This is a question I get a lot when I go out for lunch or dinner with colleagues or friends. I always tell them it is a religion thing as it is the easiest explanation but there is more to that story hence this post.
In Hindu religion, beef is not allowed as we consider cow to be a sacred animal. It is worshiped as mother and God as it provides us with milk like a mother. We have a special day during Tihar festival to celebrate the special place cows and oxen have in our lives. Please read more here.
Until recently, Nepal used to be the Hindu country where selling and eating beef was illegal but now it is not. Anyway, while I was growing up in Nepal, beef was never an options so it never was a question.
When I moved to Australia, there were no restrictions on me. My parents never asked me not to eat and I am not that religious to not eat beef just for that reason. Most of my friends here eat beef already as it is the easiest and cheapest options for meat. But something about the smell of beef has always turned me off. Definitely I am not into steak, may be curry won’t be that bad as it will be very close to buffalo we eat in Nepal but I have never thought of starting eating beef. I have eaten beef my mistake a few time like in a salami or pie and never liked it.
I think if you didn’t eat something ever, sometimes the new taste doesn’t agree with you and it seems to be the case with beef for me. There were so many opportunity I could have started eating it but I never wanted to.
Once AS came to Australia, I was fully predicting that he would be a beef eater as he was living in the US and it is so normal for guys to do it but he never ate beef before too which means I never had to cook it.
I am not going to say never but it looks like we may not eat beef, ever. But explaining all this will not be easy to everyone so I always say I don’t because of religious sentiments.
I also know that one day when we have kids, they will definitely eat it and we will have no problem with that.
Take care everyone and more update from Nepal very soon :),
M from nepaliaustralian
XOXO
nepaliaustralian 
I believe you meant to write sacred animal in place of scared.
Thanks and fixed now 🙂
My story. The only reason I started eating beef is for the Jerky. Sukuti as we call it in Nepal. It tastes like buff and no smell since it is completely dry. I love it now. I get mine from here https://www.facebook.com/Su.Ku.Ti.Delivered
You might need to correct this, “Until recently, Nepal used to be the Hindu country where selling and eating beef was illegal but now it is not”. Correction: It is still illegal to slaughter cow or sell its meat. The reason for this is not to do with Nepal having been a Hindu country, it is because it is our National Animal.
Why cow has been chosen as our national animal certainly had to do with we being a predominantly Hindu country.
I do not eat beef either, I think it is totally gross.
My dad is recently recovering from colon cancer and he has an absolute aversion to meats. I do not think it is a coincidence!
I think if one can be vegetarian it will solve lots of health issue but it will be hard for to stop eating meat.
IMO, you are wise to stay away from it.
Thanks nelle 🙂
I don’t eat beef either because I just don’t have the taste for it. I understand what it would be like for you living in Australia where Aussies eat beef a lot!
As you know it is beef everywhere here but I am OK with it now 🙂
I didn’t grow up eating beef either so I feel like I just don’t like the texture when it’s in a stew or something. Kobe steaks and burgers, however, I totally enjoy (started eating it only after I turned 23). Same thing with pork–I can’t eat it unless it’s bacon! But I enjoy all kinds of seafood (including raw fish) which I didn’t grow up eating.
I’m currently in Delhi so most steaks available here are buffalo (which I don’t like at all) so eating beef’s not an option. However, it is available in Bombay, Bangalore, and Hyderabad so my husband can enjoy steaks / haleem / other beef dishes there.
I know people who eat beef says that they are the best . I have never tried buffalo steak but buff momo is the best for sure.:) Have you ever tried it ?
You could always say you don’t eat it for health reasons as well since red meat is not very healthy to eat 🙂 I also don’t eat beef, or any other red meat for that matter, and answer any questions from people with that I don’t eat it for health reasons and ethical reasons and no one asks anything else after that.
That is such an good idea. I will use that from now on so I don’t need to explain further 🙂
thanks for the explanation, I always wondered about why Hindus didn’t eat beef, what was the big deal about cows over there? Is it just because they give you milk? what about goats?
Like you saw in above picture, we worship them at least once a year so it’s hard for us to imagine eating them. Goat milk is uncommon in Nepal, and goat meat is one of the most popular.
Thank you for your reply dear 🙂
Ditto. I have the same problem, specially when it’s a barbecue at work and all sausages look the same. I grew up in an ethnicity that didn’t eat pork as well, which made it even harder, but now I’ve tried it a few times. I don’t see myself eating beef either. I can relate to you about the smell too. I think it’s more like something doesn’t come across as food to you when you never looked at it as food before. Many people won’t at once go ahead and eat cats, dogs or crocodiles 🙂
I have tried snail, frog, sting ray but still eating beef is not my cup of tea 🙂