My dad has been a vegan for 30 years in China, and he has no problem finding delicious vegan food, even when we travel to small towns. But two years ago he visited me in US and we went on road trips to several national parks, he can’t find anything other than salad... we eventually ended up packing his food in advance, and I brought inductive pot with us to cook for him, like noodles, instant rice bowl, fresh vegetable. I would say China actually has much more vegan dishes, but they never advertise them as vegan food.
Depends where you are. 10 years ago I had to go to Ohio on business and honestly despite not being vegan I could not get a fresh fruit side to go with my steak and potatoes.
What’s wrong with salad? I love my salad and there are different varieties of salad. Probably not as flavorful since there aren’t many seasoning but salad can be awesome.
@@jkjkjk100 yes salad's awesome once in a while, but after you have tried so many delicious foods in China it's hard to stick to just salad cuz you know there are so many amazing vegan options there.
there are more than a dozen common types you can easily in mostly every hot pot restaurants, if you go to Yunnan, there would be even more. beside mushrooms, there are at least 15 different green veges you can get from market in southern China as well. not to mention the ways of cooking them.
My biggest mistake as a vegetarian in China happened the first two weeks I got here. Went to the small canteen at my uni, and couldn't explain myself, so I pointed to the dishes. Ate a dark brown tofu almost everyday, it wasn't very tasty, but I couldn't see any meat in it. Until my friend kindly explained that it wasn't tofu, it was duck blood pieces, I guess you could call it duck blood tofu. Didn't try it again haha. And btw, Oatly is Swedish (I'm so proud haha). The one with chocolate flavour is AMAZING.
I remember when I was young, a relative of mine (she helped that temple to get funding for renovation) and a master monk invited us to have a private lunch inside a temple. Everything was so delicious, I couldn't tell the differences between the vegetarian version and the original version of the dish.
Blondie, great info for our plant-based learners hoping to thrive in China when they come to visit. We'll be forwarding this along to them for sure. Thanks for making China easier to navigate for our students :) As always we are here to help anyone that wants online Chinese lessons. Best wishes!
It's definitely a lot easier to be a vegan in China than it is in the West. Mock meats (aka seitan) made out of soy, wheat gluten etc. were invented in China hundreds if not thousands of years ago, that is true. In Chinese we call this 斋料. One of my favourite snacks or toppings is fried beancurd skin and it is so fragrant. I live in a country with a huge overseas Chinese diaspora and one of my favourite breakfast meals is fried vegan rice vermicelli (斋米粉) even though I'm not vegan. Mantou (馒头) might look unappealing but I find that it is naturally sweet and good on its own
Yaaaaas! I was hoping you would include the sweet potato carts, those are my favorite! They can be hard to find, but there is a permanent one at a market on the campus where I teach. Also, on a side note, thank you for always including the pinyin and characters for specific words, dishes, and places you mention in your videos. It helps a lot for learning new words or if I want to look something up to try myself!
Eliot has such a deep understanding of Chinese society I mean, even deeper than some Chinese citizens. I am truly impressed. And the way he just naturally slide the conversation into philosophy LOL that's sooo funny. I hope he got his PhD by now, he truly deserves it.
it's also common for Chinese chef to use 鸡粉 chicken powder/ 鸡精chicken essence/ and or Meat extract (鸡粉) as a seasoning. So you would also want to specify replace it will good old msg or vegetable essence. Another common seasoning is the oyster sauce that you would also make a note of.
I remembered watching a Chinese documentary style RU-vid video who deep dived the history of msg in China, and to my surprise, the yellowish granulated chicken powder, is actually not made from chicken. It's rather a more potent form of MSG with 10times the umami of the regular msg. You should check that out and maybe vegan can stop being afraid of "chicken" powder. It's a marketing stunt because traditionally, meat is only eaten regularly by the rich in China so attaching "chicken" to it makes it sell better. I'm refering to 鸡精to be specific. Does not include chicken stock and oyster sauce which contain real animal extract
Hi Amy, thanks so much for uploading this video. Been your follower and as a vegan myself, it's really great to watch your last two videos. Well done! P.s. the chewy stuff in the sweet and sour dish is made with either gluten or bean curd skin. Chinese Buddhist monks have been using it since ancient time to replace meat. Back when I travelled to China 9 years ago, my favorite dishes were something with mushrooms, tofu, and eggplant. Whereas gluten, I would say it could be a hit and miss. Need to know how to cook it well. In my opinion, the sweet and sour you ordered probably isn't ...
The fake meat is definitely made from soy beans. They just put some kinds of seasoning or spice to make it taste like 'meat'. They won't have any actual meat product in the temples.
Hey Amy, a tip for you, a popular beverage “露露” which usually sold in blue metal cans are the ALMOND MILK you are looking for. The brand didn’t label itself almond milk very obviously and many people don’t notice it is almond milk either, but it won’t change the fact that it’s an absolutely great product, it has been on the market for decades long and filled through my childhood family feasts. Recently they also introduced None-sugar version, taste just like the old one, I love it and this is not a paid ad...
