Brian May shares emotional response to seeing 'live' skewered prawns in Japan during Veganuary journey
23 January 2020, 15:30 | Updated: 23 January 2020, 15:49
The Queen guitarist is currently taking part in Veganuary, and has recalled a dinner he had while out with the band in Japan.
Brian May has shared a lengthy post about his vegan journey and how he felt witnessing live prawns about to be cooked.
The legendary Queen guitarist is currently in Japan with drummer Roger Taylor and their touring singer Adam Lambert, where they enjoyed a "Band Night Out".
Like many people around the world, the Bohemian Rhapsody guitarist is currently taking part in Veganuary, where he's chosen to kick off the year by adhering to a plant-based diet.
The rocker - who praised Towers Restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Tokyo for accommodating him with their vegan option - has been sharing his experiences so far, and took time out to share an emotional response to seeing his usual favourite seafood.
He began in a lengthy post: "I promised to tell you about my experience on that “Band Night Out” (three posts ago). Well, in brief, what happened was .... I was enjoying the atmosphere of this great place (see previous post) and it was a very nice shared social moment for us as a band - we’ve been going to this particular restaurant for many years now. And they cooked and served great veg for those of us who asked for Vegan option. And were very kind, as usual. And our dear Japanese promoting friend for 40 years, Kaz, was kindly treating us."
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The We Will Rock You legend continued: "And then I looked at the prawns they were bringing out to cook in front of us. I thought “Last time we were here, I would have voraciously put as many of these delicious morsels in my tummy as possible”. I always had a real weakness for prawns from when I was a kid, shelling and eating them while walking along on the seafront, on holiday with my Mum and Dad. This time there was no way I would consider eating them, honouring my Veganuary commitment.
"But I wasn’t going to preach about it and spoil the meal for my pals, or be ungracious to my@host. Then I noticed that these prawns, being skewered and put on the grill, were alive - feebly moving their feelers just a little. I’m still trying to process my emotions. It it has moved me deeply - starkly reminding me why I was so anxious to try to be Vegan in the first place. Reminding me that, though it can be fun, this is not a game. What reaction do you feel ? Bri".
Brian May, who is an environmentalist and an advocate for animal rights, is a big fan of badgers and has even fallen out with Glastonbury founder Michael Eavis over it.
Last year saw the famous axeman explain why Queen wouldn't play the Somerset festival, telling the BBC: "We won’t [play Glastonbury] and there are a lot of reasons for that".
He added: "One of them is that Michael Eavis has frequently insulted me, and I don’t particularly enjoy that. What bothers me more is that he’s in favour of the badger cull, which I regard as a tragedy and an unnecessary crime against wildlife.
"There’s a little bit of a schism there, I wouldn’t do Glastonbury. Unless things changed radically."
