Loving Huts

The Loving Huts are an international chain of vegan restaurants run by followers of the Supreme Master Ching Hai, a Vietnamese-born spiritual leader with hundreds of thousands of followers worldwide, with the majority being in Taiwan and the USA. She promises her followers that they can reach enlightenment by adhering to her Quan Yin method, which includes being vegan,mediating for at least two and a half hours each day and following “five precepts”: “Refrain from harming any living being. Refrain from speaking what is not true. Refrain from taking what is not mine. Refrain from sexual misconduct. Refrain from using intoxicants.” While these are very similar to Buddhist precepts, Supreme Master Ching Hai is unique in that her and her “disciples” follow the first one through to a vegan lifestyle.

Her organisation, the Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association, as well as running the Loving Hut Chain, also runs Supreme Master Television (suprememastertv.com), a worldwide, non-profit (advertisement-free) cable and internet television station, which shows a variety of documentaries on the personal, social and environmental benefits of a vegan diet, interviews with and lectures by Supreme Master Ching Hai, “noteworthy” (good) news, world weather, and a rolling clip with quotes from various religious scriptures, claiming that they endorse a vegetarian diet. As well as being available online, it is also available on cable TV all around the world, where it reaches people who (other than potential online sources) would be unlikely to be exposed to vegan or animal rights ideas.

Supreme Master Ching Hai also runs a disaster relief organisation, and sends specially-trained crews to disaster-stricken areas around the world. Climate change, its connection to agriculture, and the importance of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions are central to her philosophy and message.

The Loving Hut chain is perhaps the largest vegan business in existence, with around 160 branches in around 20 countries, including over forty in Korea. Since their aim is to introduce veganism to non-vegans, their food is designed to be palatable to omnivores, but as a vegetarian of over twenty years, I still enjoy it. In Taiwan, most serve a similar set of meals which consist of a main dish (often fake meat based) plus a plate of rice, vegetables and soup, while most branches have their own specialty dishes too. A notable exception is the Guang Fu branch in Taipei, which serves hotpots. While most claim to be international, it must be said it's more (Asian) intercontinental, with a few western comfort foods like French Fries sold at all branches, and burgers at a few.

A simple Loving Hut meal usually runs under 100NT, with a meal, drink and dessert about 200- 250NT. A few more upmarket ones, such as those around Zhong Xiao Fuxing (a more upmarket part of Taipei), and Taipei 101 are naturally more expensive, but still excellent value. While 'rice and noodle stand's are cheaper, LHs are among the best value meals in Taiwan.

A related company, “Light Light Industry” produces an ever-growing range of frozen foods and baked goods – including fake meats, breads, soy ice cream and sorbet, cakes and cheesecake - which can be purchased in freezers from many restaurants or ordered online. It's now also creeping into mainstream grocery stores, including Jasons, FE 21 and the Tomato supermarket chain. Because loving huts use these products, which are made from basic (GM free) ingredients by their own company, and because chefs and other staff are all members of the organisation, Loving Huts are one place that you really can let down your guard and just eat anything you like, and if a menu doesn't have English (most do) just point to a picture, wait and enjoy. While fake meat at other restaurants is likely to contain dairy (despite assurances that “no, it's just mushrooms and tofu”), and the serious risk of real meat in “fake” meat, you really can bet a chook's life on the fact that Loving Hut food is well and truly vegan.

The good work done by Supreme Master Ching Hai and her followers is undeniable: thousands are turning vegan due to her and her followers' influence, and many more are being introduced to the effects of agriculture on the environment for the first time. Vegan restaurants are springing up around the globe, and here in Taiwan, veganism has gone from being virtually unheard of to a label commonly found on foods from 7-11 meals to chewing gum.