I loved the vegetarian video and didn't expect this video honestly since a lot of people don't distinguish between vegetarians and vegans (at least in my experience in the US) but it is a welcome thing. Never commented but I just love the positivity that you showcase in your videos and showcasing the "good side" of China and the many different aspects of their culture which is not seen very often in the rest of the western world.
It's quite common to use lard or other animal fat to stir fry in many restaurants. And lard is also commonly used in traditional Chinese cakes like the mooncake or zongzi dumpling. Be sure to avoid them or specifically point it out when eating in a restaurant if you are a vegan.
I'm like binging all of your videos since I just stumbled upon your great channel. Thank you for uploading your Chinese experience to food and culture. Keep spreading the love!
Thanks a lot for your advices in Chinese. I am in China for two years and for one year I am a vegan 🌱 I found it quite difficult at the beginning, but now I realize that is very cheap and healthy, especially in China 🇨🇳 the meat 🥩 here is so bad for me
You're video's are great! And you yourself are such a vibrant and warm human being!! It is such a pleasure to watch you present your content! Love you, girl!✨🙏✨
Amy love this! Im not a vegan but I appreciate all kinds of experiments and people, when i did a vegan for a day episode i felt so clean, its actually amazing to sometime Change your diet just to creat a healthy lifestyle! Hope me and helmi can meet you in china or wherver one day! To my fellow Aussie oi oi oi 🙌😬
In China, you probably need to go to one of those buddhist restaurant if you are very strict, because in most restaurants the cooks use lard to cook vegetarian dishes.
Loveee this video, i had such a blast traveling china as a vegan, always an adventure finding food and never went hungry. Please feature Elliott in more videos too, woof! ;)
Sometimes veggie baozi is not pure veggi, they may add egg to the flour to increase texture, and add pork fat in the fillings to enhance flavor. Veggie dishes may also have pork fat.
A lot of restaurants in China use lard instead of oil and beef stock instead of water in their dishes. This is especially true in vegetable dishes in order to add more flavour. Just be mindful of that if you’re vegan/vegetarian
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re also interested in trying a more plant-based here in China. The prospects seemed too daunting at first but we’re managing
Buddhist vegetarian foods do not use the 5 “pungent” ingredients onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks. That’s the difference between eating Zai and Shu ... you can go figure out which is which
Just found out that I didn't subscribed to your channel. I was like " How's that even possible?I've watched all her videos and loved all of them." Then I hurried up and immediately hit the subscribe button! You make the best videos about Chinese culture, food, and landscape. My boyfriend was fascinated by your videos, and now he can't wait to visit China!
I agree with Elliot, there no concept like "vegan", this is a modern concept/label created in the West environment as an identity marker, while in China is just an option of eating everything, or not eat certain things...there's no necessary link with a personal identity or philosophy...
The temple food is actually REALLY amazing when I was young I went there with my family every month. they are also very very cheap, around 5 - 12 RMB for one big bowl which full of vegs.
caution: mantou in guangdong province usually contains milk. btw, i also confuse normal veganism with some religions followers and thought vegan people don't eat root veggies, chillies, garlic etc... and your friend is cute
Thanks for the caution about the mantou. Western veganism is different from what you described because vegans don't eat anything made, or created from animals like meat, eggs, dairy but will eat everything else. What you describe is what westerners call Jain vegetarianism. Jains don't eat anything that comes from animals, like vegans, but also do not eat any underground vegetables like you described. I hope that helps :)
One thing that Vegan really has to notice is the use of Lard in Chinese cuisine, basically pork fat oil. A lot of Chinese cuisines might use lard oil instead of peanut oil, which is also non-vegan. Make sure to tell the restaurant that please do not use lard. In Chinese , it's ZHU YOU or NIU YOU (Pork lard or beef lard 豬油,牛油。)
Restaurants may use lard/butter when they cook vegetables. That makes the dish much more delicious. If you want strict vegan food, you need to tell them or just go to a vegan restaurant.
These videos are actually so helpful. I’ve been looking into traveling to different Asian countries, from Lebanon to Japan, for a while now but I figure it is going to be difficult as a vegan with celiac disease. This video at least gives me an idea about the “vegetable culture” if you will of China
so glad it could be useful for you!!! Celiac is a challenge in itself, and probably even more challenging that being vegan in China, but I've had friends who are celiac live in china and they have managed!
Wow I can’t believe I found this video. This is amazing. I grew up in China and didn’t even know it’s possible to live in China as a vegan. These days i constant stress about how I’m going to eat the next time I go to China, so this video is super helpful! Thank you for making this.
i like your videos so much. when i open my pencil in the daily morning, i will see your latest videos. even if i have seen them, i will review them again. because i can learn authentic english. thanks for you again! good pronounce and proper chinese subtitle. i improve my english quickly. i really appreciate it.
