look at me like I’m an alien when I say that I’m a
vegetarian, not that they even ask. They are like, ‘Why do you live like
that?’" said Lee.
Industry insiders say although the number is rising, less than 2 per cent of
the Korean population is vegetarian, compared to 13 per cent in England.
It is an ironic situation, considering how Korea used to be an agrarian
society while the occidental countries were more into hunting.
"Korea used to be so poor and weak but made a rapid economic progress and
was suddenly exposed to Western culture, including meat. Seeing the steaks
and hamburgers, we simply thought that eating meat meant eating well. But it
really isn’t. Koreans should reconsider what well-being really means," Lee
said.
For vegetarians to exchange useful information and bond in such a
vegetarian-unfriendly society, Lee founded the union in 2000. Now the union
has more than 6,700 members and is still growing.
"It is currently a personal preference whether to be a vegetarian or not,
but I think more vegetarians means a better world for animals, the
environment and of course people. The ultimate goal of the union is to start
a vegetarian movement in the society,"said Lee.
In Korea, vegetarians are often regarded as someone undernourished. Lee said
that is not true.
"One of our members sometimes brings her son, who just entered middle
school, to our regular lunches. He is a vegetarian from birth, but unlike
what people would think, he is totally healthy. In fact, he is already over
170cms and his mother worries that he might be getting too tall," Lee said.
"Precocious puberty, which became a big problem in our society, is caused by
the Westernised diet, including eating too much meat. Changing to a
vegetarian diet can help stop it."
Some researchers agree that vegetarianism leads to good health.
Lee Gwang-jo, vice-president of Korea Vegetarian Society, explained in his
book Our Body Wants Vegetarian Diet," that vegetarian diet is good enough to
provide all basic nutrients including proteins, carbohydrates and fat.
"A man in his 20s, for example, needs 1,440kcal of carbohydrate, 480kcal of
protein and 480kcal of fat per day. They can all be taken in through
vegetables without having to worry about cholesterol or saturated fat. Meat
and eggs can be substituted with beans," he wrote.
According to some Australian and Vietnamese researchers, vegetarians do not
have to worry about bone density either. The researchers compared the bone
health of 105 postmenopausal vegan Buddhist nuns and 105 non-vegetarian
women, and there was no difference in bone density between them.
Another study, published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association,
suggests that despite its proven benefits, vegetarianism might mask an
underlying eating disorder.
Through the research done with 2,516 teens and young adults, twice as many
teens and young adults who had been vegetarians were discovered to have used
unhealthy means such as diet pills, laxative and diuretics to induce
vomiting to control their weight, compared with those who had never been
vegetarians.
About 21 per cent of teens who had been vegetarians said they used unhealthy
weight-control behaviours, while 10 per cent of teens who had never been
vegetarians said they did.
