Satvik food has foreigners swing Goa the vegan way

This small village on the Calungute-Panaji Road has more foreigners than many beach resorts in the state. And many of these foreign tourists are vegans, who have been influencing local tastes too.

Till recently, the most popular Goan restaurants catered to the tastes of Europeans, Russians or Americans, and many restaurants were named such that they made the choice of cuisine quite clear. Now, there are many restaurants called Plantain’s Leaf, La Vegan, Vegan Goa, Woody’s, Satvika and Brahminica, proudly proclaiming their vegan status.

“This is a revolution we were expecting. It all started after the Russians started arriving in Goa, seeking Ayurveda and Yoga. Their packages could extend for up to three years, and they were often instructed to give up non-vegetarian food and alcohol,” says Wilfred Braganza, a functionary at the Goan Hotels Association. There is a likelihood that many South Indian hotels will open up in Goa, offering the famed South Indian vegetarian fare.

Cecilio Fernandez, a member of the Goa Chambers of Commerce and Industry, says, “We look forward to large groups like Woodlands of Chennai-Bangalore, Dasaprakash of Mysore and Adigas of Bangalore to open eateries in Goa.”

But what triggered this shift? Veteran hotelier Madhav Kamat said, “Goa had a rich vegetarian cuisine during the Portuguese time. However, after liberation in 1961, in the race to grab a piece of the world tourism cake, Goan entrepreneurs lost sight of the vegetarian cuisine, and catered to international tourists with dishes from their native countries. The change occurred when many European tourists sought holistic living and were willing to go the whole hog, adopting a lifestyle that was Spartan and vegetarian.”

Cyril Rodrigues, retired professor of sociology from Goa University, who now leads a life of retirement at Borda village, Margao, says, “Many Westerners have adopted the Hindu way of living. Initially, we saw only high-income groups drawn to this lifestyle, but now we find  middle-income groups too. Or perhaps it is just that many middle-income groups have become high-earning, and the fad is catching on.”

Prabhakar Pai, owner of Sathvik Hotel, Vasco, says, “What the Westerners see as holistic living also includes stable family bonds. While families are torn asunder with high rates of divorce in the West, in our country, marriage is still largely that once-in-a-lifetime affair, and couples stay together all their lives. Food habits too influence the way of life.” 

Polish national Zyda Kptenckova, visiting Mahalasa Narayani Temple in Mardol village, said, “It is not just eating habits. Even how we pray and interact with others changes here. Many of my friends have now kicked the bottle and switched to vegan diet. Even so, we find that Goa does not have enough good vegetarian hotels. It’s still easier to get a bottle of beer in the morning than to get fresh fruit juice or a cup of green tea.”

An official at the department of industry at Margao said that there have been many applications from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and South Maharashtra, seeking permission to set up new hotels.