[Qeiafib]

Shri informed, Shri Prasad1,

My own impression, based on feedback given to me by my sons (one in US and two in UK) has been that it becomes unavoidable to accept NV or NV contaminated food if one has to live in foreign countries and get along with the local populations there. I am told that if one has to stay overnight at the workplace because of any exigency, the only vegetarian item will be coffee at the workplace which also may not be there once the evening supply is exhausted. One of my sons occupies a fairly senior position (Executive Director) in a MNC and when I asked him if he cannot have some vegetarian food ordered, he smiled and said that the MNCs never foresaw strict vegetarian Tabras working there, nor are they so very keen to promote our tabra preferences; in short, "if you can't take what you get, please go" is the loud message, he said.

My sons also tell me that there are many tabras who have adjusted to the foreign food style completely, but once they land back in India they will like to put on a hypocritical image of their own. The only person to tell us the truth was an old lady whose six sons have become US citizens long back,, when she said that irrespective of with which son they stay, she cooks our tabra veg food for the two of them because the children and more especially, the grandchildren just cannot live on the strict vegetarian norms followed by us.

I have visited US once and my son told me that even in that ubiquitous 'subway' chain, one has to know which is veg and which is not.