Author: Isidora Bugarski
Don’t you agree that food is one of the main ingredients of any celebration?
It is certainly a basic need, but a great joy as well
Dejan Jovanovoć is a chef, has a vegan catering restaurant in Belgrade, and talks to EBC Balkans from his point of view about it.
An experiment with water
The Japanese conducted an experiment with water. They had three containers of water. Above one container, they played heavy metal music, above another they played classical music, and above the third, they played the sound of “OM.” In the first container, the water crystals were completely shattered. The crystals were beautifully arranged in the second container, where classical music was played, as if someone was assembling a puzzle, creating a harmonious, beautiful image. In the third container, where the sound of “om” was played, the arrangement of the crystals was perfect, like a beautiful picture painted by someone.
Our body is over 80% water. When we consume food, it has a certain energy, and our water reacts to it. It is said that water shapes our thoughts. Imagine what happens when you consume food prepared with love or food made with frustration, and you bring that into your body. The body is like a machine—how does a car perform when you use cheap fuel that has been smuggled across the border with a lot of water in it, versus using high-quality fuel? Our body will not react properly to something of poor quality.
Similarly, with food, when we draw a line under everything that stands behind the entire meat production industry and all the energy that goes into it if we consume that food, our body will react accordingly.
Celebration of life
The first thing I discovered when I was in India in 2007 was that food there represents joy, it represents a festival. Because when people eat, they gather around the food, exchange emotions, and the family becomes closer. It’s a time when during the day, you work and don’t have time to be with your family, but in the evening, when everyone is together, they share what happened during the day, and in that way, they bond. This no longer exists today because people no longer have time for it, and they consume food that doesn’t have the energy of love, but the energy of frustration.
It is said that when you kill an animal, all the pain it experiences during that time is released through its blood into the muscles. When you eat that food, you take in the energy that the animal expressed. You can imagine how the animal feels at the moment it is being killed.
In the Western world
Today, veganism has started to become a trend, which has its positive side as well. The basic principles of nutrition have been completely sidelined because this way of life has imposed a different priority: people are chasing money, not themselves, and this is a big problem.
Food is no longer something that helps us become healthy, but rather something we rely on just to survive, even at the cost of our health. People, in their pursuit of money, eat whatever they can, and fast food has become very popular but is of very low quality. It is not made in a healthy way and provides no nutritional value for our body to thrive. It’s known that when a person is not healthy, they cannot make good decisions.
In all spiritual paths, when a person wants clearer thoughts and to make concrete and important decisions in life, they are recommended to eat light food, or to fast, which is no coincidence, because that is when the mind is the clearest.
Ecology factor
As for ecology, in order to build a slaughterhouse, a large number of animals that suffer are needed. Secondly, these animals must be fed a large amount of food, which has to be produced somewhere, meaning that a forest must be cleared to grow food for these animals. That food, since people want to get as much quantity as possible rather than quality, is sprayed with various pesticides and poisons so that the animals consuming it can be fattened up and produce a larger quantity of food to sell to people. In this way, no balance is created between nature and humans; instead, nature suffers and is destroyed to produce food that brings no good to people, but rather harm. People are getting sicker, life expectancy is shorter, and people are suffering more.
The food we consume should bring happiness and satisfaction; if that is missing, what is the purpose of life?
My personal opinion is that veganism is one of the solutions for preserving our environment because behind all of this stands the industry focused on money production. They don’t care whether you will have forests that produce oxygen, or green spaces where you can take your family and be happy together, socializing. They only see their own benefit, so that one day you will have a piece of meat on your plate, behind which lies a mountain of suffering.
The personal fight between the stomach and the heart
In my case, it came naturally…
First, I didn’t finish cooking school, I’m not a professional chef; I trained as a metal machinist. Later, I had my own sculpting studio and saw myself as someone who would pursue art. However, by coincidence, 25 years ago I became a vegetarian. At that time, vegetarianism was quite unknown and unsupported by society on one hand. On the other hand, I didn’t have any source where I could learn how to cook. At that time, there was no YouTube, you couldn’t just download recipes, and computers were not something that was as accessible to me at that moment. So, by chance, I had to learn how to cook in order to eat something that was tasty, so I wouldn’t be frustrated for a year and then give up because I didn’t like the taste.
I am a foodie, originally from Smederevo, and my father had a small household. We had our own garden where we grew everything, including pigs, ducks, chickens, etc. So, we mostly didn’t buy food. But honestly, I was a witness to those killings. I used to be a big meat-eater, I must admit, and I loved eating meat. However, that constant struggle between my stomach and my heart was always there, and of course, my heart won because I didn’t want to participate in the violence I had witnessed.
It is difficult to see an animal being brought a knife and killed, the fear it shows, and the sorrow at the same time, only for it to end up on my plate, where I will enjoy it for just three minutes.
A sincere desire opens many doors to hidden talents
When I started with a vegetarian diet, I didn’t have much information, no support, or anyone to back me up. I knew many people who thought similarly, but none of them fully embraced the path. At that time, I was listening to hardcore punk, which was a subculture that promoted vegetarianism, and a lot of people started thinking about it, but no one actually lived it. At one point, I just had to cut through it, but I didn’t know what to eat. For the first seven days, I only ate bread and Eurocrem (a sweet chocolate spread). But the desire was strong, and somehow, everything opened up after that. When a person decides with their whole being to move toward something, paths open up for them if they are sincere about it. I somehow became a vegetarian, and that’s when my interest in cooking began.
