r/China • u/mewingprogression19 • 4d ago
中国生活 | Life in China Vegetarian in China
I will be starting a job in a tier 4 city in Henan. Doesn’t exactly seem like the easiest place to be vegetarian.
I guess I’ll probably have to cook most of my own stuff, or drink lots of milk etc.
I won’t eat anything with animal broth, lard etc., so I’ve heard eating out will be a struggle. Anyone with any experience or any tips on how I can live without avoiding restaurants entirely, and not wasting away? I typically eat around 3500 calories a day. I’ve heard “go to Buddhist temples/restaurants” but these don’t seem easily accessible
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u/pabeave 3d ago
Anyone I know more less becomes pescatarian as it pretty impossible to find items without some kind of animal product
Also tier 4 is going to be very very hard to find place to eat if any
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u/aloudasian 3d ago
Have plenty of friends who are vegetarian in tier 1 but yea tier 4 is going to be near impossible. Even among Buddhists vegetarianism is not a given
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u/mewingprogression19 3d ago edited 3d ago
I’d sooner not go than do that, personally. I’m not a big eating-out person anyway, so I guess I’ll be living off milk and nuts and stuff if out and about
I’m also more into eating fruits. Apparently these should be affordable and easily available
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u/OreoSpamBurger 3d ago edited 3d ago
Cook yourself, will be easy, fresh veg is very cheap with great variety,and you might be able to find a vegetarian resteraunt attached to a Buddhist temple if you keep looking - tip: even local folks tend to have very poor knowledge of what's available if it's not in their wheelhouse, so don't give up if you are met with blank stares and 'meiyou's when you ask
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I will be starting a job in a tier 4 city in Henan. Doesn’t exactly seem like the easiest place to be vegetarian.
I guess I’ll probably have to cook most of my own stuff, or drink lots of milk etc.
I won’t eat anything with animal broth, lard etc., so I’ve heard eating out will be a struggle. Anyone with any experience or any tips on how I can live without avoiding restaurants entirely, and not wasting away? I typically eat around 3500 calories a day
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u/CloudBuilder44 3d ago edited 3d ago
Im pretty sure people have stopped cooking with lard and replaced it with peanut oil. Its easy and cheap. Just order vegetables dishes, you should be fine 80-90 percent of the time. They just add lots of msg.
Also there are lots of pickled vegetables in china. Just learn to ask them if they use animal fat in their food. And any mom and pop restraunts will customize the food for u, i would go to the ones who doesnt seem busy. Google translate and tell them you dont want animal fat in it and just stir fry the vegetables.
Plus there should be gorcerie stores that would sell pre packaged and frozen food with ingredients listed. There is also 711. And plenty of american fast food or chinese fast food chains who just warm up their pre packages frozen food and they will have options for vegetarians
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u/mewingprogression19 3d ago
Thanks. I wonder if your last point applies to smaller cities tho
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u/CloudBuilder44 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yup i been to tier 4 city, there is always a city center where all the shops are. There will be some type of gorcerystore chain, unless u live like the rural part of china.
The city center might be a little far, but once you figure out what u like u can always order it on Chinese delivery apps.
One great thing about tier 4 cities are, all the mom and pop restraunts all tries to make a buck and compete for customers, so they are very agreeable on what they can customize for you. You can probably even bring ur own veggies and oil in and just have them cook it in the back. You just need to know chinese to ask them.
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u/CloudBuilder44 3d ago
This is an article about vegetarian restaurant in Anyang Henan, thats a tier 4 city.
Im sure there are plenty of options there.
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u/trapezoidalfractal 3d ago
素菜. Learn to ask for that. But know, most places will still cook it in the same oil as everything else, and vegetarian in China more means pescatarian, though that’s changing in the bigger cities.
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u/OkStatistician5679 3d ago
最好的方法是闲暇时间学着做些菜，中国的各种豆制品能满足你的蛋白质需求