Plato, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Song Il Kook… 3% of the world's population are vegetarians, but vegetarianism seems a little strange to most of us.

There are many different forms of vegetarianism. Semi-vegetarians don't eat meat but they eat chicken, and Pesco eat fish. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians exclude all kinds of meat, but allow eggs and dairy products. Lacto-vegetarians exclude meat and eggs but eat diary products, and Ovo-vegetarians do the reverse. Vegans exclude all meat, eggs and dairy, and some of them don't use leather or cosmetics made from animals. Fruitarians eat only fruit of a plant so that the plant does not have to be killed. 

As there are many kinds of vegetarians, vegetarian culture varies widely in each country. India is one of the most well-known. 30 percent of the population is vegetarian and 70% of the world's vegetarians are from India. However, many people don't know India's vegetarian culture very well. "There are many people who eat mutton, chicken, and fish in India, and everyone considers milk as a veg-item. Milk is even used in religious rituals, so most vegetarians in India are lacto-vegetarians. Other meats are hard to find at lunch or dinner," Ajay Kumar Srivastara (Graduated, Seoul National University, Dept. of Chemistry), an Indian vegetarian, said. 

Vegetarianism is very active in Western culture. "In 1847, when the first vegetarian society was started in England, it was considered eccentric. The late Linda McCartney started a line of vegetarian ready-to-eat frozen meals which made being a vegetarian extremely convenient and accessible. They were hugely successful and really did help to increase the number of vegetarians," said Professor Nick Leeds in Kookmin University.

In the past, vegetarians were most often motivated by religion, but the focus is now shifting to concern for animals and the environment. "The first and main reason is that I love and respect all animal life. As I got older I started to find out more about the meat industry. In the United Kingdom the meat industry uses more antibiotics than all medical services combined. The advent of Mad Cow Disease and other medical disorders is a direct result of bad animal farm practices.

Also, a new but really important reason for not eating meat is the impact that farming meat has on the health of the planet through green house gases and global warming," Prof. Leeds added. Yes, there are many merits to being a vegetarian, but many people are wondering whether it offers enough nutrition. However, Prof. Leeds said that being a vegetarian is healthier. "Vegetarians live longer, are less prone to cancer, heart attacks and other diseases, are happier, more intelligent, more attractive, less prone to depression or violence, have more energy, never suffer hangovers and smell nicer!" 

How do vegetarians survive in Korea? Ajay usually cooks in his dormitory, but when he can't he goes to an Indian restaurant on the weekend. Leeds misses out on social occasions when friends want to go to a Galbi restaurant, and even the smell is a bit off-putting for him. It's the same for  some Korean students. Jung Jun So (Dongguk University, Economics) said, "When I go out to eat with friends, they ask me first, so I feel sorry for them, and when I eat at the school cafeteria, it's hard to eat, so I bring my own lunchbox." Because of this, it's hard to participate in social activities if you are a vegetarian.

Nowadays, according to the International Vegetarian Union, approximately 1 percent of Koreans are vegetarians, and the number is growing by leaps and bounds. You can see bean-meat in department stores, and the number of vegetarian restaurants is increasing each year. However, vegetarians have to live a more difficult life than others.  Hoping everybody can live in this world with respect for our various values, not only vegetarians, but also every kind of group, no matter how small. If we do so, our lives will be much easier and happier.