It's now a chicken soup versus the vegetarian soul battle

 

 

I eat non-veg twice a week. But now that the bird flu has reached Maharashtra, I'll switch to fish. Though I will continue to eat home-made chicken, I will probably eat only tandoori chicken outside because the doctors say it's relatively safe. Even the bird flu is not a reason enough for me to turn vegetarian. However, killing so many birds is not done. They should have at least checked the birds and then killed all the infected ones. What a waste of perfectly healthy chicken. Maybe I'll eat tinned or per-processed chicken instead of buying the bird. It should be safe since it is processed long ago.

 

— Anusha Pinto/Dahisar

 

 

If fish were infected I would have a reason to turn vegetarian since I love to eat fish. In the face of what has happened, I will stop eating chicken outside. My mother has already stopped buying chicken and she will continue to do so till the whole scare is over and the birds have been pronounced safe to eat, this too because we don't eat processed chicken. Though I am not much of an animal lover, I feel bad for the chicken killed. Especially the birds who were not infected, they should at least check the birds before going on this random spree to kill all the birds in sight.

 

— Mitalee Prabhu/Borivali

 

 

I barely eat non-vegetarian food, but after all this I am going to be off non-veg for a while. I am going to avoid eating even processed chicken too. What is the assurance that it is not infected? I think people who are a little apprehensive should turn vegetarian for a while in order to be on the safer side. But then it is entirely an individual's decision. Killing so many birds was an absolutely mindless thing to do. Instead of killing so many innocent and healthy birds, the authorities should have sought the help of vets and then done the needful according to their instructions.        

 

— Amrita Damle/Matunga

 

There is always fish

 

What is the need to turn vegetarian just because the birds are infected? Personally, I will stop eating chicken — whether outside or tinned ones and I will also stop eating eggs. Fish is a good alternative though. I think the authorities have done the right thing by culling the chickens because that was perhaps, the best way to contain the virus from spreading further. After all they did it to protect us.   

 

— Ajoy Bhavnani/Churchgate

 

 

 

Vegetarian food is the best. People say that eating non-veg is good for the brain. But that is not true. I am a vegetarian and a CA too. And now I will stop my friends and child from eating chicken, no matter if the doctors say that certain preparations are safe to consume. I am already trying to make my kid stop eating non-veg. Killing the birds was a bad thing to do, instead they should have probably released them in some isolated place. But then again, if they had done such a thing, unscrupulous elements would have still supplied them to hotels. Though I am not against people eating non-veg, I think they should turn vegetarian now.
— Varsha Ramani/Ulhasnagar

 

 

If the authorities think that slaughtering birds will eliminate the epidemic from spreading at all, then they have done the right thing. But if this is a trial and error experiment, then they have not done the right thing. I eat eggs. Now I am going to be careful and avoid eating cakes that have eggs. However, I don't mind my friends eating chicken as long as it’s a  safe preparation. But then, I'd rather they avoid it altogether.

 

— Mansi Nanavati/Opera House

 

 

If the birds killed were infected, then the authorities deserve a pat in the back for such a prompt action because they had no choice but to kill the birds. But if it was just a knee-jerk reaction, then they have a lot to atone for. Because the number they have killed is too high. I think the whole incident calls for people to turn vegetarian. Anyway killing birds for food also grosses me out. Better veg then sorry.

 

— Shreya Shah/Malabar Hill