But Ching Hai is not without her critics: her organisation is commonly labelled a cult. Criticisms are usually to the tune that she portrays veganism as something crazy cult followers adhere to, rather than something for the mainstream, and that the “slightly cultish undertones” (in the words of a reader of my blog) on Supreme Master Television - which plays at all Loving Huts, usually visible on at least one TV from each and every table – reinforce this message. Another complaint is that the LHs are often staffed by unpaid volunteers, which is seen as taking advantage of naive (often young) members, who arguably should at least receive the minimum wage for their work.

The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association and its following does have some marks of a cult: a “divine” leader who claims to guide her followers to enlightenment (the orgainsation's website is www.godsdirectcontact.org), an initiation procedure for new members, a unique meditation practise (which includes experiences members aren't allowed to share with non-initiates), and close bonding between “brothers” and “sisters”. Personally, I admire Supreme Master Ching Hai for leading so many people towards veganism and all the other charitable work her organisation does (just what other organisation sends all-vegan aid to disaster-stricken communities?), but I simply do not feel comfortable calling anyone a “Supreme Master”. In answer to this, one disciple explains to me that the title “Supreme Master” is a reminder that there is a supreme master in each of us, so we are all our own supreme master. Another disciple tells me that it's their choice to call her so, with others choosing 'Mum' and others 'Sweetheart'.

But cult or not, her organisation, with its Loving Huts, advertising campaigns and world-wide TV channel, is highly successful at promoting veganism (and environmental awareness), perhaps reaching more people than any animal rights organisation in the world, and its converts are indeed ordinary people who lead ordinary lives. And as for the volunteers, all permanent, full-time staff are paid a liveable wage, while some staff choose to come from abroad for an intern-like arrangement, receiving no monetary compensation for their work but having their food and accommodation taken care of. These volunteers are happy to work without pay in exchange for the training and experience they receive, plus of course the opportunity to travel abroad and promote the vegan message. Also, there is no expectation on followers to commit any time to Loving Huts; a small percentage choose to work or volunteer if and when they can because they believe in spreading the vegan message.

Most Loving Huts run at little if any profit, with profit being invested in new branches (hence perhaps why new restaurants are opening up so fast) or spent on charitable work by the association or on Supreme Master TV, which costs the association millions of dollars each year, despite an all-volunteer staff. So in many ways volunteers for LHs are no different from volunteers for animal rights / vegan organisations around the world which also employ paid, full-time staff.

All publicity done by the organisation, including many stalls held by members, banners, billboards, bumper stickers on taxis, advertisements in the Subway and many others all focus on promoting veganism (with the catch phrase “Be veg, go green 2 save the planet”) and very little on promoting themselves, or even their restaurants. There are currently TVs playing Supreme Master TV in most train stations in Taiwan.

an advertisement advising people to "go vegan to save the planet" in Taipei Main Station

Many religions (such as Christianity and Islam) began as small followings around one person, which then grew into the global religions they are today. So perhaps the difference between a cult and a religion is the size of its following and how long it has been around. And what other religious leader promotes compassion for all animals, a vegan diet and a strong environmental message?

Supreme Master Ching Hai does not demand or expect money from her followers; she is independently wealthy, largely as a result of her own art, perfume, interior decorations and fashion design businesses (which critics say sells overpriced items to gullible followers). So personally I couldn't care whether it's a cult or not (or its spiritual or financial practices) but if it is, it's a cult doing great things for the world.

One thing which puzzles me personally the most about Supreme Master Ching Hai is the size of her following. Her main message (aside from the meditation and enlightenment element) is not hugely different to that of most animal rights and many environmental organisations. And, though arguably a good break from tradition, a middle-aged Vietnamese woman is hardly the stereotypical leader of a large religious/spiritual organisation. “Love and faith have no boundaries”, a young follower who travels the world working for Supreme Master TV, and kindly helped me with this article, responds to my surprise at the background of her spiritual master. Nonetheless, hundreds of thousands credit her with changing their lives for the better (and the animals they would otherwise have eaten).

