Vegetarianism

Being a vegetarian AND barely being able to speak Chinese is not a good combination (great foresight, Pratik). Though I'm sure Shanghai is more vegetarian-friendly than much of rural China, it hasn't been easy to find new types of vegetarian food each day. I've found a few places that cater to vegetarians, but after three weeks, all the meals are starting to blend together.

If you started being a vegetarian in India, you probably wouldn't even notice the difference. All the flavor and spices that are put on meat are equally, if not more so, applied to vegetables. However, this doesn't seem to be the case in China. Meats form the core of the meal, paired with each other and different vegetables. Vegetables seem to function as only complements, lacking the flavor and spices of meat but instead treated with oil, salt, and/or garlic. This dietary approach leaves vegetarians with more or less plain vegetables and rice. Thus, meals fill me up but are very bland and leave me relying on drinks for flavor.

However, being vegetarian is by no means impossible. You often have to annoy waiters with multiple questions like "su" (vegetarian), "mei you rou" (without meat), and "mei you dan" (without eggs). Once I asked a street vendor if the "baozi" (filled bun) had meat. She answered "mei you rou, zhi you ji rou" (without meat, just chicken). So it's better to be safe and annoying than to be sorry. If you can take the time out of your day, there are multiple vegetarian restaurants and Buddhist temples that serve only vegetarian food around Shanghai. I've only been to one Buddhist temple, but the food was delicious. I don't think any of these outlets are close to our campus, but I'm sure I'll get tired of my current regimen and venture into one.

Because I'm living in Shanghai, large supermarkets with many vegetarian options exist. Carrefour, a French chain comparable to Walmart and Tesco, has many imported products including cereal, granola bars, and pasta. One of my biggest surprises came when I realized that the Chinese don't eat milk and cereal for breakfast (again, impressive amounts of foresight on my part) so the prices are quite high relative to America. Soy milk and some yogurt are the primary sources of dairy; I've seen few, if any, people buy or drink regular milk.

For one of my classes, I'm going to write my final paper on vegetarianism in the Chinese operating system. Based on preliminary research, much of the early Chinese diet was vegetarian for practical reasons - there is an overabundance of vegetables and rice as reflected in their low prices, there is little suitable land for cattle to graze, and seafood is not as prevalent as other Asian countries like Japan. However, I want to understand if vegetarianism is common and accepted for non-practical reasons. Based on the number of odd looks I've gotten when I order food (perhaps it's just because I'm that good looking), I would guess not, but then again, I did mention the vegetarian restaurants and the Buddhist temples that serve only vegetarian food.

Without a doubt, Shanghai is going to taunt my vegetarianism and to teach me a lot more about that part of myself than London. I'll certainly be stronger for it. Not to mention that by the end of the semester, I'll be a chopstick ninja.