Vegetarian Survival

Vegetarians have a tough life in Beijing's non-vegetarian restaurants. Chicken bullion granules or pork fat are thrown into many dishes as additional flavouring. During a recent meal, Time Out's reviewer watched a baozi maker use the same spoon for both the pork and vegetarian fillings. The two were stored side by side in the same container. Additionally, many Western restaurants in Beijing do not offer meat-free main dish options so a vegetarian has to suffice with starters or a mere plate of vegetables.

Strategies to cope at a non-vegetarian Chinese restaurant vary. Chris Barden, founder of the Beijing Vegan Society (see Debunking the Vegan Myth), tucks into the wide variety of tofu dishes but stresses to waiters that he doesn't eat meat and if a dish arrives at the table with meat, he's prepared to send it back. Vegetarians like Will Freeman, currently constructing www.beijingveg.com to help vegetarians explore Beijing, are less rigid. He accepts what is given to him despite requesting meat-free versions. Some vegetarians, when confronted with a waiter who doesn't understand the concept ‘I don't eat meat', say they are Buddhist. True or not, it helps bridge the communication hurdle.

　　History

Although Chinese vegetarianism is closely associated with Buddhism, it predates the religion's arrival in China. During the Zhou Dynasty (11BC to 221BC), rulers abstained from meat, alcohol and women before making sacrifices to the heavens or ancestors. The Northern Wei Emperor Xiao Yan (502-549AD) converted from Daoism to Buddhism and promoted a vegetarian diet for Buddhists. Towards the end of his reign, Jia Sixie wrote Essential Skills for the Daily Life of the People, considered China's first cookery book, which includes a chapter on vegetarian food. It wasn't until the end of the sixth Century that the first Sui Emperor, Wudi, a devout Buddhist, prohibited Buddhist monks and nuns from eating meat and drinking alcohol. This edict stimulated the development of Chinese vegetarian fare.

Traditional Buddhist vegetarian cuisine includes mock meats, made by stripping wheat flour to its underlying gluten, then transforming it into anything from Beijing roast duck to sea cucumbers. In addition to meat, pungent roots such as garlic, spring onions, leeks or chives are also forbidden because they supposedly induce lust. Most vegetarian restaurants in Beijing have spiced up their menus to include chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, while still offering kosher Buddhist fare.