Here in Taiwan, veganism is associated almost entirely with Supreme Master Ching Hai's followers. Following the recent addition by vegans around the world of Ⓥ to their facebook name, I began, for the first time ever, adding “friends” I didn't know, in an effort to get to know more than the two vegans I knew personally in Taiwan. A reply from one new facebook friend, having read my blog and seen my photos of vegan food adventures around Taiwan, finished a reply “maybe I'll meet you at Hsihu one day”. Hsihu is the location of the Ashram where Supreme Master Ching Hai lived with her disciples in the 1990s, and where disciples now come from all over Taiwan on weekends to meet, relax, eat, read and meditate.

As it happens, I was recently invited to Hsihu by a devoted, friendly, outgoing disciple who, having lived in Canada, teaches English to other disciples and translates for Supreme Master TV. We met recently when a student of hers, and staff member at the Jhongli Loving Hut, called her in to help explain something to me, after which she appeared from her apartment within minutes. She offered to take me to both the Hsihu centre and the Light Light factory (which makes the LH foods range). We arranged that I would meet her outside her apartment in Jhongli at 7:30 in two weeks time.

So early on a Sunday morning, we're were being driven down the freeway with a family of five towards Hsihu, in Maoli County. On arrival, dozens of vested volunteers guide cars into parking spaces, from which it's a short walk past roadside stalls selling fresh produce and other vegan products to the entrance, at which she signs in with an electronic system, using her ID card (which lists the five precepts on the back, as if a reminder) and I sign in by hand. I'm given a VIP (read non-initiate) card – to be worn at all times - which entitles me to everything except entrance to initiate-only areas, such as group meditation centres.

The size and beauty of the place strike me first as I enter. The centre started out as an empty block of land, which Supreme Master Ching Hai bought for her disciples to live and practise at, and has been turned into a tranquil, park-like environment, with trees, gardens, ponds and streams, and plenty of resting spots. Hundreds of disciples are sitting under trees or small shelters, on chairs and mats they have brought with them, meditating, reading or just spending time with friends and family. It's hard to estimate the numbers, but I'm told that on a busy weekend, up to two thousand will come on a single day. As well as the large, group-meditation shelters open only to initiates, there are smaller shelters with TVs playing Supreme Master TV, and a simple dining area serving a delectable range of vegan cakes (better even than Loving Huts currently serve), coffee and other drinks, at very low prices. There was also a stall promoting and selling Light Light Industry's new range of fruit pies, with an international marketing team at work in the background. Further up the mountain are caves where the master and her disciples lived in the 1990s, but this area was also off limits to "VIP"s (non-initiates).

Perhaps in keeping with the international nature of the organisation and their work, many disciples spoke English, and were happy to talk to a foreign “VIP”. There I met a New Zealand-Taiwanese I had met at the Golden Age (a disciple-run vegan restaurant in Auckland) who was now working for Light Light, and a Singaporean disciple told me her story of how she had moved through several spiritual groups, all of whom wanted money for everything, before finding Supreme Master Ching Hai's Quan Yin method and organisation best for her.

Indeed, despite much negative publicity claiming that the organisation extorts large sums of money from its members, at perhaps their largest base, nowhere was I asked for money, nor did there seem to be any system for disciples to donate anywhere on the premises, in stark contrast to gathering of most religious and spiritual groups. Lunch, which reminded me of Hare Krishna food for its simple-but-delicious style (different in that it had less spice but still plenty of flavour, and no milk curd to watch out for), was served free to everyone there, which disciples lined up for carrying their own reusable crockery. The volunteer cooks are not allowed to talk while they prepare the food, instead chanting special words, which is believed to infuse good spiritual properties into the food. Where does the money come from to support this large centre and the disciples who live there? There was a small, busy shop selling range of Supreme Master Ching Hai's products, including fashion clothes, home décor and jewellery, which, though I'm no connoisseur of any such items, to me did look very beautiful. There were also a large number of photos of Supreme Master Ching Hai and related paraphernalia for sale. Attached was what seemed like a small private shop, selling drinks, snacks and supplements, of course all vegan, and selling at prices lower than one would find anywhere else.

