If you are skilled in cooking, you can do many things such as prepare nutritious meals to even make a profession out of it. But a Civil Society Organization is using it as a means to promote vegetarianism. The CSO has been providing free training in vegetarian cuisine across the country. A two-week training is currently underway in Paro.
More than 35 men and women from various parts of the country are taking part in the training. Some have come from as far as Bumthang.
The participants learn how to make different vegetarian dishes some of which they have only heard of before. All in all, they will learn to prepare about 50 vegetarian cuisines.
Fifty-one-year-old Karma who lives in Thimphu is one of the participants. She became a vegetarian a long time ago and wants her husband and children to follow suit. But she says it is a challenge when she cannot prepare many vegetarian dishes.
“If we have the skill to cook a variety of special vegetable dishes, then our children would not get fed up which they are right now with emadatshi and kewadatshi,” she said. “Right now, we know only these dishes although we are the head chefs at home. This training could help my family enjoy vegetarian dishes and forget meat.”
“We get to learn culinary arts in Indian, Chinese, and local meals. In future, I think I can even start a food business thanks to the training,” said Yechang Lhamo, another participant from Thimphu.
“During our lochhoes, I have noticed that people eat only the meat items and throw the vegetables,” said Karma Tshitrim who came from Bumthang. “It may be because we don’t know how to prepare vegetable dishes properly. I am hoping that things will be different now thanks to the training. I will also share my knowledge with my neighbors.”
This is the sixth such training programme being organized by the Duedro Rangwang Zhidey Tshogpa since its inception in 2015. The CSO says giving up meat and become a vegetarian could be easier if one knew how to prepare different vegetarian dishes. The Tshogpa has more than 10,000 members and also carries out advocacy programmes.
“Nearly 80 percent of the members have stopped eating meat. This is mainly from the awareness events and programmes like this. This is our main motive, to promote vegetarianism,” said Pelden Dolma, a member of the Duedro Rangwang Zhidey Tshogpa.
Similar training will be conducted in Bumthang and eastern districts soon.
Namgay Wangchuk, Paro
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen
