A thing to note is that "non-vegetarian" for Indians and say, the US is very different. Being non-vegetarian in the US means eating meat every day, pretty much every meal. In India, there are a lot of people that only occasionally eat meat, say about once a week, or a few meals a week. There are a ton of vegetarian only eating places which are very very popular with the so called non-vegetarians.
Another difference is that meat based meals in restaurants are more expensive than their vegetarian counterparts(like it should be), not subsidized like in the US(through the form of animal meal subsidies like corn).
It would be nice to see per capita consumption of meat products among non-vegetarians of different countries.
> Another difference is that meat based meals in restaurants are more expensive than their vegetarian counterparts(like it should be), not subsidized like in the US(through the form of animal meal subsidies like corn).
It's not just subsidies, it's the fact that in the US, 'vegetarian' (or vegan) happens to usually overlap other fad diets like gluten-free, low-carb, etc... Plus different cultural tastes. A typical vegetarian meal in India is made from some preparation of legumes, rice and wheat, plus a few vegetables. A typical vegetarian meal in the US is made from quinoa, avocado, cauliflower, almonds, etc... Not to mention, there's massive differences in the economics of restaurants between the US and India. In India, a 'restaurant' can be a stall on the side of the road with a few plastic chairs. Having an open fire on the side of the street is seemingly acceptable. In the US, you need a business license, commercial kitchen, the overhead is simply much, much higher and you need a certain amount of revenue per guest, so even if the vegetarian meal may cost less, you need to maintain your gross profit.
Another difference is that meat based meals in restaurants are more expensive than their vegetarian counterparts(like it should be), not subsidized like in the US(through the form of animal meal subsidies like corn).
It would be nice to see per capita consumption of meat products among non-vegetarians of different countries.