A common criticism of the organistaion is that it preys on gullible, vulnerable members of society for their money and support. Followers I met, however, included some of Taiwan's elite, such as academics and students from the nation's top universities. The handful of old cars in the carpark, however, were testimony to the fact that one doesn't need to be a nanophysicist at Taipei Academia Sinica to be accepted into the organisation either.

Many vegans, especially perhaps those from western, non-religious (or Judeo-Christian) backgrounds, may find elements of the Supreme Master Ching Hai Association – but not their food - hard to swallow. Personally, while I recognised the good work they do early on, I was myself somewhat cynical of her organisation, especially the meditation and enlightenment components, and found its mix with secular vegan philosophy somewhat disconcerting. I've only recently started writing 'Supreme Master Ching Hai' without quote marks around her title.

However, whatever one personally thinks of the sixty-year-old Vietnamese Master and her hundreds of thousands of vegan followers, what deeply disappoints me is the amount of animosity in the vegan/AR movement towards them, such as this article http://vegnews.idigitaledition.com/issues/12so23423v510/ in the widely read Vegnews. I believe it focuses far too much on doubtful, exception and plainly irrelevant negative elements of the organisation and its leader, and fails to do justice to the enormous benefits of hundreds of vegan restaurants opening around the world, which surely should be of greatest interest to a vegan magazine! I also don't think it gives due credit to the tireless efforts of its members in promoting the vegan message around the world, often at considerable personal commitment and sacrifice – sacrifices they choose to make themselves for the good of the cause, just as members of 'conventional' animal rights groups do. The followers of Supreme Master Ching Hai have the same mission as non-religious vegan activists around the world, they just organise differently and hold different spiritual beliefs. Their message, through their television station, restaurants and all-vegan aid programs, almost certainly reaches further around the world than that of most other (secular) animal rights groups, and their association probably has more active members. None of their TV or material is copyrighted, and copying and distribution of it is encouraged, and all their members I have met have been keen to work with any and all activists working for the same cause. It's about time this cooperative attitude was reciprocated, and they were given the respect by the movement they deserve.

Addendum:

There are two 'warnings' about the Supreme Master CHing Hai Association and the LHs I should give to foreign visitors, neither of which are criticisms of the organisation but rather just notes for new, non-Chinese speaking arrivals. First, in order to promote veganism to the target audience of people eating at vegetarian restaurants, they have found many (perhaps all) vegetarian restaurants and bakeries in Taiwan and placed a banner promoting veganism outside them, but since they tend to use the word 'vegan' in English, it's the only English word on the banner. So this banner does not mean the restaurant is vegan. (Besides the LHs, there are a few vegan restaurants run by SMCH followers (which are of course vegan. These can generally be identified by huge pictures of her on the walls, but a vegan banner outside and/or sticker or two inside is probably just put up by passing Ching Hai followers, so expect dairy and/or egg to be served and/or in the fake meats in these restaurants).

This banner, outside virtually every vegetarian eatery in Taiwan, is great promotion of the vegan message. But it does not mean that all the food served here is vegan.

The second warning: don't only eat at the LHs while in Taiwan! You arrive at a new town (or finish sightseeing in a new suburb of Taipei), it's late and you're hungry, and you've got all the LH addresses saved in your computer, so off you go to the nearest branch and have a delicious vegan meal; it's too easy. While LHs are the staple on-the-road meal of many vegans in Taiwan, including this blogger, even if you are only here for a few days and stay in the major cities, you should at least eat at one big all-you-can-eat buffet, one ordinary pay-by-weight buffet, and try at least one small “rice and noodle stall”. For everything else, on a day-to-day level, there's Loving Huts.

