The system doesn’t always understand different cultures and lifestyles. As a vegetarian, Madhu did not eat very well during her hospital stay.

Transcript

Well, the only thing is don’t tie everybody with the same rope. Everybody deals with different way, and, I mean, we have excellent doctors, we have excellent care, but [from a] culture point of view, sometimes they don’t understand. I mean, I’m vegetarian. Last time when I was in the hospital a few years back, I had some breathing problem and all—I think I got a virus or I don’t know what I had, but I was in the hospital for two weeks. As soon as you say “vegetarian,” food is a big problem there. They will just give you a salad or a just piece of one roll and that’s it. So vegetarianism, I think, is another education. Now, what we are learning healthy food what we are eating. Meat is not the only thing really that keeps you healthy. There are other people living also, and as we call vegetarian or some other restrictions. I think this was… they just did not understand. Like, “What do you eat?” Every time I have a people that are asking me question: “What do you eat then? If you don’t eat meat, then what did you eat?” I say, “You people were like this in the 60s when I came with this question.” When I came in 62 in Canada and people thought I cannot live if I don’t eat meat because it is a cold country. And I say, “Okay, when I am about to disappear, I will think of, but right at the moment I don’t feel like eating meat.” And I am still vegetarian. I have lived so long. So, I think that is… I mean, that they are having really in the hospital, as soon as you use that word, you just get salad and live with it.

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