Vegan Taiwan

Sophie's Garden (Taipei)

2011-08-13T01:54:00.000-07:00

Sophie's Garden is a vegan restaurant in Taipei serving more international and upmarket fare than the Loving Huts. The owner, Sophie, has lived in France, and she specialises in the fusion of Taiwanese and European cuisine; specialities include not-so-stinky tofu made with milder, European herbs and flavours. In my opinion Taipei has very few good a-la-carte vegan (or even vegetarian) restaurants, but this is as good as they come and must-visit for anyone visiting or living in or around Taipei.

For a posh a-la-carte restaurant in a fairly upmarket suburb of Taipei, prices are very reasonable. A multi-course meal ("set") generally costs around 500NT (see photos below), placing Sophie's Garden in a small niche of restaurants in between regular LHs and backstreet pay-by-weight buffets, and the posh, expensive an all-you-can eat buffets such as Jen Dow and Evergreen. Price-wise it isn't far above the more upmarket LHs such as the Mikai and ZhongXiao ("International Fusion Cuisine") branches , it but provides much more of a European dining experience.

soup + drink + stinky tofu with European herbs. The drink tasted like mulled wine but much much better (and no doubt healthier) and is made on-site.

bread + salad

a Mexican main course

dessert and a cup of tea

Sophie's Garden invites top-class vegetarian performers to entertain guests, particularly on Saturday nights. Some don't normally perform for such small audiences but are happy to make an exception for a veg'n restaurant. I saw the belly-dancer and her companion one Saturday and then soon after saw them on national television. Sophie speaks good English and I recommend calling her to find out when a performance will be and make a reservation; sitting eating a multi-course meal while being entertained by professional vegetarian entertainers is not an everyday opportunity in Taiwan (or anywhere?).

famous belly-dancer and guitarist (if anyone knows their names please let me know)

After a small break they put on another performance.

And then all the women were invited to participate.

How to Get There
Take the MRT to Sungshan Airport station ( the domestic+Japan+China/HK airport in the city on the brown MRT line, not to be confused with Taipei Taoyuan International Airport which is usually used for international flights and cannot be reached by MRT). Take exit 2 (1 will also work), cross the road and walk through DunBei park, saying Hello to the wildlife on the way.

Say hello to the birds (what type - anyone know?) in Dun Bei Park, or watch others taking photos of them.

Then walk down Lane 12, Fu Jin St, and take the first left, ie. follow around Min Zu elementary school anticlockwise. Then take the first right and Sophie's Garden will be on your right. I recommend printing the map below or taking a photo of the address and asking someone for help if necessary; it's difficult to explain but it's only a few minutes from the MRT and once you've been once you'll easily find your way back and there again (and you will be too). Note that the Google map directions follow the road, whereas it

Address in Chinese: 台北市松山區民生東路四段75巷5-1號
Website: http://sophie109.pixnet.net/profile
Phone number: 02-2718-8373
Opening hours: 11:30AM - 9:30PM

View Larger Map

Taipei Outing: Peace Cafe and Bitan Lake (Xindian) - RE-OPENED

2011-02-20T04:17:00.000-08:00

@Peace Cafe - up and running again with its original owners, for now :)

UPDATE:
Andrew and Kelly have taken back @Peace Cafe, after its previous owners (who bought it off them) closed it down and put it up for sale. Opening hours are reduced as they induct new owners, and they currently only serve pizzas on Saturdays, and use a new cashew-based cheese instead of the original imported 'cheese'. While the new owners will no doubt expand the menu further, I recommend a Saturday visit to try the new cashew-cheese pizza while it's there!

NEW OPENING HOURS
Monday to Friday: 11:30am- 5:30pm
Last Saturday of the month: 11:30am-8pm.

Xindian is technically a city south of Taipei, but it is essentially the southern end of greater Taipei. Xindian Station is the final stop on the Xindian (green) MRT line. It's worth visiting for Bitan, a section of the Xindian River which has been dammed to essentially become a lake (right outside Xindian station) and for hikes or bike rides into the mountains, but more importantly, for @Peace Cafe, one of the few strictly vegan restaurants in Taipei other than the ever-expanding Loving Hut chain. A trip to the lake and/or mountains, with lunch and/or dinner at @Peace Cafe makes for a pleasant half-day outing from Taipei. It is also only just off the route from Xindian to Wulai, a small aboriginal town famous for its scenery and hot springs (and Aboriginal food, which from my experience isn't altogether vegan friendly, so be sure to stop for your first meal on the way there, and perhaps take out some "Mexican Volcanoes" or other goodies for the trip).

Bitan, as viewed from a platform a short walk up the mountain behind the lake

@Peace Cafe is a must-visit cafe for any vegan visiting Taiwan, and regular hangout spots for local and international resident vegans, and for non-vegan locals who come for the food and atmosphere. It is run by an Australian, Andrew, who has been vegan for 18 years, and his wife Kelly. Andrew has keen interests in health and nutrition, and is a Pilates instructor; he ran his own business in Singapore before they moved to Taiwan three years ago. Peace Cafe opened only seven months ago, doesn't advertise and is well off the beaten track for the average Taipeier, yet it usually has a steady stream of customers, Taiwanese and foreign, both from the local community and others visiting from around Taipei and beyond.

