Vegetarian challenges meat lovers to eat up

Patrick Lim hopes his dishes will make carnivores think about becoming vegetarians. Photo / Richard Robinson

World Vegetarian Day is being observed today - and one activist is hoping that by offering free vegetarian black-pepper steak and Malaysian "beef" curry, he will turn more meat-loving Kiwis to vegetarian meals.

"People who like meat are often put off by greens, so if vegetarian food looks like meat, it will make it easier for them to accept it," said vegetarian chef Patrick Lim.

Mr Lim, a vegan originally from Malaysia, is offering free vegetarian lunch packs, comprising dishes that look like meat, between 3pm and 5pm today at his restaurant, the Golden Age on Victoria St, as part of a recruitment drive to turn more Kiwis vegetarian.

The dishes on offer will be made with ingredients ranging from mock meat, soya bean products and mushrooms.

"I am a vegetarian on a mission, because I believe that we can save the environment if more people stop eating meat and become vegetarians," Mr Lim said.

"World Vegetarian Day is one of the very few days where we can fight for this cause, but the challenge is great."

The New Zealand Vegetarian Society has failed to find a venue to celebrate World Vegetarian Day today because its usual venue, the Mt Eden Memorial Hall, was already booked.