Question published in the Independent

Christmas veggie recipe

Angela Hartnett is a celebrity chef working for Gordon Ramsay's restaurant called the 'York and Albany' near Regents Park.
She answered readers questions about Christmas recipes
The following question was asked:

If the whole country decided to have a vegetarian Christmas, what would you suggest so that no one would miss the poor turkey?
Nitin Mehta

Angela :
I think aubergine parmigiana is always lovely- baked aubergines in mozzarella. A nice dish is pumpkin and lentils cooked with bean curd. You could do braised vegetables, such as parsnips and carrots with garlic.

The Patriotism of an Immigrant (Letter Published in the Independent, 15.11.2008)

Yasmin Alibhai Brown a columnist of the Independent wrote that patriotism cannot be forced upon the ethnic minorities. Identifying with a nation is not the gift of anyone. Nobody can force you to love your country she said. In response the following letter was submitted.

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown's piece "You can't force patriotism on a people" (10 November) is flawed. Loyalty to one's country cannot be negotiable. Once you become a citizen of a country it is incumbent upon you to identify with the country. Minorities everywhere have to make a special effort to join the national mainstream.
 

Yasmin claims: "We will withhold that kiss if the state disappoints. " This implies that a democratically elected government should shape its policies in such a way that it never offends the minority. This is an untenable position which will do the minorities no good. This country gave thousands of refugees like me and Yasmin an opportunity to settle and prosper. That for me is enough to be a patriotic citizen.
 

Thousands like me feel that the time has come to stop playing the victim.
 

Nitin Mehta, Croydon

Food Shortages and Bio-Fuels (Letter Published in the Independent, 19.06.2008)

Sir: It is disingenuous of Elliott Mannis to claim that the biodiesel debate is a proxy fight for those who oppose capitalism and globalisation (letters, 11 June). United Nations reports say that food shortages threaten 100 million of the world's poorest with starvation.

This year, global production of biofuels will consume 100 million tonnes of grain. About 20 million acres of maize, wheat, soya and other crops have been diverted to produce biofuel in the US. Sixty million tonnes of food produced in the US in the past two years, which could feed 250 million people, was used for biofuel. It takes 232kg of corn to fill a 50-litre car tank with ethanol, enough to feed a child for a year. Brazil, Argentina and even India use crops for biofuel.

The result is that prices of staple foods have risen 80 per cent in three years. The problem is made worse by almost 760 million tonnes of grains being fed to animals raised for meat. The biofuel model to solve the climate change and energy crisis needs to be revisited. A return to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet is also of great importance if we are to avoid the double whammy of biofuel and grains diverted to feed animals. Opposing biofuel should not be seen as opposing capitalism or globalisation. Capitalism with a humane face is in the best interest of all.

Nitin Mehta, Croydon

Pickles with Shanta Ben & The Young Indian Vegetarians

On April 18th, Mr. Mehta invited Pratibha & Jigyasa from Rajasthan and Gujarat, editors of “Cooking at Home with Pedatha” to his home where they dined and addressed a keen audience about the book. Click here for full details.

VEG, NO MEAT (Letter Published in the Sunday Times, 04.05.2008)

Sir: We can feed the world but we will have to change our food habits. Tens of billions of animals are raised for food every year but the grains fed to them could feed billions more people than the meat does. In a thirsty world a huge amount of water is used in raising these animals. Add to this the biofuel that is consuming the food that sustains humans and we have a recipe for disaster. A return to a vegetarian and vegan diet would take off some of the pressure.

Nitin Mehta, Croydon

Global Grain Shortage (Letter published in the Independent, 11.04.2008)

Sir: Your report on the global grain shortage ("Starving Haitains riot as food prices soar", 10 April ) is a sign of a catastrophe facing the world. The UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), according to your report, can only advise governments to improve crop irrigation and storage. The FAO fails to mention the two major causes of the impending crisis: land being used to produce biofuel, and food grains being diverted to feed animals raised for meat.

In the last two years the US has diverted 60 million tonnes of food to fuel. Almost 60 billion animals are raised worldwide for meat every year and the grains needed to feed them could feed over 4 billion human beings. From South America to Africa to Asia the double whammy of biofuel and grains diverted to feed animals is beginning to cause hunger.

The world population is set to rise to 9.5 billion in a few years and unless we in the West and the rising middle classes of China and India revert to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet, mass starvation is a certainty. Biofuel is supposed to be good for the environment, but it is the billions of farm animals that are contributing more to global warming than all the world's transport put together.