What makes @Peace Cafe unique is that it serves a delicious, rotating international menu, with vegan pizzas (with Toffuti cheese from the USA – currently the only source of it in Taiwan) being almost the only regular menu item.

pizza, which tasted good and disturbingly 'real', and alcohol-free beer
Update: the pizzas are currently only being served in the cafe on Saturday - see update above. They are also currently using a cashew-based 'cheese' between the sauce and the veggies, and while I haven't had the opportunity to try it myself, I'm sure it's delicious!

It also has an excellent range of vegan cakes, muffins, cheesecakes etc, much like the Osaka's Mamman Tce before its tragic demise, and undoubtedly the best desserts I've found in Taiwan (Cafe Del Mar, a vegan South American restaurant which until its recent closure was just up the road from @Peace Cafe, used to be next best for vegan desserts in Taipei.)

Being run by disciples of Supreme Master Ching Hai, Peace Cafe does not serve alcohol, but it does have non-alcoholic beer, which washed my pizza down nicely. Andrew and Kelly's main purpose for the cafe is a kind of “R&D lab” to dream up and develop new recipes for international fusion foods, which they encourage other vegan restaurants to use; Loving Hut chefs, among others, come to the restaurant to watch, learn and video production of their new creations in order to expand their range of foreign foods on their menus. ”Our Customers are our guinea pigs” explains Kelly, as we test their new products before they send the recipes to vegan restaurants around Taiwan. The ever-changing menu may be why non-vegan foreigners I met while strolling around their beautiful mountain community eat there most days.

@Peace Cafe is a small restaurant with around half a dozen tables, and it also sells a small range of vegan products, including the regular Loving Hut 'Light Light' range and a few other goodies. It also does take-out, and supplies food (eg cakes) for other shops or cafes. On my last visit an American - donned in a leather jacket - walked in on his way to a party to to pick up the vegan cake he'd ordered for a party.

How to to There

Take the MRT (green line) to Xindian Station, the terminal station. If you haven't been before, get out and take a stroll around Bitan. Small pedal-powered boats can be hired, and a large suspension bridge spans the lake.

The view outside the only exit to Xindian MRT

Bus Green 3 goes straight from Xindian Station up to Peace Cafe, which is a stone's throw from its final stop. To find the bus stop, walk out the main exit (there's only one, and it's on the opposite side of the station to the lake), turn right and keep walking until you pass a 7-11 (note that there are 7-11s on both sides of the road; take the one on the same side as the station). At the final stop, walk down and around the fountain from the Family Mart, and @Peace Cafe is on the left.

綠3 bus goes straight to @Peace Cafe.

Being in the mountains, a taxi from Xindian station costs around 200-400TWDs (depending on traffic as the mountain road can get quite jammed), though once there it's easy to take the bus back to the station.

The bus should stop here. The cafe is just behind and downhill from where this photo was taken from, and can be seen from the bus stop of Family Mart.

Address:台北縣新店市金興路40號

Taipei County, Xindian City, Jin Xing Road, Number 40.
Website (Chinese only).

Bitan Lake at night, from outside MRT Xindian Station

Vegan Meetups?

2010-08-23T03:53:00.000-07:00

While in Japan on vacation I attended a "vegan meetup".

Vegan meetups are run through a website, www.meetup.com, which (for a small fee) facilitates meetups automatically between interest groups around the world. The site emails members of upcoming meetups, and allows them to RSVP, comment on meetups, and share photos afterwards.

A group of vegans in New Zealand ran these meetups from the same website a few years ago, however few new people came, so the website was of little help because it was just a group of vegan friends meeting for lunch or dinner. However, in Japan, the meetups are very popular, and the one I attended had about 50 people. Some were vegan, some vegetarian, some people who came because they were interested in veg'nism, and some people even came just because they like the food so much!

What it would need would be enough interested people to come (perhaps about 10 to get it started) and to promote it among their friends, on facebook, blogs etc, but more importantly, a venue. From my limited experience, it works best if there venue puts on a buffet meal with lots of standing room, so people move around and talk to each other.

Would there be any interest in vegan meetups in Taiwan? If you are interested, please leave a comment. Perhaps we can get something started?

The website for Tokyo vegan meetups is http://www.meetup.com/vegan-389/

The next Tokyo vegan meetup will be held at Deva Deva cafe. Last time I was in Japan I attended a similar vegan party there, and this was the buffet meal they put on. Best of all, I got to meet and talk to many Tokyo vegans. How does a Taipei vegan meetup sound?

