[cwgwowcom]

I agree with Vali's statement for the most part, but just let me add a few more things.
It is true that Buddhism doesn't require strict adherence to its principles. The way we learned it, the teachings of Lord Buddha are not laws, but guidelines. The responsibility to follow them is completely shifted to the believer. No God is going to hold anyone responsible, according to Buddhist perspective.

So Buddhist laypeople don't need to follow every rule of their religion to the letter and still can think of themselves as true to it. Making merit, taking part in ceremonies and trying to live the right way is what most Thais do. Eating meat is perfectly acceptable in this context.
Monks are another story, though... But they can eat meat too, if the animal was not killed for their sake and if they didn't see the animal being killed.

Another interesting tidbit: some Thais solved the "no kill" guideline in a particularly intersting way: when they catch fish, they don't kill it. They just leave it on the river bank, and it will die "by itself"... and why should the food be wasted?

[AlabamaBoyz]

Quote[/b] ]Another interesting tidbit: some Thais solved the "no kill" guideline in a particularly intersting way: when they catch fish, they don't kill it. They just leave it on the river bank, and it will die "by itself"... and why should the food be wasted

That's really an amusing tidbit there.5555. It sounds like trying to stage an accident...like herding cows near a highway, hoping some silly cow somehow get itself killed.