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Vegetarian food and China
Hi
Am going to Beijing. Can anyone tell me how to ask for vegetarian food in China? What is the phrase to ensure I get pure vegetarian food, and not food prepared in meat stock, or food with pieces offish or poultry, or food where the meat has simply been removed before serving? If someone can also provide the chinese phrase in Chinese to explain this (I understand that if one states one is buddhist and vegetarian this concept is easier to explain) and even better provided ths chines phrase in Chinese, I will print it out to show to restaurant people when necessary. Thank you very much for your help with this. Cheers Ganesh |
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"ggg" wrote in message om... (Ganesh) wrote in message . com... Hi Am going to Beijing. Can anyone tell me how to ask for vegetarian food in China? What is the phrase to ensure I get pure vegetarian food, and not food prepared in meat stock, or food with pieces offish or poultry, or food where the meat has simply been removed before serving? If someone can also provide the chinese phrase in Chinese to explain this (I understand that if one states one is buddhist and vegetarian this concept is easier to explain) and even better provided ths chines phrase in Chinese, I will print it out to show to restaurant people when necessary. Thank you very much for your help with this. Cheers Ganesh vegetarian is pronounced something like tsai (sorry my pinyin sucks). I think bringing a bilingual menu from a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in your city alon is a good idea. Ask someone at the restaurant to circle the character for vegetarian and emphasize that that's what you want when you get to Beijing. The Chinese character "tsai" can mean either vegetable or dishes, and will most likely be taken as the latter in the context of a restaurant. Qualify it with the word "Su", meaning vegetarian, no meat. So just say "su tsai". |
"ggg" wrote in message om... (Ganesh) wrote in message . com... Hi Am going to Beijing. Can anyone tell me how to ask for vegetarian food in China? What is the phrase to ensure I get pure vegetarian food, and not food prepared in meat stock, or food with pieces offish or poultry, or food where the meat has simply been removed before serving? If someone can also provide the chinese phrase in Chinese to explain this (I understand that if one states one is buddhist and vegetarian this concept is easier to explain) and even better provided ths chines phrase in Chinese, I will print it out to show to restaurant people when necessary. Thank you very much for your help with this. Cheers Ganesh vegetarian is pronounced something like tsai (sorry my pinyin sucks). I think bringing a bilingual menu from a Chinese vegetarian restaurant in your city alon is a good idea. Ask someone at the restaurant to circle the character for vegetarian and emphasize that that's what you want when you get to Beijing. The Chinese character "tsai" can mean either vegetable or dishes, and will most likely be taken as the latter in the context of a restaurant. Qualify it with the word "Su", meaning vegetarian, no meat. So just say "su tsai". |
Hi
Thanks to all for your feedback. Much appreciated. I will tell you how I fare on my return on the 20th. Cheers Ganesh the dumb waiter wrote: (Ganesh) wrote in message . com... Hi Am going to Beijing. Can anyone tell me how to ask for vegetarian food in China? What is the phrase to ensure I get pure vegetarian food, and not food prepared in meat stock, or food with pieces offish or poultry, or food where the meat has simply been removed before serving? If someone can also provide the chinese phrase in Chinese to explain this (I understand that if one states one is buddhist and vegetarian this concept is easier to explain) and even better provided ths chines phrase in Chinese, I will print it out to show to restaurant people when necessary. Thank you very much for your help with this. Cheers Ganesh I am vegetarian ,I have just returned from my 3rd tour of China, and I would advise you not to waste your time trying to get pure vegetarian food in ordinary eating houses and cafes, all you will get are unappetizing concoctions of soggy vegetables, boiled rice or noodles, almost certainly cooked in the same pots and pans used for the dead-animal dishes, possibly even cooked in animal fat or a meat or fish based sauce. I have always travelled with Chinese speaking guides, and neither they nor I knew any magic phrases that in an ordinary eating place would get you what you want .Realistically, the only place you will get pure vegetarian food is at a vegetarian restaurant. Fortunately, Beijing is blessed with a number of fine vegetarian restaurants Take a look at: http://www.happycow.net/asia/china/beijing/ The Green Tianshi Restuarant is only a few yards from Wang Fujing Avenue http://www.beijingscene.com/v06i006/bites/bites.html I ate there during my visit, food was good , service courteous and polite ( unusual in China) , no English spoken but the menu was in English and Chinese with readable descriptions of the food , a trifle expensive by Chinese standards( 180-200RMB per person) but cheap to an Aussie like myself. I also went several times to the Gong De Lin Vegetarian restuarant, walking distance from Tiananmen and the Qian Men subway station. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...rant_beijing-i The usual offhand ,indifferent service that we regular visitors to China have come to know and love, but there is an English menu ,the food comes quickly,is delicious and cheap ( two of us ate for 80-140 RMb , depending on our hunger ) Vegetarianism is not,it seems , a popular or widespread practice in China , I found excellent vegetarian eating places in Beijing,Shanghai and Xiamen , but none at all in Hangzhou,Sanya or Guilin, where the concept was unkown outside the local temples. |
Although I am not strict vegetarian, I think I can give a hint.
