You can sustain a vegan lifestyle on a budget in crazy, rich Singapore, according to this home-based vegan chef and thought leader.
Rubini Lechemanam
“When you align your beliefs to your choices, your sheer will-power will enable you to get affordable options.”
A general perception of veganism in Singapore and around the world is that it is an elitist lifestyle that only the privileged can afford. But home-based vegan chef and owner of Bunny Bakery and Catering, Rubini Lechemanam, begs to differ.
In a country where wedding bills can easily add up to a six-figure sum, Rubini has managed to keep her traditional Hindu wedding to below S$10,000 with all necessary rituals in place, cheaper than most Hindu weddings where brides adorn silk sarees, considered cruel as it as silkworms are killed unethically to harvest silk from their cocoons.
“Having been a vegan for over 5 years, I have observed how people use cheaper costs to justify animal exploitation. I am living paycheck to paycheck. I take a bus to work. I shop at thrift stores most of the time, and I can still sustain a vegan lifestyle. It's actually easier to be a vegan than to be a non-vegan. Fresh vegetables and fruits are cheaper than meat to begin with. Cotton clothes are also cheaper than silk,” says the 33-year old vegan thought leader with an active social media presence.
Suffice to say, premium mock meats like Impossible Meats and readily available ready meals at convenience stores are priced higher than their animal-based counterparts. Despite being low-cost, vegetables and starches do require time and money to maintain and utilise. This is, however, not an excuse for Rubini.
“When you align your beliefs to your choices, your sheer will-power will enable you to get affordable options,” she continues.
Rubini has successfully battled societal and religious intolerance toward veganism to change perceptions. She had received comments that it was impossible to conduct Hindu rituals without animal products such as ghee and cow’s milk. According to her, Ahimsa, which involves being against any form of abuse and torture, is also a Hindu concept and in line with veganism.
“As long as you are standing up for something right, you will face oppression. Cows were treated like a member of the family in ancient India and were not exploited. It’s no longer the same. It’s no secret what happens to cows in the dairy industry, factory farming and animal agriculture today. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to deviate from century-long traditions and evolve our practices and mindsets to distinguish right from wrong.”
In her recent celebrations for the ethnic festival, Deepavali, Rubini veganised traditionally non-vegan products such as murukku and cookies which do not necessarily require butter or ghee in them. When she set up home-based Bunny bakery and catering, she took on the challenge to veganise a popular local dish, mamak maggi goreng with egg complete with a vegan egg yolk. She successfully conquered the mission as her signature dish took the vegan scene locally by storm. Most local vegans who initially did not believe that a dish heavily utilizing animal products can be veganised completely from sight to taste to texture changed their minds!
Today, Rubini is a busy home-based cook juggling a full-time human resources job. She credits her mother Saraswathy, a long-time food industry veteran who also currently runs an affordable whole-foods plant-based Indian home-based meal catering, Saiappa’s Vegan Kitchen, for inspiring her to start experimenting with cooking from the very beginning.
She is also an ardent animal activist who supports charities for rescued rabbits, being a fur-mom to two rescued rabbits, that she named Bunny Bakering after.
Rubini Lechemanam, with her husband Kabillan Balasupramaniam, at their wedding
