Vegan dishes in Japanese restaurants? A difficult proposition till recently but not any more!

Those from India visiting Japan for a short duration would have realized how difficult this country is for people unable to eat meat and fish based preparations to even survive because practically no restaurant serves pure vegetarian dishes. Probably the concept of vegetarian way of life is some thing modern Japanese generation does not understand as meat and fish are most ubiquitous in their daily diets. If recent reports emanating from Japan are any indication this county is poised to bring about a paradigm shift in its appreciation of vegan diets and one of the reasons could be the tourism boom it is expecting from India in the coming years running up to the Olympic games scheduled to take place in 2020. Naturally a significant population from India are non-meat eaters, most of whom are rich enough to afford a trip to Japan because of their wealthy background. Read further below about this new happenings in a place like Tokyo where many restaurants are serving vegetarian foods alone or as a part of their menu.range.. 

"Tokyo may be the gastronomic capital of the world – with more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city – but it has lagged behind in catering for those who don't eat meat. But with Japan hosting the Olympics in 2020, and the associated influx of vegetarian tourists, the group Tokyo Smile Veggies aim to get 50,000 restaurants – the number of convenience stores in Tokyo – to offer vegetarian dishes by the time they arrive. They plan to do this by hosting workshops explaining what vegetarianism means, by offering recipes and training to chefs, and by getting restaurants that are vegetarian-friendly to display signs. "We don't want to increase the number of vegetarian restaurants," said one of the group's four founders Aya Karasuyama. "We want vegetarian food to be served in normal restaurants. This hardly exists at present. People think vegetarians are strange and only eat salad." Over the past decade there has been a rise in popularity in vegetarian and vegan food in Japan alongside a boom in macrobiotic food, which has led to the opening of about 500 vegetarian and macrobiotic (which serve meat but have many vegetarian options) cafés and restaurants, according to Tokyo Smile Veggies. The macrobiotic trend started not long after Madonna appeared on the Japanese show Smap Smap in 2006 hailing her macrobiotic diet, according to the owner of one restaurant. But traditional Japanese restaurants tend not to include vegetarian food, and instead have lots of meat and seafood dishes – noodles have fish stock or pork as their soup base – or specialise in one type of food. Vegetarians are often met with a look of panic when they say that they don't eat meat or fish. Hanae Matsuya, a food PR, said: "Vegetarian restaurants open all the time but end up closing. Japanese are very good at cooking with vegetables at home so when they go out they like to eat meat." 

No wonder that sustained campaign by many groups who propound vegetarianism as an answer to many ills that befront the world to day has created better awareness about the virtues of avoiding animal based foods as far as possible. industrialized foods churned out by the food processing industry, especially the meat and poultry industry have a poor track record regarding good manufacturing practices which seek to avoid environment pollution, optimum safety of products and cruel animal rearing practices. Though consumers do raise their concern regarding these issues. they are all swept under the carpet by the industry due to its tremendous clout on the political-bureaucratic law and policy makers who refuse to implement or delay consumer friendly practices under one pretext or the other.  When one talks about vegetarian diets, it should not be forgotten that eating is a personal choice and compulsions are not acceptable to change these habits. What the vegan activists are seeking is gradual changes in dietary habits, respect for the environment and fellow co-inhabitants in this planet and ultimately a healthy society of future generations.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WILL THE VEGAN PHILOSOPHY EVER BECOME UNIVERSAL?-UNLIKELY!

The debate about vegetarian diet against animal foods is as old as human history. Those who consider that animal foods are absolutely essential for good health and a life without these "valuable' foods is not worth living! Such protagonists are in majority is a fact of life and converting them into vegetarians is not a mean task. While nutritionally vegetarian diets have been proved to be as good as animal foods, if not superior, the food consumption habits nurtured over centuries are hard to change. In spite of many campaigns intended tp promote vegetarianism as a way of life have sound rationality and scientific foundation, their success at best is only minimal and not dramatic measured by any yardstick. Indians are considered predominantly vegetarians either due to religious considerations or economic compulsions, the pro vegan movement is not that strong within the country. In contrast more aggressive groups are taking up cudgels on behalf of vegetarianism if recent reports emanating from there are any indication. Here is a strong advocacy group in Australia arguing with the government that by 2020 there should be a total switch to vegetarian diets in the country which only can save the country from future environmental and health disaster.

"There is sound evidence that vegan diets are nutritionally adequate during all stages of the life cycle. In fact science supports a low‐fat, plant‐based diet for optimal health," said McFarlane. The vegan group's submission recommends that the National Food Plan aim to: * Ensure all Australians have access to affordable and adequate fresh fruits and vegetables and other plant foods irrespective of income by 2015. * Improve the health of Australians and lower the burden on the health system by reducing the incidence of dietary related diseases * Use Australia's land resources more effectively and sustainably.
* End the use of animal agriculture systems within the next 20 years by building up and supporting Australia's fruit, vegetable and grain producers. "We have known for some time now that climate change is a real threat to Australia's food supply, yet we continue to produce and consume greenhouse gas intensive meat and dairy products that only contribute to the problem."  "Animals are suffering and being killed in order to meet our unhealthy and unsustainable appetite for meat and dairy products. We really need to question our practices and begin the necessary changes as soon as possible."  "It is crucial that the Australian Government initiate regulatory reforms and develop innovative measures to facilitate the uptake of plant based diets. This should include the setting of targets for the reduction and eventual elimination of meat and dairy consumption".  "Australians deserve to be educated about the many benefits of plant‐based diets and supported by government. A good first step is to make sure fruits and vegetables and other plant foods are accessible and affordable to all Australians, including those living in regional and remote communities." 

One is reminded of the era, not long ago when cigarette smoking was universally frowned upon because of its association with lung cancer. In spite of taking every step conceivable to persuade people from smoking, no significant dent has been made on the smoking front and people continue to smoke knowing pretty well that it is dangerous! Similarly eating junk foods is known to be linked to many life style health disorders including obesity but still people refuse to cut down on sugary and fatty foods though millions of dollars are being spent to inculcate good eating habits. The Vegan advocates may be good meaning people but the proposal by them to convert the Australian population into vegetarianism may be too far fetched. Of course the attempt to do some thing in this area is itself praise worthy.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com