Written By Andrew Corless
When I first came to China, I was surprisingly optimistic about finding ample amounts of food to support my vegetarian diet….I WAS WRONG. Sure, there are a lot of vegetables used in Chinese cuisine; however, 9 out of 10 times they are accompanied by a sprinkling of some kind of meat…EVEN IF IT DOESN’T SAY SO ON THE MENU.
So, what to do when you can’t get your point across in a restaurant and you don’t speak enough Chinese to string a sentence together? Go to McDonalds (they have a picture menu for foreigners). At least that’s what I did, and yes the only available option is French fries but when you are on the verge of malnutrition, standards go out of the window.
So there I am, a vegetarian in China, living off McDonalds. It doesn’t do much for the stereotype now does it? Chinese people think that foreigners LOVE McDonalds but in actual fact I HATE the place, before China I hadn’t eaten McDonalds since I was about 12, I’m 26 now.
Thankfully, this diet plan was temporary; I soon became accustomed with the culture, learned more of the language and came across several amazing restaurants that cater specifically for vegetarians…PHEW!
So I had found places to eat, the next thing was to find some friends to go with me. This is a challenge as Chinese people LOVE meat with every meal, in fact not eating meat can actually cast you out from your friends. Food and more specifically having dinner together is a major part of Chinese culture and if you don’t eat meat, meal times can be very awkward and a tad embarrassing.
Firstly, when you say you don’t eat meat, it’s almost like telling your traditional grandparents that you are gay, at first they pretend not to hear it, after a while they acknowledge it but consider it as a phase and finally when you still persist, they introduce you to potential girlfriends to alleviate the problem. Being a vegetarian here is very much like this, ‘I don’t eat meat’ is met with responses like ‘but you eat pork’ or ‘but you eat chicken’ or ‘oh well this dish only has a little meat’ and just when you think you have finally gotten your point across you are presented with a dish with meat hidden inside it; the response of the server? ‘You should try it, it’s a local specialty, and it’s not like other meat’…..But stay calm, there are places where you can meet other like minded people, all you have to do is visit one of the many temples and befriend a monk, failing this there are numerous vegetarian societies online (usually run by foreigners).
To get you started on your quest for vegetarian food, there is a fantastic vegetarian restaurant near the Guangzhou east railway station called 怡新素食(Refreshing Vegetarian Food). I went there last week and took along two heavy meat eaters to see if I could enlighten them. I couldn’t, but they said it was good!
The restaurant is run by Chinese people which is interesting as I’ve never met a Chinese vegetarian before. Because of this, I decided to have a quick chat with the manager Miss Chai to see what she thought about vegetarian living in China:
Hello, nice to meet you. How long have you run this restaurant for?
Almost 5 years
Are there many vegetarians in Guangzhou?
A lot of local people here are actually vegetarian and they eat here everyday.
Are all of your staff vegetarian?
We don’t force them to be vegetarians, however after several years of working here I believe they will be influenced.
Do you think that the vegetarian diet has many health benefits?
Yes.
Do many foreigners come here?
Lots of Indian people come here.
Do people ever come here accidentally and order meat?
Yes (laughter) however when they receive their food they often think it tastes like meat and comment on how great it is. Those people come again.
Do you think that in the future more and more people in China will become vegetarian?
Yes. Last year there were only 20 vegetarian restaurants in Guangzhou now there are 45.
Do you often try to persuade people to follow a vegetarian diet?
Yes, family and friends. I try to make them aware of the diseases associated with eating meat, also when we go for dinner together, I will always take them to a vegetarian restaurant.
What is your favourite vegetable?
Tofu, because it is the most nutritious.
Have you always been vegetarian?
No, I have been a vegetarian since 2001.
Wow, I was surprised to hear that so many Guangzhou locals are in fact vegetarians, there is definitely hope for the Chinese veggie yet! Realistically though, being a Chinese vegetarian in China has to be much easier than being a foreign vegetarian in China. So, until you have mastered the Chinese lingo, there is always McDonalds.
Address: 林和西路161号中泰国际广场4楼 广州火车东站B出口
161 Linhexi Lu, 4thFloor, next to Guangzhou east railway station.
Want to see more and experience more? please visit:http://www.beingfunchina.com/magazine/the-getgo-vol-13/now!
