Actually the Buddhist/Vegetarian connection is largely a myth. While many Buddhists are vegetarians, Buddhist scripture does not mention vegetarianism:
http://www.emahofoundation.org/teachings/zr_q&a.htm Q: I am new to Buddhism and would like to know if it is necessary to be a vegetarian to be a Buddhist?
Rinpoche: It is not a must to be a vegetarian to be a Buddhist. It is a matter of personal choice. Buddhist scripture is unclear regarding the matter, and it has been a topic of debate for many. For monks and nuns, it has always been customary to accept and eat anything that people offer. In addition, in many parts of Tibet, it is difficult or impossible to grow crops, so people's survival depends on protein from yaks and sheep. It is not appropriate to order that an animal be killed just for food. Rather, it is important to use all of the animal so as not waste it. If you eat meat, it is good to take a moment to recognize that you are eating a sentient being, remember that animal with kindness, and pray that the sentient being gets a good rebirth.
(from the about page: Ven. ZaChoeje Rinpoche is Emaho's spiritual advisor. In 1984 His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama recognized him as the sixth reincarnation of ZaChoeje Rinpoche, one of the highest Buddhist Lamas of Eastern Tibet. At the age of 16, Rinpoche entered Drepung Loseling Monastery and after 10 years of studies, graduated with the esteemed Geshe Lharampa degree, equal to a Ph.D suma cum laude in Tibetan Buddhism. Rinpoche then entered the Gyumed Tantric Monastery for further study.)
Who is Emaho? And is that the Rinpoche who has spent a lot of time in the US and was having sex with women students? I am not being challenging, I know that there was one Rinpoche who was a real exploiter.
Mys sister has been been practicing Tibetan Buddhism for years, goes and stays in a monastery in Nepal, and they are all vegetarians there. Buddha's prinicple teaching was ahimsa, which means nonviolence or harm to any living being, and the most traditional followers of Buddhism have at least recognized the importance of not participating in the killing on animals, and the strict ones have always practiced it.