In my efforts to track down informed vegetarians for the new edition of Vegetarian Asia: A Travel Guide, I recently learned of Walter Stanish. Walter, an Australian, has lived in China for a decade. If you want to know all about vegetarian food in China, check out his extremely helpful website. Walter let me ask him a few questions for vegetarian travelers headed to China.

Walter Stanish, a vegetarian in China

Teresa:  It looks like you’ve been in China for a while. How accepted was vegetarianism when you first arrived? Has it changed at all?

Walter:  I first arrived in 2001. Trying to explain vegetarianism was a challenge and was the initial spur for my learning of the Chinese language.  Ten years later, people understand the notion more widely, but it’s still considered weird. Reactions vary from an oft-sarcastic ‘eating vegetarian is great for your health!’ to understanding. Often people simply ask why.

Teresa:  Do you know any Chinese vegetarians? If so, what are their reasons for giving up meat?

Walter:  I occasionally meet Chinese vegetarians but as in the west people tend to pass through phases of vegetarianism rather than stick to it as a lifetime habit. The social group most associated with vegetarianism in theoretical terms are Buddhist and Taoist monks, though the number of these who actually observe a vegetarian diet is probably minimal.  In real terms, often groups of devout Buddhists – usually female, and of a mature age – tend to be the real vegetarian observers.

Teresa:  Do you think some areas of China are more accepting of vegetarianism than others? Any hotbeds of vegetarianism?

Walter:  A few years ago there was a bit of a fashion to eat vegetarian in some ofChina’s wealthier east-coast cities such as Shanghai. Whilst those types of cities tend to have a large number of dining venues and thus offer greater numbers of vegetarian-oriented restaurants, I wouldn’t describe any of them as hotbeds of vegetarianism.  Generally you find a single vegetarian restaurant attached to larger Buddhist temples throughout China.

Teresa:  What are the easiest vegetarian foods to find at an ordinary restaurant?

Walter:  An ordinary restaurant often offers what I call ‘point and click’ ordering, which is the opportunity to literally walk in to the kitchen or vegetable store, select vegetables that you wish to eat, and discuss preparation style preferences with the staff.  This is a sure fire way to get great vegetarian food, as long as you are able to explain that both chicken flavoring and small quantities of meat are not acceptable.

Teresa:  What’s the best way for a traveler to communicate her vegetarianism?

Walter:  Without a doubt, learn Chinese. Failing that, get some Chinese printed out and bring it along that explains your dietary preference.

Teresa: Any suggestions for vegetarian breakfast foods in China?

Walter:  Breakfast foods vary widely across China and typically are not vegetarian oriented. Some vegetarian (but not vegan) friendly morning dishes include pastries such as egg and leek breads, or sweet red-bean paste filled buns.  My personal favorite, which I am yet to find a good rendition of in most provinces, is ‘Doufu Nao’, literally ‘tofu brains’, a sort of spicy soup with coriander, wood-ear mushroom and various other goodies. I had the best version of this in Shandong province whilst living in Qingdao – it’s definitely more of a northern specialty – and many versions will have shrimp sprinkled throughout, so be careful.  If you find a good one, it’s like hitting the jackpot!

Teresa: What are attitudes like towards animal welfare in China? Have you seen any changes?

Walter:  Chinese society as a whole is becoming more open and connected both domestically and internationally. With these changes inevitably comes a broadening of mindset, and this includes attitudes towards other beings – including our fellow critters. Whilst Chinese society has kept dogs since time immemorial (thousands of years BCE), many people in cities now keep pets, especially dogs, and this has probably contributed to the evolution in attitudes that we are seeing now, versus the ‘me first’ attitude that it’s probably fair to say was born from a combination of the vestiges of an ancient Confucian society structure and the realities of living under the harder periods within the Communist era just a few decades ago.

Teresa: Do many people have pets?

Walter:  Whilst pets have always been popular, it seems that an increasing number of urban Chinese keep pets, especially dogs.  Traditional pigeon keeping is still practiced by some people, especially the Muslim (Hui) minority.

Teresa: Could you share a little bit about yourself? How did you become a vegetarian? What brought you to China?

Walter:  An Australian by birth, I became a vegetarian at about the age of 11 for compassionate reasons. I first traveled to China out of curiosity, with the desire to travel overland to Europe. However, the sheer fascination I felt with being – at last – in a society that evidently thought differently to others and had such a rich historical, geographical and social world and the friendliness of the locals has kept me here for most of the last decade. Despite serious bouts of travel and living on two other continents, I consider Kunming in China’s southwestern Yunnan province my effective home now and will probably stay indefinitely.

Teresa: Any other tips for vegetarian travelers to China?

Walter:  Relax – people aren’t heartless or out to get you, they just come from a different background. Mistakes of communication and comprehension are inevitable. Once an animal is dead, and a small portion winds up on your plate by accident, if you are a vegetarian for compassionate reasons then it may be best to simply eat it instead of creating a huge guffaw.