Nitin Mehta, Croydon

Health Crisis Facing the UK (Letter published in the Independent, 24.10.2007)

Sir: Professor Julian Le Grand's proposals to halt the health crisis facing this country do not go far enough. The very ethos on which the National Health Service operates, which is, "you fall sick and we will give you a drug to cure you" needs to be overhauled. Individuals must be made to take responsibility for their bodies.In the Indian Ayur Vedic system, for example, the patient would be expected to follow a strict dietary regime prescribed by the doctor. The patient is told in no uncertain terms that he has to take steps to cure himself. Diet plays a very crucial role in one's physical and mental well-being and instead of just promoting more fruit intake, a meat-free vegetarian and vegan diet should be encouraged. In survey after survey vegetarians and vegans are found to be healthier and less of a burden on the NHS.
Nitin Mehta
Croydon
 

Climate Change

The Independent asked its readers to suggest to the government for its green paper--ways of stopping climate change and ecological disaster. The following was published in the paper on 28th October.

Sir: The Government should actively encourage people to give up meat eating in favour of a plant based vegetarian and vegan diet. A staggering 55 billion animals are raised for meat every year which in effect means 55 billion living beings who have to be fed and watered. This is in addition to the eight and half billion human population which will rise to over nine billion by 2050. Our planet is simply not big enough to sustain these numbers. The result is destruction of rain forests, spreading of deserts and massive methane gas emissions leading to further global warming. To sustain a meat based diet we effectively need two planets which- we do not have. It was Albert Einstein who said: 'Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival of life on Earth as much as evolution to a vegetarian diet'.

Nitin Mehta
Croydon

A Vegetarian Diet Is Essential In The Fight To Protect The Planet From Climate Change And Ecological Damage - Nitin Mehta

It seems Albert Einstein made another great contribution to the Human race when he said: ‘Nothing will improve the chance of survival of the Earth as a step towards a Vegetarian life style.’

 -- Click here to read more..

Water Wars

According to an article in the Independent, Water will be the cause of wars between nations, the following letter was published in response.

Sir: The report "Water wars" (28 February 2006) is as clear a warning as one can get that water will create violent conflict between nations. But one of the main causes of water waste is also mentioned. It takes 1,000 litres of water to produce a kilo of potatoes and 42,500 litres to produce a kilo of beef.

Animals are voracious consumers of water and almost 80 per cent of the world's water resources are used in raising 55 billion animals for meat every year, spreading deserts and diverting grains that could feed almost four billion people. The destruction of rainforests in South America is the direct result of beef production. A return to a plant-based vegetarian and vegan diet is imperative for our survival and the survival of our planet.

Nitin Mehta

Chicken Faeces Fed To Farmed Fish - Nitin Mehta

The Independent reports that there could be a possible link between the bird flu and farmed fish fed with manure of Chickens, Pigs and Ducks. The United Nations Food and Agriculture organisation backs this system of feeding fish with waste animal matter --it is called, 'Integrated Livestock Fish Farming'.

Click here to read more...

Veganism and Hinduism - Jyoti Mehta

Defining Veganism
Veganism is a growing trend within the vegetarian community, and is considered a stricter form of vegetarianism. As well as not eating meat, fish or fowl, vegans extend this to not consuming anything that is derived from animals. This essentially means the removal of milk and all other forms of dairy from the diet. Some people confuse vegans with those who are lactose intolerant, but whilst lactose intolerant people avoid cow produce for allergy reasons, vegans do no eat anything derived from any animals, and this includes products such as goat’s cheese.

Click here to read more...

Talk at the inter faith celebration of animals on 18th September 2005 at Golders Green Unitarians Church

Dear Friends
Lord Mahaveer the 24th teacher in Jainism was travelling as a monk preaching compassion and the message of Dharma. Once he arrived near a huge forest in which lived a fearsome cobra. Everyone pleaded to Mahaveer to not to go into the forest as no one ever returned alive. However Lord Mahaveer was fearless and was determined to meet the cobra. As he went deep into the forest the cobra appeared. Lord Mahaveer stood in meditation. The cobra stung Lord Mahaveer on the right toe. Instead of blood milk began pouring out. Lord Mahaveer than said, ‘O Chandkaushi calm down, calm down, remember who you were in your past life. You were a monk with a terrible temper and when you died you were in great anger.

This little story gives us several messages

1 The animals we see could have been humans in past lives and we might also get animal bodies in future lives. If we want to avoid that fate it is in our own interest to be compassionate towards all living beings.

2 At the time of death the thoughts that will come to us will be the thoughts that have preoccupied us the most. So someone who has enjoyed hunting a lot will get those thoughts and will receive a body in the next life that hunts.

3 There are individual Karma and collective Karma. As a race we humans are destroying the Oceans, the Ecology of the planet and indulging in unmitigated violence towards other life forms. The results are there for us to see: Tsunami, Hurricanes, Earthquakes, and Droughts---the burden of responsibility on those in this room and many millions who think like us is great—let each one of us give up meat and dedicate ourselves to changing the course of Human history.

Nitin Mehta