Ram the ever affable Indian
And a very strict vegetarian
Courageously agreed to dine
With his overseas colleagues
At a popular Chinese Eatery
Situated in the heart of the city

He had no idea what to expect
To his complete and utter dismay
On entering the stylish restaurant
While strange flavours greeted him
His dining partners seemed at ease
They did not even notice him squirming

As they waited to be seated
Ram noticed a waiter approaching
A nearby table with a live wriggling crab
That fascinated the children who kept
Touching it against parental advice
Ram was clearly in the wrong place

His dining nightmare had just begun
His first reaction was to up and run
But given his over polite disposition
He shut his eyes and sat at the table
Pleading with all the Gods that
There would be no more live crab calls

Soon he was shaken out of his reverie
When asked to place his starter order
The Steward recommended shark fin soup
Ram, in an embarrassed voice mentioned
That he was a pure vegetarian and after
A lot of explanations the steward left

While the group waited to be served
Animated conversations followed
Chinese food being the topic for discussion
Ram tried to distance himself from the subject
Until someone described a monkey brain delicacy
With all the gory graphic presentation details

The speaker got carried away and continued
Speaking unendingly on this culinary rarity
He aired his views and those of his friends too
By which time Ram was absolutely appalled
He forgot about being polite and literally
Jumped off his seat and ran for his life

Sandra Martyres

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-vegetarian-s-nightmare/