Quantcast Vegetarian StarRadhika Oswal

NEW YORK - APRIL 14: Otarian owner Radhika Oswal attends the grand opening celebration of Otarian, the planet's most sustainable restaurant, on Bleeker Street on April 14, 2010 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Otarian)

“Vegetarian food is the most sustainable food in the world. We need to think about our future generations and the sustainability of the earth. Each and every individual consuming an Otarian meal makes a small but meaningful difference to the planet and all its inhabitants. And if one Otarian meal saves a kilogram of carbon emissions and grain, or a litre of water or oil, imagine the cumulative benefits of Otarian eating.”

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Radhika Oswal Interview On Otarian And Vegetarian Fast Food

Written by Vegetarian Star on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 in Business, Food & Drink, Restaurants.

Otarian, The Planet s Most Sustainable Restaurant - Bleecker Street Opening

Radhika Oswal just opened the New York outlet of her string of fast food vegetarian restaurants, Otarian.

The restaurant, which has a location in London, was constructed from recycled materials and lists the environmental impact of each dish on the menu compared to a meat one.

When she wasn’t counting carbons for a future menu item, Radhika took time to speak with Black Book Magazine on several matters, including her favorite foods and why a vegetarian fast food restaurant works.

On fast food v.s. fine dining:
We wanted to reach the masses. Vegetarian food is really misunderstood at the moment. I didn’t think people would be willing to sit for hours in a place to eat vegetarian food when they could spend $14 in 10 minutes. It’s just simple logic, really.

Favorite vegetarian dishes:
I like the Tex Mex Burger. I love the Biryani. I love the flatbread. I am Indian by culture, so, I love the spicy foods.

Typical mistakes that vegetarians make in their dietary choices:
Vegetarians who have been vegetarians for long don’t make many mistakes. I think it’s people who are trying to eat more vegetarian food make the mistake of not knowing the correct nutritional requirements around the carbs or not knowing the daily servings of vegetables and fruits. Balancing, especially things like vitamin D and B, in your diet are important.

For the entire interview, visit Black Book magazine.

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Otarian, The Planet s Most Sustainable Restaurant - Bleecker Street Opening

Radhika Oswal was a “hungry vegetarian” traveling with her husband, Pankaj Oswal, chairman of Burrup Holdings Ltd. in Australia, when all she could find left and right were pizza and burger joints.

This was the reason she decided to launch Otarian, a global chain of vegetarian fast food restaurants, with a recent opening in New York City.

The couple is the same one that forbid construction workers from eating meat while building their billion dollar mansion in Australia.

Oswal jokes starting the restaurant was like getting her “PhD is vegetarianism and sustainability.”

The menu is lacto-ovo with several vegan options and according to Planet Green, the corporate office is aiming for a 98% recycling and composting rate.

Plus, there are carbon values for each item on the menu, comparing it to the carbon value of a meat item.

And how’s this for a fast food reminder? Otarian offers combo meals.

The carbon combos on the menu save at least 3 kilograms of carbon compared to a similar meat one.

“What’s really big is that three kilograms of carbon is equivalent to the amount emitted by driving 21 miles in an eco-car or 7 miles in a normal car, and is more than the average person’s journey to work every day,” Radhika said.

Counting calories is so yesterday.

Start scribbling in those carbon food diaries today!

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Indian Billionaire Oswals Ban Meat At Mansion Construction Site

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 in Business, Food & Drink, Offbeat.

No food or drink symbol

Indian-born billionaire Pankaj Oswal and his socialite wife Radhika have hired contractors to build a $70 billion dollar mansion and they are banning the workers from eating meat.

“She still wants them to build her $70 million mansion, but she’s telling them what they’re going to eat . . . it’s wrong,” said Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union Western Australian assistant secretary Joe McDonald, who called the ban “absolutely wrong.”

“I respect everybody’s right to practise their religion, but I totally disagree with anyone forcing it on others.

“If people are working on the job and they want to have a ham sandwich or a bacon and egg sandwich, they should have one.”

Calm down now, Joe.

There is a meat ban. No where did it say the Oswals were vegan.

The Oswals are vegetarians for both religious and other reasons and Mrs. Oswal says that the meat industry “rapes the earth” and by continuing to eat meat you are creating a vicious cycle.

Sources say some workers at the site are eating meat out of spite.

In a perfect world, an employer would let you do as you please, but unfortunately rules for working, dressing and behaving usually are included in the paycheck package.

If what goes in the workers mouth during lunchtime is regulated, they should relax in knowing it’s only an eight hour shift.

And better hope the vegetarian Trumps don’t have to come back to say, “You’re fired!”

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