Argentina’s White House equivalent (the Casa Rosada or Pink House) will be re-introducing its policy of ‘Vegan Mondays’ (Lunes Vegano) later this year.
It was initially launched in 2017, with Argentina’s Secretary General Fernando de Andreis saying: “Today, and every Monday, the Pink House dining room will only have a vegan menu available. A menu without animal products of any kind.
“All employees and staff of the house [around 550 people], even the President, will eat this healthy menu every Monday.”
Protest
But according to reports, the move was not welcomed by all.
Casa Rosada chef Dante Liporace says the number of staff eating inhouse on Mondays dipped by 93 percent, and in addition, staff shared images of themselves eating burgers in the House, in protest at the new initiative.
Liporace told The Independent: “That first day was terrible. All three options were vegan and all anyone wanted was meat. I got loads of abuse for it. People don’t realise that they miss meat until you don’t offer it to them.”
After just three Mondays, the scheme was ditched.
Options
Liporace then started to serve plant-based options alongside meat options – and was surprised to see that by week four, 250 were opting for plant-based.
He said: “People have got used to it quite quickly.”
As a result of this success, the Casa Rosada will be re-introducing Lunes Vegano later this year.