Hare Krishna Dandavat pranams well regarding dietary regulations being a personal choice, yes anything in life is personal ! but if we break the proper rules for cultured life, then we cannot qualify for spiritual advancement. a child may do as he likes. no problem ! but if he is to become successful in school, he has to do well and pass his exams ! there is no "buts" about it ! likewise, if we say that anything goes in the name of personal opinion, then why call ourselves vaishnavas or anything else ? best to revel in sunya ! a vaishnava by definition is one who abides by the shastras given by the lord ! and he lives his life as per the rules and regulations given by shastra. as to why milk is okay, it is not that animal food is bad and vegetable is good or vice versa ! that is not the vedic idea. vedic idea is how a man who is in goodness should procur foodstuffs which are healthy and promote spiritual development. to this end, anything related to himsa not justified by shastra as a legitimate and reaction-free action is hatya or violent and thus sinful. even vegetarian food eaten without offering to the lord is sin ! therefore the lord says in gita that anything that is not offered in yajna is actually sin and eating such food is verily eating sin, even if it is vegetarian, what to speak of gross butchery for the pleasure of the palate or anything that provides a conducive environment for such slaughter ! and the lord calls for sattvik offerings only, not mamsah ! dyutam (gambling), paanam (intoxicating), striya (illicit sex life) and suna (animal slaughter) are all labelled as the pillars of sinful life in the bhagavatam. manu samhita also points out that 6 persons are implicated in sinful life in the obtainment of meat - beginning from the person who kills right up to the person who transports, one who sells, one who buys, one who cooks and one who eats. so anyone encoouraging in this way as a mcdonald's patron will have to take the bad reaction. foolish men not well-versed in knowledge take animal food in the form of blood. intelligent ones take it in the form of milk. that is vedic idea. also if the cow is not milked, its udder will get heavy and the cow will die because 1/10 of the milk is sufficient for the calf. 9/10 by nature's provision is meant for human consumption. so vegetarian and non vegetarian is not the question here. the point is how to take non vegetarian food that is essential for us in a cultured genetlemanly way because vaishnava means perfect gentleman ! of course, in the name of personal opinion, one can also go to the pits of decadent life, that is another thing ! we are assuming that this list is for those who want to progress nicely in sad dharma. so it is not a question of personal choice but it is a MUST if one wants spiritual advancement. also, with all due respect to the elders you consulted who gave a muddled answer, there is certainly more spiritual and philosophical input from shastra for this if only you would venture well to research. go raksha is described in the gita by the lord himself as the svabhava of vaishyas - krshi goraksha vanijyam - agriculture, cow protection and trade - so this is the economic basis for cultured economic stability. not the butchery of animals, eating carcasses or supporting that eating in indirect ways or the eating of eggs which are nothing but the menstrual discharge of the female hen in the unfertilised form and potential life in the fertilised form. cultured men we call ourselves !? hare krishna !!!! if we take the guidance of shastra which understands and presents the Lord's inconceivable adjustments for the welfare of the jivas, we are safe and happy. on the contrary, if we try to speculate as to what is pure and good and what is bad by way of personal opinion and speculation in someone else's kingdom, all that is left is mayhem, thievary and very bad karmic reaction which cannot be nulled by any claim to personal preference. hare krishna dasan, r. jai simman singapore
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