Asian Airlines Struggle with Providing Vegetarian Menus
Vegetarians in India have won a small victory in terms of having their beliefs respected. Apparently, vegetarians in India do not eat vegetables that grow under the ground, such as potatoes and carrots. So, out of respect for their special dietary needs, five airlines in Taiwan have started to remove these and other root vegetables from their in-flight vegetarian menus. They will, however, be adding more uncooked vegetables to their menus as part of the change.
The airlines that have made these changes include:
· China Airlines
· EVA Airway
· Mandarin Airlines
· TransAsia Airways
· Uni Air
Unfortunately, the move to remove root vegetables from their in-flight menus has met with some opposition from Taiwanese passengers, however, as they already feel their menu options are far too limited. The biggest concern is the fact that ginger is also considered to be a root vegetable and it is difficult to achieve traditional Taiwanese flavors without the use of this spice.
The changes to the airline menus were actually imposed by International Air Transport Association, which is trying to help ensure passengers do not accidentally ingest foods that are against their personal or religious beliefs. But, creating a menu to please everyone has been difficult because the rules for vegetarianism are different among various cultures. Taiwanese, for example, do not eat garlic or onions, while some also steer clear of mushrooms.
The good news is that vegetarianism has become so popular that coming up with great menu choices has become a serious issue. Hopefully, the move toward vegetarianism will continue to grow even stronger!