Www.lovinghut.com (includes branch information in English)

This list is still a work in progress :)

TAIPEI

Huai Ning / 懷寧 Branch

The kitchen and another wall menu at the Huai Ning Branch, Taipei. There are floors for dining upstairs and downstairs.

Phone：02-2311-9399
Address: No.44, Huaining St., Jhongjheng
　 　　　District, Taipei City 100, Taiwan

Address in Chinese:

Map in Chinese (coming):

The menu of the wall at the Huai Ning Branch. There is a menu on the counter in English. (The staff were too shy to be in the photo, but this is normally staffed by a friendly, English-speaking person.)

How to get there:
From the ground floor of the Taipei Main Station, walk out any of the South Exits. You will walk out into a paved area. Keep walking until you get to ZhongXiao West Road, and then walk west (that's to the right if facing the road) until you reach a pedestrian crossing. Opposite, you will see NOVA, a large yellow store selling computers. Cross the street and walk down this street (South). You will go past NOVA on your right, and a large department store (Taipei's second tallest building) on your left.
Continue past Kaifong St to the right, Syuchang St to the left, and then turn right down HanKou St. Walk for one block until you get to Dante Coffee. Before you reach it, turn left into Huai Ning St. The Loving Hut is a few doors down on the right.

Guang Fu / 光復 Branch

This Loving Hut specialises in Hotpots, a common Taiwanese (and Japanese, and Chinese) food style in which the diners are given broth and raw vegetables, tofu etc, and cook them themselves, at their tables, using either small gas stoves or at more upmarket places, induction cookers built into the tables (so be careful with what you put on the table). It is quite a social occasion, and families and other groups often talk as they place their food into the communual boiler, and then take bits out at a time when they are done.

Hotpots are usually a vegan's nightmare, as the stock usually contains animal ingredients. I have eaten as part of a school group at a conventional place, and they gave me water to cook my own vegetables and tofu in. However, for many veg'ns, watching people boil and eat flesh at their tables is not conjusive to a pleasant meal.

While this is not the only vegetarian hotpot restaurant in Taipei, it is the best I have found, and I recommend anyone visiting Taiwan try here at least once.

Phone：02-27772711

Address: No.30, Lane 280, Guangfu South Rd,
　　　　Da-an District, Taipei City.

Address in Chinese (as an image):

How to Get There

Take the MRT to Sun Yat Sen memorial Hall, one stop before Taipei City Hall (for Taipei 101).Walk out exit two and keep going in the same direction. Visible down the third lane (to be confirmed) to the right is the Loving Hut.

Tai Da / 台大 Branch

Tai Da is short for Taiwan Da Xue, which is National Taiwan University. This university selects the best and brightest students from all over the country (except those who study abroad), and a degree from here is a ticket to a promising and prosperous future. Many if not most of Taiwan's leading political figures have been through this university.

Gong Guan, the area around it, has a strong university feel and is well worth an explore, especially with a Loving Hut (and another vegetarian buffet) nearby.

The Tai Da Loving Hut is actually slightly closer to the Technology Building station on the Muzha (brown) line of the MRT, however if coming from Taipei Main Station (or anywhere on the red/green line) the extra time on the MRT to get there make it more efficient to use the Gong Guan stop on the Xindian (green) line. Gong Guan is also a much more appealing area to visit.

This is a smaller branch than most, but it has at least as good a menu, and thanks to a Thai student who currently works there, it also serves a few thai dishes, as well as other items which come and go as the owner tries them out.

If visiting National Taiwan University, this is the place to eat. If not, I recommend visiting Gong Guan and finding this if spending a few days or more in Taipei.

Address: No.169, Sec. 2, Sinhai Rd,
　　　　Da-an District, Taipei City

Phone: 02-27369579

Address in Chinese:

How to Get There

This branch is not very convenient to get to unless you know your way through the university. From Gong Guan MRT exit 3, walk right if facing Roosevelt Road. Then turn right into XinSheng (SinSheng) South Road, follow tis for about 500m and then take the next major right into SinHai Road, section 2 (at this point it will be under a major overhead road). Follow Sinhai Road for about half a kilometre, cross the road (its a wide road with a large grass verge in the middle) and then walk about another half kilometre in the same direction. The Loving Hut is close to a Starbucks.