First, doors opened for information, then I met people who think the same way, and who live that way. I even met activists who fought for vegetarianism and animal protection. I visited various vegetarian camps, and that’s where my love for cooking began to develop. As I learned, my talent for it started to emerge. It wasn’t cooking because I had to, but because I loved it, especially when you have teachers by your side, people who have truly discovered all the secrets, beauties, and flavors of vegetarianism. Then, I naturally began to lean more toward it, started educating myself on how to become a good cook, and eventually how I could create courses to educate other people.
The turning point came when I returned from India in 2008. At that time, I got a job at the first vegetarian restaurant in Belgrade, called Everest, located in Dorćol. I became a cook at the restaurant and later the head chef. That’s when huge doors opened for me. A few years later, I started my own catering business, and that’s how I’ve been operating until today. This is my path for now; we’ll see what happens next, as life is unpredictable.
There’s a common misconception that vegan food is much more expensive than conventional food.
People are afraid they’ll go hungry if they stop eating meat. I have many friends and relatives who think this way, but it’s completely untrue. I could professionally tell you everything in grams.
The truth in every gram of food
To make a complete daily meal, where you have soup, a main grain dish like rice or some type of bread, a salad, and even a dessert or pastry, the meal for one person would be about 600 grams and would cost around 150 dinars (approximately 1.5 euros). For 150 dinars, you can’t even buy a piece of meat—just the meat itself, without even considering the vegetables, sauces, or salads on the side. I often visit markets because it’s part of my job, and for 1000 dinars (10e), you can fill up a basket and generously feed a family of 5 to 6 people.
What can you buy for 1000 dinars if you go to a restaurant where meat is sold or if you go to buy it? One kilogram of meat costs 1000 dinars—how many people can eat from one kilogram of meat? And that’s not even considering the sides. It’s a matter of calculation in terms of how much a person is willing to invest to make something of good quality. Fear is what stops people from moving in that direction. I know I personally hesitated for about a year before becoming a vegetarian, mostly because of that fear—how will I live, what will I eat, where will I buy everything, and so on.
However, today it’s all widely available. You can find spices everywhere, and there are even vegan options in large supermarkets that recognize this trend. The only problem is that the industry dictates and imposes the idea that vegan food is expensive. If you want to buy something vegan in a big supermarket, it is indeed pricey. But if you make it yourself, it’s not expensive at all. It’s similar to how organic food was once just considered normal—nobody thought about pesticides and the chemicals used to spray food. However, people recognized that it’s all part of the industry, and then they created GM (genetically modified) food because GM food is cheap. What was once normal for us is now sold to us four times more expensive. And then people are under the illusion that organic food is very expensive. It’s expensive because the industry tells you how to think. If you start thinking for yourself, like some people who moved to the countryside, created their own garden, and grow organic food, it’s actually not expensive for them at all. It’s just a matter of how much time a person is willing to dedicate to themselves.
The development of plant-based nutrition in the future is promising.
In a way, it’s an advantage to live in Serbia, where many people observe fasting, which is mostly a plant-based diet. However, on the other hand, we are lagging behind Europe, where these doors have long been open, and people recognize ecology and a lifestyle that includes well-known musicians, athletes, and figures from the world of culture and art who are vegetarians and openly promote it. Here, people have started to embrace vegetarianism, thanks in part to Djokovic, and even veganism is gaining traction.
Whenever great people say something, many smaller people follow them—that’s a fact proven throughout history. In the world, there are already vegan markets where you can buy everything from artificial vegan meats to cheeses, spices, and sauces. In Serbia, people still eat a lot of meat. Fortunately, younger generations don’t think the same way; they are much more open to healthier lifestyles, so this is slowly being implemented here, although very slowly.
Self-control and balance
Whatever you do in life, there must be control. As a chef, I have that problem because I love to eat and often lose control, which leads to weight gain. People sometimes don’t believe I’m vegan because of that.
Veganism is very good if it’s practiced properly, but on the other hand, it can also go to extremes.
I follow many vegan groups, and I see that many people eat unhealthily because they’re trying to replicate the “meaty” taste to replace the satisfaction they once had. For example, seitan is commonly used among vegans, and it’s pure gluten. All vegan sausages, salamis, and similar products are made from seitan, which can be an extreme approach since gluten is not considered healthy. That’s why a balance needs to be created—ensuring enough fruits and vegetables are included in the diet, alongside other plant-based options.
The emphasis is often placed on non-violence, but it can go to the extreme, leading to unhealthy living, which is not a good example for people who want to become vegetarians. Sometimes, people who eat meat actually have a healthier diet than those who don’t, because the latter may eat unhealthily just to satisfy their taste buds, without considering the well-being of their body.
I recommend that everyone eat plant-based food at least a few days a week, incorporate more vegetables and fruits into their diet, and notice how much lighter they feel and how much clearer their minds become. Amid all the external pressures we face, we don’t need anything to weigh us down from the inside as well. Let’s keep in mind that the food we consume affects our mental state, and why not make it easier for ourselves and change our lives for the better?
