Why are buddists

Nothing like that.. I'm a buddhist and me and my whole family loves non-veg food.

buddhist monks are vegetarian.

In Buddhism, killing a living thing is prohibited. Eating a meat is like indirectly agreeing with killing an animal (even if the person didn't participate in the killing process.)

According to the Buddhist philosophy of ahimsa (not causing any suffering/violence to *any* living thing), all Buddhists should be vegetarians--or fruitarians if you want to get technical. But the vast majority of Buddhists are not.

The practical answer to your question is that meat has always been expensive in Asia where Buddhism is prevalent. But as cheap meat (McDonalds) becomes available, many people conveniently forget about ahimsa and choose big macs instead.

Because some Buddhists take the peaceful and unharming lifestyle as far as they can take it. It's an extreme dedication for their constant strive to obtain enlightenment in peace and affinity. I do not believe in any religion but Buddhism is something I will never deny or disrespect as most devout Buddhists I met were good human beings. They are the literal meaning of "Wouldn't hurt a fly." Instead of throwing molotovs like some people would, monks would light themselves on fire and sit still for a protest.