Alfalfa sprouts became popular in the early ‘70s as a good health food. In the tropical climate of Hawaii, salads are also very light and refreshing. So we had begun offering and eating salads made with such sprouts, but there was some controversy over this.
Some devotees felt we were killing them with our chewing process, and it may not be a good thing. Others said, “Well, we ARE offering them, and we are also killing carrots and other root vegetables, like potatoes and beets, when we harvest them.”
So, in order to get to the truth of the matter, we decided to make a very nice sprout salad and offer it to Gour Nitai, then serve it to Srila Prabhupada. I made a very tasty salad, with lettuce, ripe avocado, tomatoes, then topped with a large serving of alfalfa sprouts. I bowed down and offered the salad at the Gour Nitai altar, along with Srila Prabhupada’s lunch, and then served it to him. He ate his lunch on his desk, which was opposite our makeshift Gour Nitai altar. Then I waited to see his reaction, and thus get any instruction from Srila Prabhupada on this sprouts issue.
Srila Prabhupada ate his usual lunch of dahl, chapatis, rice, and three subjis, and also ate most of the avodado-alfalfa sprout salad. Later, I asked him about the salad, and he told me it was quite tasty, and there was no problem in offering such salads, “living foods,” to the Lord. So my query was answered, and the sprouts controversy settled.
I later asked him if he would like to have a similar salad for tomorrow’s lunch. Srila Prabhupada smiled, and nodded from side to side, but declined. He said, “That’s all right.”
This meant, of course, “it was good, but not for every day.” Srila Prabhupada never ate so many salads; he much preferred a menu of dahl, rice, chapatis, and subji. But at least we now knew that sprouts are fine to offer and to eat. And Nanda Kumar’s excellent dahl, chapatis, and subji continued to be his favored cuisine. Srila Prabhupada often commented on what a good cook Nanda Kumar had become.
Some devotees felt we were killing them with our chewing process, and it may not be a good thing. Others said, “Well, we ARE offering them, and we are also killing carrots and other root vegetables, like potatoes and beets, when we harvest them.”
So, in order to get to the truth of the matter, we decided to make a very nice sprout salad and offer it to Gour Nitai, then serve it to Srila Prabhupada. I made a very tasty salad, with lettuce, ripe avocado, tomatoes, then topped with a large serving of alfalfa sprouts. I bowed down and offered the salad at the Gour Nitai altar, along with Srila Prabhupada’s lunch, and then served it to him. He ate his lunch on his desk, which was opposite our makeshift Gour Nitai altar. Then I waited to see his reaction, and thus get any instruction from Srila Prabhupada on this sprouts issue.
Srila Prabhupada ate his usual lunch of dahl, chapatis, rice, and three subjis, and also ate most of the avodado-alfalfa sprout salad. Later, I asked him about the salad, and he told me it was quite tasty, and there was no problem in offering such salads, “living foods,” to the Lord. So my query was answered, and the sprouts controversy settled.
I later asked him if he would like to have a similar salad for tomorrow’s lunch. Srila Prabhupada smiled, and nodded from side to side, but declined. He said, “That’s all right.”
This meant, of course, “it was good, but not for every day.” Srila Prabhupada never ate so many salads; he much preferred a menu of dahl, rice, chapatis, and subji. But at least we now knew that sprouts are fine to offer and to eat. And Nanda Kumar’s excellent dahl, chapatis, and subji continued to be his favored cuisine. Srila Prabhupada often commented on what a good cook Nanda Kumar had become.