I still remember reading in a guide that is rather hard to get really meatless food. The auhor mentioned that best way mightbe to tell the waiter that you are a buddhist and you cannot eat meat for this very reason. I don't know whether this works. You should definately try one of this doufu only restaurants. It really amazing what they serve. Cheers, Nils On 2004-11-29 10:38:55 +0100, (the dumb waiter) said: (Ganesh) wrote in message . com... Hi Am going to Beijing. Can anyone tell me how to ask for vegetarian food in China? What is the phrase to ensure I get pure vegetarian food, and not food prepared in meat stock, or food with pieces offish or poultry, or food where the meat has simply been removed before serving? If someone can also provide the chinese phrase in Chinese to explain this (I understand that if one states one is buddhist and vegetarian this concept is easier to explain) and even better provided ths chines phrase in Chinese, I will print it out to show to restaurant people when necessary. Thank you very much for your help with this. Cheers Ganesh I am vegetarian ,I have just returned from my 3rd tour of China, and I would advise you not to waste your time trying to get pure vegetarian food in ordinary eating houses and cafes, all you will get are unappetizing concoctions of soggy vegetables, boiled rice or noodles, almost certainly cooked in the same pots and pans used for the dead-animal dishes, possibly even cooked in animal fat or a meat or fish based sauce. I have always travelled with Chinese speaking guides, and neither they nor I knew any magic phrases that in an ordinary eating place would get you what you want .Realistically, the only place you will get pure vegetarian food is at a vegetarian restaurant. Fortunately, Beijing is blessed with a number of fine vegetarian restaurants Take a look at: http://www.happycow.net/asia/china/beijing/ The Green Tianshi Restuarant is only a few yards from Wang Fujing Avenue http://www.beijingscene.com/v06i006/bites/bites.html I ate there during my visit, food was good , service courteous and polite ( unusual in China) , no English spoken but the menu was in English and Chinese with readable descriptions of the food , a trifle expensive by Chinese standards( 180-200RMB per person) but cheap to an Aussie like myself. I also went several times to the Gong De Lin Vegetarian restuarant, walking distance from Tiananmen and the Qian Men subway station. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguid...rant_beijing-i The The usual offhand ,indifferent service that we regular visitors to China have come to know and love, but there is an English menu ,the food comes quickly,is delicious and cheap ( two of us ate for 80-140 RMb , depending on our hunger ) Vegetarianism is not,it seems , a popular or widespread practice in China , I found excellent vegetarian eating places in Beijing,Shanghai and Xiamen , but none at all in Hangzhou,Sanya or Guilin, where the concept was unkown outside the local temples. |
Thanks for the tip - I'll try this - hope they don't ask me to prove it
;-) Though being Hindu I should be able to wing it! :-) cheers |
Thanks for the tip - I'll try this - hope they don't ask me to prove it
;-) Though being Hindu I should be able to wing it! :-) cheers |
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