Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With a long history of poverty and famine in China, eating meat is a sign of status and
symbolises health and wealth. Vegetables are often fried in animal-based oils, and soups
are most commonly made with chicken or beef stock. Saying you don't eat meat confuses
many Chinese, and trying to explain why you don't eat meat leads to even more head-
scratching.
However, in the major cities vegetarianism is slowly catching on and there are an in-
creasing number of vegetarian (
chīsùderén
) eateries, while many Buddhist temples also
have vegetarian restaurants. Nevertheless, vegetarian food consists often of 'mock meat'
dishes made from tofu, wheat gluten and vegetables. Some of the dishes are almost works
of art, with the ingredients sculpted to look like spare ribs or fried chicken and 'bones'
created from carrots and lotus roots.
Vegetables for sale at hútòng stall
ANDY LEONG PHOTOGRAPHY / GETTY IMAGES ©