In short: walk out MRT Gong Guan exit 3, and walk clockwise around the perimeter of the university, until you find the Loving Hut. It will take approximately 20 minutes walking from Gong Guan. All are major roads with good footpaths.

Type: 台大辛亥店：辛亥路2段169號 into google earth on Taipei, and it is B (A is over the road). You can also see here how it is possible to reach it from the Technology Building station of the MuZha (brown) line.

Yuan Man / 圓滿 Branch

This store is close to ShanDao Temple Station, a popular tourist (and local) attraction one MRT stop, or walkable (~5 minutes) from Taipei Main Station. It specialises in "stinky tofu" soups and other creations.

Stinky tofu is Taiwan's unofficial 'national snack', and is frequently sold as a "xiao chi" (snack, or literally "small eat") by roadside vendors and at night markets all over the country. Though it is enjoyed all over SE Asia and China (including Hong Kong) nowhere else is it as popular as in Taiwan.

Taiwanese, proud of their food as they are, will rarely tell a foreigner how it is made, and perhaps for good reasons; let it suffice to say that it is marinated for months, and well deserves its name, however it tastes much milder than its acrid odor would suggest. It is a must-try for tourists, travellers and newbies to Taiwan.

However, of more concern than its less than pleasant odour is the fact that its marination process usually involves sauces derived from meat and milk (and no doubt other dead things). As with the vegan hotpots, the Loving Hut is not the only place serving vegetarian (but probably the only guaranteed vegan) stinky tofu in Taiwan, but is by far the most practical, safe and pleasant way to taste stinky tofu I have found. It also serves stinky tofu-based soups (see image below), instead of only the deep fried stinky tofu that most vendors serve. I highly recommend at least one visit to this restaurant once during any stay in Taiwan.

A poster outside the Loving Hutt (Yuan Man) branch extoling the virtues of a vegan diet.

How to Get There (from Taipei Main Station)

From the ground floor of the Taipei Main Station, walk out any South Exit into a kind of courtyard. Keep walking until you reach Zhong Xiao East Road, and walk left (East). At the first major intersection, turn right (south) into Zhong Shan South Road. Then take the first left into CingDao East Road. (There is a large government building on this corner). Continue East along Cingdao Road past JhenJiang Street, and then the Loving Hut is on your left.

Stinky Tofu and Kimchi (soup) - 80NT.

Phone: 02-2391-3553

Address: No.3-1, Cingdao E. Rd,
　　　　Jhongjheng District, Taipei
　　　　City

Address in Chinese:

Ja Jiang Noodle (a traditional Beijing noodle speciality) - 65 NT.

TaiChung Branch

Loving Hut, Taichung

The Taichung branch is what could be expected for a LH in Taichung's third largest city. It has a spacious, pleasant dining area and a standard LH menu with two specialities shown below: black pepper udon (not dissimilar to the new 7-11 meal, but much, much fresher and tastier) and small potato nuggets, similar perhaps to hash browns, but with much more flavour.

How to Get There

Unfortunately for the visitor, it is a reasonably long distance from the train station, so unless you have your own transport, you'll need to take a taxi (unless you live in Taichung and have mastered its bus system).

No.266, Sec. 4, Hankou Rd., North District, Taichung City 404.

Black pepper noodle and 酥皮河漫飯 (It literally translates to crispy river rice or similar, but is more like a hash brown with more flavour, and is actually delicious.) Both are specialities of the Taichung Loving Hut.

Taoyuan Branches
(both in Jhongli, spelled Zhongli and Jongli)

Jongli has two Loving Huts, close to each other. The most convenient, especially if going by train, is the Zhong Yuan branch, which is about 20-30 minutes walk from the Jhongli train station, or a short (100NT) taxi ride.

