Prabhupāda: Stricture in this way, no meat-eating, because cow protection is required. We require milk. And instead of taking milk, if we eat the cows, then where is milk?
Mr. Dixon: So milk is very important.
Prabhupāda: Very, very important.
Mr. Dixon: In terms of the production of food for the world, the world would be much better off without eating animals.
Prabhupāda: No, milk is required. Some fatty vitaminous food is required. That necessity is supplied by milk. Therefore specifically . . .
Mr. Dixon: Couldn't you get all the necessity you require from grains?
Prabhupāda: Grains, no. Grains, they are starch. According to medical science, we require four different groups: starch, carbohydrate, protein and fat. That is full food. So you can get all these things by eating rice, ḍāl, mean pulses, and wheat, and . . . these things contain . . . pulses and wheat contains protein. And milk also contains protein. So protein we require. Fat we get from milk. Fat is required. And vegetables, carbohydrate and food grain, starch. So if you prepare nice foodstuff with all these ingredients, you get full . . . and offer to Kṛṣṇa, then it is purified. Then you are free from all sinful activities. Otherwise, even if you kill vegetable, you are sinful because it has got life. You have no right to kill another life. But you have to live on life. This is your position. Therefore the solution is that you take prasādam. If there is sin by eating vegetable or meat, it goes to the eater. We take the remnants, that's all.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You follow?
Mr. Dixon: Not exactly.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The food that we take is first offered to Kṛṣṇa in the temple, so Kṛṣṇa is the first to eat. And Kṛṣṇa demands that, "You offer Me this particular sorts of foodstuff." So one becomes free from all sinful reactions by first offering to Kṛṣṇa the foodstuff. Not only are you eating, but also you become freed from sinful reaction.
Mr. Dixon: I see.
Prabhupāda: Don't think we are vegetarian. We can become anything, provided it is eaten from the remnants of foodstuff left by Kṛṣṇa. This is our thing. To become vegetarian . . . there are many animals who are vegetarians. The monkeys are vegetarian; the goats are vegetarian; the cows are vegetarian. So that is not a good qualification, to become vegetarian and become an animal, or to become lion, tiger, dog. So either you are vegetarian or meat-eater . . . there are many animals. So we are not going to be animals. We are going to become human being. This is our philosophy. Grouping ourself to the vegetarian kingdom or nonvege . . . the animals. The tiger is a great nonvegetarian. Fresh blood they want to eat, drink.