Mallika Dua Sparks Debate Over Vegetarian Hospital Menus, Says 'Dal Soup Is Curing Nobody': Internet Trolls Her
· Free Press Journal
A hospital stay can come with its own set of frustrations, from long waiting hours to navigating meals that may not match what a patient expects. Mallika Dua recently took one such frustration to social media, and her blunt take on vegetarian hospital menus quickly opened up a larger conversation online.
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Mallika Dua questions vegetarian hospital menus
On September 17, Mallika shared a picture of herself resting in a hospital bed and used the post to question why some hospitals maintain strictly vegetarian food menus.
Recalling an experience at Hinduja Hospital, she said she had once asked for paya soup but was offered dal soup instead because, as she was told, “we are a vegetarian hospital.”
Taking her criticism further, Mallika wrote, “Also, WTF is a 'vegetarian hospital'. Completely ridiculous and irresponsible concept. I remember asking about paya soup at Hinduja Hospital once, only to be offered dal ka soup because we are a vegetarian hospital. As if there’s any nutritional comparison between dal ka soup and paya soup.”
She also mentioned Fortis while questioning whether hospitals should base their food policies around such preferences.
Mallika continued her post with another pointed observation: “How can you be a hospital and a vegetarian? Even Fortis. It's not a restaurant that you run based on religious sentiments. It's not a hospital for cattle. And dal soup is curing nobody of anything.”
She then shifted the focus beyond food, adding, “If only all this performative sensitivity were channelled towards bedside manners in doctors.”
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Mallika clarifies her point
Anticipating criticism, Mallika made it clear that her comments were not intended as a blanket criticism of doctors. She acknowledged that excellent doctors can coexist with shortcomings within healthcare systems.
She wrote, “There is a lack of non-vegetarian food and bedside manners in the best of hospitals. There are also incredible doctors who understand that healing and care are as important as treatment, and their speech and bedside manners reflect that. Contradictions can and do exist.”
She further asserted her right to speak about her experience as a patient, writing, “As a patient, I have the right to voice these observations. You don't live in my body or pay my bills.”
Mallika also referenced her ongoing treatment, adding, “Bass ek baar meri iron infusion complete ho jaye I will be invincible (Once my iron infusion is complete, I will be invincible). What is a vegetarian hospital? I thought education mattered in medicine,”
PETA Protesters Crash H&M's London Fashion Week Show Days After New York Runway ControversyInternet divided over her comments
Mallika's post soon became a debate, with social media users taking sharply different positions. Some argued that hospitals are healthcare facilities rather than restaurants and said vegetarian menus do not prevent patients from receiving essential nutrition.
Others defended plant-based diets and questioned why meat-based food should be expected in a hospital setting. One user wrote, “Scientifically, plant based diet is the healthiest diet, but people are not ready for this conversation...”
Another comment said, “Please leave ur dietary preferences at home ... the world is not concerned with how much you prefer killing animals for ur recovery & aspect the same from others.”
Some users also pushed back against making the discussion about religion, arguing that choosing not to consume animal products can be rooted in personal or moral values. Meanwhile, another commenter took a lighter view of the controversy, writing, “whoa an institution where people go for their health is serving you food meant to fuel that? that’s crazy”