Former Beatle Urges Everyone to "Go Veg" for Animals’ Sake
Mumbai — Hot on the heels of the newly released Beatles collection, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is featuring the group’s most famous member in its latest ad. In the ad, Sir Paul feeds a bottle to a lamb and suggests "The best idea—going vegetarian—is staring us right in the face. Go veggie!"
McCartney is the second celebrity to star in PETA’s "Vegetarian Legend" ad campaign. Wimbledon tennis champion Martina Navratilova debuted the legend series in June. Preparations are currently underway for an Indian superstar to appear in PETA’s next legend ad which will be released early next year.
Lambs, like the one featured in the ad, inspired Sir Paul McCartney to drop meat from his diet. One afternoon, from his home in Scotland, McCartney watched lambs playing in a nearby field and suddenly realised he could no longer eat them. Said Sir Paul, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian. I feel better about myself and better about the animals knowing I’m not contributing to their pain."
PETA has chosen to launch its latest ad campaign in India because of the trend toward adopting a carnivorous diet and growing number of factory farms there. India representative Jason Baker says, "In India, lambs, goats, chickens and buffalos all suffer cruel transport and hideous murder in Indian slaughterhouses. I encourage all ethically conscious Indians to go back to their delicious and traditional vegetarian fare."
In countries like the US and the UK, the consumption of meat has been rapidly decreasing. Today, half the women in the UK between the ages of 20 and 30 are vegetarian, and many vegetarian restaurants are known as the hottest places to eat. In Los Angeles, Real Food Daily and the Newsroom Café are popular hangouts for Hollywood stars who care about animals and their own health, like Drew Barrymore, Alicia Silverstone and Woody Harrelson.
In India, legends Amitah Bachchan, Hema Malini and Ravi Shankar are all vegetarian. Today’s youth are hearing the message. Stars like John Abraham, Juhi Chawala, Mahima Chaudhary and Anil Kumble are vegetarians, too. They know the best and easiest thing to do for their health and for animals is to stop eating meat.
Millions of people all over the world have followed McCartney’s example and are making the switch to a meat-free diet, for both humanitarian and health reasons. Meat, with its high fat and cholesterol content, has been linked to top killers, including high blood pressure, stroke, cancer and heart disease.
PETA, with more than 700,000 members worldwide, opened their first Indian office in January 2000, with the goal of combining traditional Indian ideals, such as vegetarianism, with Western star power and a youth-oriented campaigning style.
For more information about vegetarianism, log on to www.PETAIndia.com. Following is one of Paul McCartney’s favourite vegetarian recipes.
Sir Paul’s favorite unchicken recipe:
Chicken-Friendly Soya Paneer (Tofu) Nuggets
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons ice water
cup lightly toasted bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
Dash of hot pepper
Vegetable oil for frying
1 lb. firm soya paneer (tofu), put in freezer
In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water together to make a smooth batter. In a separate dish, toss the bread crumbs with the salt and hot pepper. Heat 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet. Thaw tofu, squeeze out water and cut into 1-inch cubes. Dip each tofu cube in the batter to coat, then roll the cubes in the bread crumb mixture. Drop the cubes into the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the cubes and continue cooking until they are golden brown. Drain the cubes on paper towels and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
