Zenzero: Banning is not the way of SD. Perhaps particular sects or sampradayas do have hard and fast rules, but SD in general doesn't operate that way. Then again, we can never underestimate the diversity of what's commonly called Hinduism. It is incredibly common for folks to think, "My version of Hinduism is THE version of Hinduism." So much in fact that when a villager encounters a quite different version, he might even say, 'This isn't Hinduism." The book I quoted is a Tamil ethical scripture from a long time ago, and many north Indian or Advaitic based sampradayas would have never heard of it. Still it is a much valued scripture within Tamil Hinduism. I would subtitle it 'Guidelines for Living' not 'Rules for Living'.
In a similar vein, I do not put as much reverence on the Bhagavad Gita as others might, as its not a scripture of my personal sampradaya. In fact, I've never read it. Many Hindus read no scripture at all' they're so focused on bhakti, or seva.
People who choose SD as a path learn most ethics on their own, or listen to the wise teachers, and the elders. if it makes sense to them, they follow it. If not, they don't. One cannot deny the effects of outside influence, however. The British education system of Macauley, for example, is more alive in India and elsewhere today, than in Britain itself.
Historically, there is no way of really telling what diet was like for the masses, most of it is just conjecture. I am not that keen on history personally because of this. At the current time I also know of no Hindu teacher of the traditional type that advocates meat eating. I'm sure there is one or two out there somewhere, but I don't know of one. Personally, raised in the confused non-religious agricultural agnostic west, I was a heavy meat eater until age 19. Being an adventurous self-discovering type, when I first encountered the idea of vegetarianism, I said, "I'll try that for a month." After the month was over, I felt so much better physically that I never went back. So the way of life termed SD is like that ... a process. I know others who did the same type of experimentation who went back to meat. Currently most of my born Hindu friends eat meat. Most are ashamed, especially in front of me. Others aren't so much. All refrain from it on the day of coming to a temple.