The great thing about this branch (besides the friendly staff) is the freezer full of frozen vegan goods, including CAKES (yes, vegan cakes are now available in Taiwan), fake meat (with the 'supreme' assurance that it is free of whey, real meat etc), and a range of breads and bagels. It should be noted that all of these products (except possibly the cakes) were previously and still are available by mail order, and once the helpful manager of the NTU branch did the paperwork for me to order a range of items, including Tofutti cheese imported from the US. But the great thing here is the convenience, especially if one lives in the area or takes a train through Jhongli: a short walk from the train station and one can buy the next fortnight's frozen foods. And, of course, though opinions differ on the role or otherwise of the “Supreme Master” and her 'disciples' in the vegan movement, one can be confident that at least some (quite possibly all) of the profits go back into promoting veganism around the world (among other good causes she and her followers support), which I consider better than going to a company which also produces meat products (as many in Taiwan produce both, hence the 'real meat in fake meat' scare).

Date and Walnut Cake (and its packet), bagels and safe fake meat from the freezers at the Jhongli Loving Hut

The Jhongli branch also has its own specialties, including an “American” steak dinner (below) which includes deep fried 'meat', a range of vegetables and rice, and a delicious aioli dip. It's perhaps not the healthiest meal around, but it's delicious, and quite different from anything else I've found in Taiwan.

American Steak Dinner Set

A volunteer from the US also makes a delectable tiramisu, which is a must-try while at the Jhongli branch.

Address:

No.172, Jhongbei Rd., Jhongli City, Taoyuan County 320, Taiwan

Address in Chinese:

How to Get There

Take any train to Jhongli station. Take the rear exit, and walk out until you get to Zhong Bei Road (also called Zhong North Road in English). Turn left into Zhong Bei road and walk for 20-30 minutes. The Loving Hut is on the right just after Zhong Yuan Elementary School. It's easy to spot.

The second Loving Hut in Taoyuan is also in Jhongli, and not far from the other one. However, it is closer to the Neili (內壢) station, which is one stop before Jhongli and one stop after Taoyuan. Note that the express trains do not stop at Neili, thus making this much longer to reach by train from another city.

On a final note, there are rumours of many more Loving Huts soon to open in Taiwan.

BANGKOK

Slightly off topic and perhaps a little far out of the way, but, I think the Bangkok Loving Hut still deserves a mention on this list, as so many travelers in Asia find themselves in Bangkok for a stopover or a holiday. If you do, see www.veganthailand.blogspot.com) and the Loving Hut is well worth the pleasant outing required to reach it. On a related note, my friend Herwin (who runs the blog) is soon to open on of Bangkok's few vegan restaurants (with the most significant other one being the Loving Hut) - see his website.

The Bangkok Loving Hut is currently being managed by a friendly Vietnamese woman, who has traveled to Bangkok from Dalat in Vietnam, a once-French town a day's drive into the mountains from Saigon, which has kept the French feel (including architecture), where she runs her own Loving Hut. This branch has a range of Thai and other cuisine. The cakes and ice creams for desert are not to be missed.

potato salad in an edible basket

soy meat and satay sauce

How to get there:

In Bangkok don't stay at Kaoh Sarn Road (also has many, many other spellings) unless you just want to get drunk with lots of backpackers and experience some of Thailand's best scammers and con-artists, the not-so-friendly side of Thailand; instead stay somewhere with easy access to the skytrain (not just for this restaurant). Take the skytrain to Saphan Taksin, walk down to the wharf (“Sathorn Taksin Pier”) and then board the free boat to Marriot Resort and Spa Pier (it's free and you don't need to be staying there) and enjoy the ride across the river. Walk through the swanky resort and families by the pool, right through the hotel, out the other side. Turn left just after the McDonald's, which is on the corner. Follow the path around a bend or two in this direction, and you can't miss it.