Cambodia Issue
This entry turned out pretty long so sorry about that.
So as I posted here ages ago I am now doing an internship in rural Cambodia. Just for a little background I am trying to see if diesel battery charging stations can be converted to solar power as a stepping stone in bringing rural electrification to Cambodia. In itself this has little to do with veganism but there are a few difficult aspects in being vegan where I'm at. All in all I manage okay but I am not quite "as vegan" as I would be under normal circumstances and I am more likely to let things slide a bit here. I wanted to bring up one aspect of my situation here and see how some of you may respond to it.
Basically, I live out in a village where the company I work for shares land with an NGO and an orphanage for abused and neglected children. This orphanage cooks Khmer meals for the orphans and volunteers, employees and interns usually eat there for $2 a meal or so. When I arrived I asked if it was possible to have them prepare me vegan food and this probably translated to the cook as "no meat no eggs no fish" or something like that. Well I have been eating there a bit and eventually I figured out they were pftentimes just picking the meat out of already made meals and I would guess that they use chicken stock in any soups they may be making me.
Basically I am a bit conflicted. I have been vegan for over 9 years and still believe that is the right way to go. However I do it out of the (perhaps misguided) idea that the society around me will gradually change for the better. Here in Cambodia these people are still trying to get their lives together after the atrocities that happened in the 70s and I don't see anything changing for animal rights here for a long time as more basic issues still need to be resolved (a place where the average income is $1 a day is not going to think at all about AR).
So after what may just seem like excuses would you guys really tell the orphanage they as not vegan enough for you? Or would you support them for what good they are doing and be pleased with their attempts at trying to accommodate a dietary choice they don't understand? (anyone who said Cambodians may be understanding because of Buddhism is wrong. Khmer people have no idea about this and laugh at me when I try to explain it)
So as I posted here ages ago I am now doing an internship in rural Cambodia. Just for a little background I am trying to see if diesel battery charging stations can be converted to solar power as a stepping stone in bringing rural electrification to Cambodia. In itself this has little to do with veganism but there are a few difficult aspects in being vegan where I'm at. All in all I manage okay but I am not quite "as vegan" as I would be under normal circumstances and I am more likely to let things slide a bit here. I wanted to bring up one aspect of my situation here and see how some of you may respond to it.
Basically, I live out in a village where the company I work for shares land with an NGO and an orphanage for abused and neglected children. This orphanage cooks Khmer meals for the orphans and volunteers, employees and interns usually eat there for $2 a meal or so. When I arrived I asked if it was possible to have them prepare me vegan food and this probably translated to the cook as "no meat no eggs no fish" or something like that. Well I have been eating there a bit and eventually I figured out they were pftentimes just picking the meat out of already made meals and I would guess that they use chicken stock in any soups they may be making me.
Basically I am a bit conflicted. I have been vegan for over 9 years and still believe that is the right way to go. However I do it out of the (perhaps misguided) idea that the society around me will gradually change for the better. Here in Cambodia these people are still trying to get their lives together after the atrocities that happened in the 70s and I don't see anything changing for animal rights here for a long time as more basic issues still need to be resolved (a place where the average income is $1 a day is not going to think at all about AR).
So after what may just seem like excuses would you guys really tell the orphanage they as not vegan enough for you? Or would you support them for what good they are doing and be pleased with their attempts at trying to accommodate a dietary choice they don't understand? (anyone who said Cambodians may be understanding because of Buddhism is wrong. Khmer people have no idea about this and laugh at me when I try to explain it)