Fat of the land

By Paul Fulford on Oct 24, 08 04:48 PM

In yesterday's restaurant review in the Mail I asked a question that has puzzled me for ages - why so many vegetarians get fat?

The answer came in an email that arrived today from a woman who explained that her boyfriend doesn't eat meat, but scoffs crisps, biscuits, chocolate, cheese and lots of other goodies that can pile on the pounds - though, to be fair, she did add that he's not fat.

Thanks for the explanation. But it's posed another question.

Do vegetarian snack more than normal folk? I mean, there's nothing more filling that a plate of meat and nothing less filling than a salad. They must get hungrier than carnivores, surely.

In my mind's eye I now picture veggies as hamster-like creatures storing sugary snacks in their plump little cheeks ready to eat when the munchies kick in five minutes after they'd polished off their last morsel of lentil bake.

What a horribly unsettling image...