Throughout July, Million Dollar Vegan India distributed hampers filled with delicious, affordable vegan goods to 65 hard-to-please nonvegetarians in Pune, Maharashtra. The reason? To convince them that whatever foods they love as a meat-eater, they can also find as a vegan.
As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise in Pune, many people are starting to switch to a plant-based diet to help improve their health and their immunity. But for many, there remains a misconception that plant-based foods lack flavour, and this is something we set out to challenge. We teamed up with GetMoksha, a Pune vegan delivery service, which sent out hampers containing delicious hot and cold items to our 65 lucky – but sceptical – recipients.
The hampers included cauliflower wings, Russian salad sandwich, pirashki, barbecue veggie pizza, classic cheese burger, Good Dot mock meat biryani, tofu, soyogurt, soyakhand, soya milk or chocolate oat-cashew milk, tofu tikkis, satoris, beetroot barfi, wheat pedha, chocolate cake, and sweet and spicy horsegram-millet drink mix.
Did They Like The Food?
Yes, they did. They really, really did!
What Did They Say?
These are just a few of the overwhelmingly positive comments we received…
Nikita Kumar, a hardcore nonvegetarian, was surprised to learn about the variety of vegan convenience foods available. She said that the goods she’d received were truly delicious and that she never thought vegan food would be so amazing. Not only did she love it, but her mother did too. She said: “I think with such amazing food it will make it easy for one to become vegan.”
Rohit Mahajan said he never thought he would say good things about vegan food as he is known for his nonvegetarian barbecues. But he is now hooked on all things plant-based and is considering cutting down on animal foods to reduce his high cholesterol levels.
Abhishek Roy is another hardcore nonvegetarian who says he will only go vegan when lab-grown meat comes to India. But, he was extremely impressed with the classic cheese burger which he said he actually prefers to the meat version he normally orders, and he also thought that the soyakhand was much better than the dairy version.
Sonali said the food was very filling and a completely delicious experience, and that none of her family would have known that the cake was vegan. She said her children are more interested in becoming vegan now.
Audrey Lawrence said that though she was aware of the disastrous effects of meat and dairy on the environment and also its negative impacts on health, accessibility of the vegan versions of popular dishes was a problem. Now that she knows about GetMoksha.com, she says it’ll be easy for her to order more vegan foods from there.
Janhavi Pathak has always been an animal lover, and so knew that consuming meat, eggs, and fish did not align with her ethics. When she learned about the suffering and injustice in the dairy industry, she wanted advice on how to avoid those foods too. The hampers convinced her, and she now knows where to get all those delicious dairy-free alternatives.
Sherry Mehta is a chef and was not expecting to find the vegan food so delicious. She described it as “outstanding”, and says it has convinced her daughter to switch to a vegan diet. As for Sherry, she has pledged to make delicious vegan food more popular and accessible to all through her work.
One recipient was new vegan, Mr. Daniel Dorabjee, who switched to eating fully plant-based after watching The Game Changers about six months ago. Now, he encourages others to switch to plant-based nutrition for their health and to boost their fitness. After trying out the food in the hamper he said: “I loved the food. It was completely an eye-opener for me.” Check out what else he has to say about the foods he received:
What happens next?
It can take a little time for veganism to ‘stick’, and we’re keen that our recipients take the time to adjust to a new way of shopping, cooking and eating. That’s why we were delighted to give them a 50 percent discount off their next hamper, and 10 percent off all subsequent purchases for the next fortnight.
Putting Plants ON the Menu to Take Pandemics OFF It
As well as sharing these tasty food items with our recipients, we also shared with them information about the source of most global pandemics. The reality is that three quarters of emerging infectious diseases come from animals, and those pathogens transfer to people when we destroy habitats, lock animals in farms or consume their flesh, eggs and milk.
Eating vegan is undoubtedly good for health, for the planet, for wild animals and farmed, but it is also the best way to protect ourselves from another pandemic. For the sake of global health, we must change how we treat animals. Showcasing just how delicious the vegan diet can be is essential to help persuade people to make this important change – for all our sakes.
