As I work on the 2012 edition of Vegetarian Asia: A Travel Guide, I’m meeting lots of interesting people.  This week I had the pleasure of learning about Andrew Schrage’s time spent veggie-hunting in Macau. Andrew is the co-owner of Money Crashers Personal Finance, a website devoted to helping people live frugal yet fulfilling lives. It’s always a joy for me to meet another bargain hunter! If you follow the links in the interview, you’ll get an idea of some of the topics Money Crashers covers.

Teresa:  When did you visit Macau and how long were you there?

Andrew:  I visited Macau off and on over the course of five months in 2007.

Teresa:  Was it difficult to find vegetarian food?

Andrew:  Surprisingly, yes. The nature-oriented philosophy of Buddhism and Taoism would lead you to believe that vegan foods would be readily available throughout Asia. However, I was very surprised at the difficulties I encountered. Though I didn’t go to this extreme, I seriously considered trying to start a home garden as a way to ensure I could get access to my vegetables on a daily basis.

Teresa:  Did people think it was weird if you asked for vegetarian food?

Andrew:  Yes, they certainly did. Typical Chinese cuisine there is either beef, shrimp, pork, or chicken-based, or cooked in some sort of beef or chicken-based broth. I got several quizzical looks from servers at their restaurants when I inquired about the availability of vegetarian dishes. In the end, I found that by focusing on Portuguese restaurants, which were relatively prevalent there given the region’s political history, I had a better chance of getting a complete vegan meal. What I really missed out on there were some of the best, healthy superfoods that previously made up a huge part of my diet.

Teresa:  What kinds of things do you remember eating? What did you eat for breakfast?

Andrew:  What stands out the most is Portuguese rice pudding along with Portuguese egg tarts for breakfast. I never had much luck with communicating my vegan needs regarding eggs, so I put my dietary standards to the side to make sure I tasted one of the most famous dishes in Macau. I also discovered a wealth of decent Macanese recipes, which is a mix of Portuguese and Chinese food. On the vegetarian side, there were some excellent vegetable rolls that were not fried. Also, on a positive note, most restaurants I visited did have baked vegetables available as a side item, which I ordered religiously.

Teresa:  How did you communicate that you wanted vegetarian food? Was there a language barrier?

Andrew:  I spoke some broken Mandarin and Cantonese, and had some successes communicating my desire for a 100% vegetarian dish. For whatever reason, the term “egg” seemed to get overlooked, as many dishes that I ordered, which I thought would be completely vegan, had eggs included. In most situations, I did my best, and basically took the plunge with whatever was put in front of me while also trying to separate out any non-vegetarian aspects of the meal. I definitely learned a lot of new vegetarian-based vocabulary out of necessity there since English was not as widely spoken as in Hong Kong. I also took note of the fact that because there were some higher expenses associated with vegetarian diet, it made it difficult for me to eat healthy on a budget, and I ultimately gained some weight while there.

Teresa:  Any observations on human/animal relationships in Macau? Did you see many animals, pets or otherwise?

Andrew:  I didn’t see many pets, but I did see a surplus of random animals wandering the streets. Macau is far behind the times when it comes to animal protection and the area is susceptible to an increased risk of rabies among these animals. Interesting, I also came across people traveling with pets on airlines, though the security precautions taken with these pets seemed much lower than in the US.

Teresa:  Any advice for a vegetarian traveler visiting Macau?

Andrew:  From what I’ve heard from my contacts in Southeastern Asia, there are now a variety of vegetarian restaurants at your disposal. Just be sure to look up the hot-button terms for your restaurant visits, especially for the word egg. Regardless, you should be able to enjoy a fulfilling vegan experience during your trip to Macau.