The Island Vegetarian

Vol. 19, Issue 4, Oct.-Dec. 2008

Veg Voyage To India by Pamela Davis VSH Member and President, Animal Advocate, Inc.

Would you like to travel to a place far away, eat delicious and exotic food, meet friendly people, and enjoy beautiful scenery and historic places?  If so, please consider traveling with Veg Voyages.  We traveled in the Rajasthan region in northwestern India on the “Desert Kingdoms of Rajputana Adventure.”  Our group (8 visitors, 2 guides, and 2 drivers) traveled in 2 vans, visiting desert outposts on the ancient caravan route, Maharajahs” monsoon palaces, centuries-old fortresses and Jain temples, and even Karni Mata (“rat temple”).  And yes, we saw the Taj Mahal, too.  

My son and I are vegans, and Veg Voyages carefully monitored and ordered all of our food in the restaurants to ensure it was vegan.  For non-vegans, vegetarian fare was served.  In India, many people are “pure vegetarians,” but this means they consume dairy products including ghee (clarified butter) and paneer (a tofu-like dairy curd), yogurt, and milk.  Cows are sacred in the Hindu religion, so beef is not eaten, but unfortunately dairy products are very popular.  Leather is also sold.  Veganism was only introduced in India about 3 years ago, and Veg Voyages is helping to spread the word.  Now more Indians, especially young people, are learning about veganism and are becoming vegans. 

We were also treated to several home-cooked meals (more like banquets), courtesy of one of our guides, Mr. M.K. Singh (“Singhji”).  In Bikaner, we ate in the home of one of Singhji’s relatives, and in Udaipur, we were invited to Singhji’s home for an evening of food, fun, and entertainment.  We started with Indian snacks (such as roasted moong beans) and hot Darjeeling tea in the sitting room.  We then moved to the roof where 3 musicians played and 2 women did traditional dancing, including twirling with pots of fire on their heads!  We sipped Indian beer and a very strong homemade liquor made from saffron, and we were invited to join in the dancing.  From the roof you can see the Royal Palace, where Singhji’s father had been a personal guard of the Raja.  Afterwards, we moved down to the living room and ate a delicious multi-course dinner, and to end the evening, one of Singhji’s family members painted henna designs on our hands. 

If you’ve ever eaten Indian food, you know it’s spicy.  However, they toned it down, and offered condiments (such as cardamon or mango pickle) to make it “hot.”  Sliverware is not traditionally used, and the custom is to eat with the right hand.  It is respectful not to touch anything else but your food with the right hand while eating.  We were introduced to many popular North Indian dishes and unique cuisine of the region found only in certain areas.  We ate thali, ghobi masala (cauliflower), aloo mutter-methi (potato), stuffed capsicum, dal (lentils), and of course paratha, roti, and naan (breads).  In the Aravalli Mountains, we prepared our own vegan dinner using vegetables from the local village. 

There’s much more to tell, but  suffice to say that we thoroughly enjoyed our Veg Voyage to India, and highly recommend it!

Detail from Raja's Palace

JAIN TEMPLE