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Sherab Lhamo
In order to actively respond to climate change and promote sustainable development, a two-day “Vegetarian-Friendly Catering” seminar started yesterday. The seminar aims to promote the establishment of vegetarian-friendly kitchens in institutions across the country.
These include New Learning Development (NLD), the Royal Academy of Tourism, ZheyGo and its partners, and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Bhutan (HRAB).
Aprajita Ashish, Asia regional liaison for the Save and Plant-Based Treaty campaigns, said the course encourages people to move towards plant-based food systems.
We advocate for this transition because it is good for both animals and the climate.
She said Bhutan was an ideal location to establish the course because the people of Bhutan have a deep compassion for animals and their cultural values support the project.
She added that vegetarianism, with its primary goal of reducing harm, fits well with these principles of Bhutanese society.
When the trainers first arrived in the country, Tshetem Norbu, founder of Sacred Himalaya Tours, local partner of Vegetarian Travel Asia and the Vegetarian Travel Foundation, hosted a dinner. He invited HRAB and other organizations. The concept of vegetarianism piqued the interest of all the attendees.
The HRAB representative said many restaurants and hotels in the country offer vegetarian menus. However, the representative said their goal is to get the majority of people to adopt vegetarian options and acknowledged that not every restaurant currently offers a fully vegetarian menu.
The representative said there is a common misconception that vegetarianism is costly. Adopting a vegan diet can reduce costs because it eliminates expensive meat and its substitutes in favor of more affordable plant-based alternatives. These alternatives, such as locally available fruits and vegetables, help make vegetarian options economically viable.
Yusi, co-founder of Vegan Travel Asia and the Vegetarian Travel Foundation, said food is very important in travel decisions. She said when vegan menus are uncommon, it can affect travelers’ ideal experience.
Sonam Ohm, a trainer at NLD, said she learned a lot about the difference between vegan and plant-based foods.
She said plant-based foods are meat foods that can be made with plant-based alternatives. Vegans are people who don’t consume meat, dairy, honey and other animal products.
“Bhutanese people rely on dairy products and in the workshop, they taught how to make local delicacies like Ema Datsi using plant-based alternatives like cashews,” said Ugyen Bidha, another trainer from the NLD.
She said the seminar helped encourage people to stick to a vegan diet and that it had many benefits for health, the environment and animal safety.
“We don’t have to rely on imports when creating a vegetarian menu, we can make it ourselves,” said Ugyen.
All participants will receive a certificate upon completion of the workshop.
Aprajita said the plant-based industry is experiencing rapid growth, with the market size increasing by 15% each year and is expected to reach $168 billion by 2030.
The workshop was supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Thrive Philanthropy, and was held in partnership with Veg Voyages, Animal Climate and Health Rescue Foundation, the Plant-Based Treaty Movement, Vegan Travel Asia, and the Bhutan Hotel and Restaurant Association.
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