This article first appeared in My Travelogue by Bhushavali
Here's a strange thing. I'm an Indian & I'm a foodie. I love eating & trying different dishes. I love Indian spices! That said, I am an Indian vegetarian which means Vegan + Dairy, in other words, Lacto-Vegetarian! If you look into the inflight menu of flights that fly in & out of India, there would be an option called Hindu Meal. It is the same thing. Vegan + Dairy is the traditional Indian vegetarian diet!
WHAT DOES 'VEGETARIAN' MEAN IN EUROPE?
This is a strange combination for others to understand. In European countries, 'vegetarian' always includes eggs and in some countries (like Belgium) it also includes fish (yes, the hospital served me salmon for lunch a day after I gave birth to Atyudarini and when I questioned, they said that it isn't meat!).
TRYING LOCAL DISHES IN EUROPEAN CITIES & TOWNS
Most local cuisines & must-try dishes in European towns definitely aren't vegetarian. Living in Belgium, none of the specialty dishes here are vegetarian-friendly - waffles have eggs; fries are fried in animal fat; and mussels are well... mussels! Even though I'm a foodie, I never go on a 'food walk' anywhere because of my diet restrictions, unlike in India where I try all local dishes wherever I go because more often than not, they are vegetarian!
.jpg)