The conflicting sutra about eating meat and the variety of reasons for Buddhist vegetarian practice sparked my interest. I wanted inquire more about Burlington Buddhist dietary practices and beliefs, a how they are impacted by the local food-ways. I faced few obstacles finding Buddhists in the Burlington area. I was able to interview a Buddhist Priest named Dharman from the Vermont Zen Center. To my luck I was also able to interview Stephanie Kaza, the author of an article I am using in my research, who also is a current professor at UVM in the Environment Program in the Rubenstein School and a practicing non-vegetarian Buddhist. But I struggled a little to find Buddhist students in the university community. In fact, I contacted seven different organizations and networks through six professors, to little avail. I did, although, come in contact, through UVM Students for True Animal Rights (STARS) club, with a sophomore named Allyson Drummond, a vegetarian studying and interested in taking the vows to become a Buddhist. In conducting these interviews I found similar as well as conflicting Buddhist dietary beliefs and practices. The follow is my consolidation of the three interviews:
foodiefaith.wordpress.com 