17:34 my favorite green vegetable is 油麦菜, second is 莴笋, and 生菜 is fine to me, but when i tried to translate them into english, they all turned out to be “Lettuce”, actually they do have some subtle differences to each other😂
The type of vegetarian you were referring to is lacto ovo (no meat, fish, poultry), but allow eggs and dairy. In North America we also consider that a vegetarian diet. I know someone who is vegetarian (not vegan), but she will still have foods made with fish sauce or animal broths.
OMG! You are in Wuhan again! I am in Huazhong University of Science and Technology. If you want to visit HUST, I hope to be the tourist guide! Because I was born, raised and live here for 31 years!
In fact, there are many vegetarian restaurants in China called "雨花斋", like McDonald's nationwide chain in USA . These restaurants offer free vegetarian food for everyone . All the ingredients are donated by people. Volunteers provide labor for free.
I would love to see a video about being less wasteful in china ! in my opinion, there is so much plastic and trash and waste in China, which is really tough given the large population so would you be able to try a waste free challenge ?
How is it for gluten free? I’m half Chinese half white British and home made Oriental food is fine. However, I worry about eating out in China and getting products from 7-11/supermarkets. I imagine it’s more difficult than veganism. I miss baos and soy sauce.
tanly1234 hahaha for me they take some getting used to. I’ll always be a salt and vinegar girl! Unfortunately I can’t find those anywhere in China! Only international supermarkets
@@BlondieinChina have you tried the lime flavor? It's not entirely the same, but has a similar tart flavor you might like. Salt and vinegar is my favorite back home too, but in China the "chicken and Mexican tomato" is my favorite.
Enjoyed your video! I used to live in Hangzhou and at the time I wasn’t vegan, but started now this past year. Definitely inspires me to try all the great vegan food there is in China next time I go back! Thanks again for the informative & fun video!
@@daneegee8146 - good for you. You murder them yourself or have somebody else do the wet work for you? I simply prefer my nutrients not to be second hand.
Ahh your videos make me want to go back to china as well! SO much delicious food!! I was Vegetarian on my student exchange in china but now I am Vegan and there are still so many delicious foods out there to try! We also went to a temple during the exchange and it was amazing best food I've had in my life! 1000 years of vegan culture, they know what they are doing :DD
actually in chinese, vegetarian is vegan and if you want milk or egg or any by products, there is another name of that such as蛋奶素lacto-ovo vegetarian and vegan diet is not strange in chinese culture....probably until recently all kida tofu....even when its stink, people still consider that as a delicacy
斋Buddhist vegetarian has lost its core meaning in many of those Buddhist food places. Purpose of vegan culture in Buddhism was to separate the low level pleasure of the body to enlighten the spirit. That's why those food will not include ingredients that's very sitmulating, like garlic and green onion, the spices that were widely available when the practice began. Although you still won't find garlic in these food places, there are plenty of spices uses that they didn't know about in the past. Excuse is that it was never outright mentioned to be forbidden. Anyways still makes for a very delicious meal for any vegans in China, bon appétit. Much safer to say 吃素 then you don't eat meat. Most people won't put animal fat or garnishment meat in your dish if they know you 吃素。
I recommend you to go to visit 灵山大佛 in Wuxi. It is like a very very big Buddhism theme park. And it has some very tasty vegetarian buffets there. Also the architectures in it are magnificent.
(not trying to start a flame war here) Funnily all my life i was thinking & believing that being a vegan is "asian stuff" (esp in "greater" China & India) since ... ancient times hahaha...
Hi! Would it be possible to please share the sentences (pinyin) you used when confirming if the dish is veggie and there's nothing meat related inside? At 11:45 ... and if you could tell us what you wrote on the food delivery app to ensure there's no animal fat in the mapo tofu, that would be amazing! Thank you soo much. This video has been such a help for me
There used to have an stupid young guy asking me prideful: so are there any vegan people in China ? I told him I have no idea Becuz I’m not !but there hasn’t many vegan restaurants in China (cuz if you wanna be vegan just tell the restaurant you don’t eat meat and dairy...I didn’t tell this phrase to him ) Then that stupid guy gave me a despising face to me ....he is from Australia as well But I’m happy that there have still people who have common sense to the real world as you do ! Thank you for this video
@@ravik007ggn if you can make a choice why perpetuate unnecessary suffering. Try not cooking the meat, will you still eat it? Strength, do you see buffalo, hippos, elephants eating meat.
@@chow729 Its all about one's nature. Some animals make meat meat, other don't. I stopped eating meat when I was kid. It doesn't mean I have to go out and force my beliefs on others..
@@ravik007ggn if you saw some body get pick on because what ever reason, beliefs, ethnicity, looks you won't step in. Sitting back and thinking its not my responsibility is no different to socially validating the act.