Hold the sausages

Christchurch meat free sausage sizzleHere in New Zealand, where real men eat meat and real men are all you meet, vegetarianism remains the practise of people “with a sheep loose in the top paddock.” Or to lose the colloquial, in a game of marbles, the vegetarian would be missing a few.

Wooly in the head myself for the last thirteen years, I have lost count of the times carnivores have looked at me blank, uncomprehending; the queries of “but do you eat chicken, or fish?” constant.

About vegetarianism in New Zealand, the penny has yet to drop, and ends are yet to meet.

So it was about as surprising as a sausage wrapped in bread that the Christchurch Vegetarian Centre found themselves under the grill in trying to fire up a fund-raising sausage sizzle with non-meat sausages this week.

New Zealand needs meat

The selfless sizzle was booked several months in advance outside a large hardware store, a much sought after location, and management were told the sausages would be soy, yet on arrival a staff member informed the meat-free merchants of an unforeseen emergency—the public of New Zealand “needed meat.”

Meatless and proud, the group were only allowed to stay on the proviso they erected large signs warning of their vegetable contamination.

Frying up a storm in front of a sign proclaiming “Vegetarian Sausages Only,” Christchurch Vegetarian Centre co-ordinator Yolanda Soryl expressed her meat-free beef at their treatment:

“I was really shocked they (the hardware store) were so ‘anti’ trying something new. They told us customers would be really irate if they didn’t get their meat but we’ve had no complaints from customers and some people told us they came down especially to try some.”

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6 Comments
  • savannah
    Posted at 02:32h, 25 September

    good to read you again, sugar! we’re starting to have at least 1 completely vegetarian meal a week. it’s working really well and certainly re-energizing my cooking style! xoxo be well and drop by soon!

  • Jaitra Gillespie
    Posted at 15:10h, 28 September

    Thanks for dropping by Savannah! Great to see a regular reader still regular, and eating vegetarian too!

    Jaitra Gillespies last blog post..Hold the sausages

  • Eugene
    Posted at 07:03h, 23 October

    Now everyone is talking about the American economy and eclections, nice to read something different. Eugene

  • Jaitra Gillespie
    Posted at 12:49h, 23 October

    Thanks for that Eugene. I heartily, and apolitically agree.

  • Ian Peatey
    Posted at 01:57h, 07 November

    I’m sure that vast numbers of sheep are now breathing a collective sigh of relief that there are at least a handful of woolly headed human beings who refuse to eat even chicken or fish! Thanks for the post .. brought a smile to my face 🙂

    Ian Peateys last blog post..Violent by nature

  • Jaitra Gillespie
    Posted at 21:04h, 11 November

    Thanks for the comment Ian—woolly or no, you’ve brought a smile to my face as well! 🙂

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