A vast, joyous, meatless land

Some vegetarians won't cook in pots that have been used to cook meat. Some won't even eat off a washed plate that has had meat on it. But to top the lot, in Bombay, India, it is apparently becoming common for vegetarians to refuse to even sell their houses to anyone who eats meat. Real estate broker Norbert Pinto, explains that "some people are very strict." Jeez, and I thought I was a strict veggie.

But India is a land of extremes, so I'm told - I've never been there - and so it seems. The practice is turning whole neighbourhoods into vegetarian havens, with all the shops and restaurants refusing to serve or sell meat. One meat-loving resident complained: "If you step out to eat, there's nothing for miles because everything around is veggie."

Wow, it's like some hazy vision of utopia. I bet the trees are laden with fruit and everyone walks around with huge grins on their faces.