Transport in Taiwan

2010-07-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

Taiwan has a brilliant public transport system, which is to be expected given the level of technological development and the population density. It is comparable but not quite as good as that of neighbouring Japan, which is not surprising given that the rail system was built while Taiwan was part of Japan (the first half of last century), and the new high speed rail system was a joint effort between Japanese and European engineers. Unlike Japan (and western Europe), however, all public transport is easily affordable to virtually everyone, including budget travellers and English teachers. This article is not especially vegan-oriented (though you'll need to use the system to find Taiwan's vegan offerings) and largely in response to feedback from vegans new to or soon to come to Taiwan.

GETTING AROUND CITIES

MRT

Taipei has a good, if limited but growing, MRT (Mass Rapid Transport; subway). It is very English-friendly, well signposted and colour-coded, and should one get lost, an English speaker could never be more than a few meters away. For getting around the majority of Taipei which it serves, this is by far the best option. Most fares cost less than 1€.

A train rolls into a taipei MRT station.

Kaohsiung's new MRT is an an important part of Kaohsiung's recent transformation from what should be expected of the city at the heart of the country's petrochemical industry to a very pleasant city to live in.

a Kaohsiung MRT station entrance

a Kaohsiung MRT station

BUSES

Taipei also has an excellent bus system, and it's usually possible to take a bus from virtually anywhere to virtually anywhere in Taipei fairly directly. However, few bus stops have English signage (this is changing) and so using the bus system can be a little daunting for a newbie to Taipei. In reality, if you're new to Taiwan it's probably not practical to take the bus unless a local or resident shows you where to get on and off, and which numbers you can take (common routes are usuallly served by several bus lines). Note that buses do not give change, so always have a few 10NT and 5NT coins available. The downsides of buses are that they can get very crowded, and as they stop to pick people up in strange places (sometimes convenient but dangerous if you need to get on between bus stops) they can be a bit of a roller coaster ride, so hold on tight, seriously. It's rumoured that drivers are paid according to how many passengers they pick up, so they compete with other buses on the same route, which are never far away, and possibly right behind. I believe it.

I expect that buses in Taichung and Kaohsiung are comparable to Taipei relative to the size of the city, but smaller towns and cities generally have limited buses available as virtually everyone has a scooter (or a car).

For both the MRT and buses in Taipei, a smart card is available, which acts as electronic cash and saves the hassles of having the right change for buses. It also offers discounts for taking the bus and then the MRT, taking two buses in succession (effectively a transfer) etc.

On buses and the MRT, always offer your seat to elderly. It's very important in this culture, and helps to reinforce the good reputation us "waiguorens" (literally 'foreigners') enjoy.

TAXIS

Most Taiwanese cities have an excellent meter-taxi system. I will compare it to Thailand and Japan (not that one would usually have any reason to take a taxi in Japan with such a great public transport system) since they are the countries I know best, and travellers here are likely to have been to either or both of these countries.

Taxis are fast (sometimes dangerously so, especially if they think you are using them because they are faster than the bus), cheap, easy to use, and generally very honest; in over three years in the country I have only ever once suspected a taxi driver of taking me the 'long way' to run up a bigger bill, and even then it was merely a suspicion. Taiwanese are generally honest with small amounts of money (unfortunately I can't say the same about large sums, such as paycheques from English schools or agents thereof, or bonds from landlords. Also, as I understand it (can anyone confirm?) because the flagfall, which is 70NT in Taipei and more in smaller cities, is generally more than the cost for the distance covered, and unlike Bangkok Taipei isn't saturated with taxis, so there is little incentive for drivers to take a long route. For example, flagfall in Hsinchu (my city) is 100NT, and to drop me hope from the train station is usually 120NT, and takes about five minutes. A driver *could* take me a very long way and run it up to 150NT, but s/he'd be better off to get me home the fastest and cheapest route and go back to the train station to wait for another passenger. In Bangkok, by comparison, flagfall is 35NT, and one in four cars in the city is a taxi, usually on the road round the clock and usually empty, so it's in their interests to take the longest and slowest route they can get away with.

There is one important note about taxis in Taiwan, which is different to both Japan and Thailand: do not get in a taxi in Taiwan without the address written in Chinese, or a Chinese speaker ready to talk to them (on the phone if necessary). Because Chinese is tonal, and the consanents are so different to English, chances are, if someone who doesn't speak Chinese tries to, a Chinese speaker won't even realise they are trying to speak Chinese, and, confused, will probably just apologise for their lack of English. Without any understanding of the language, one could read (romanised) Japanese and probably be understood with a bit of effort, and with a short introduction to the language, one could be understood quite easily. In Thailand, there are so many tourists, mostly going to a limited number of places, most taxi drivers will be familiar with how foreigners say common destinations, even though they will probably sound nothing at all like their real Thai names. In Taiwan, however, most taxi drivers will virtually never take foreigners, so apart from perhaps 'Taipei 101', will probably not understand any English, except possibly the odd younger one (and there aren't many of them). Also, unlike their Chinese cousins, Taiwanese do not learn to read and write Chinese characters using a phoenetic Roman script; they use an older Chinese phoenetic alphabet called Zhuyin. Also, there is little consistency in the Romanisation of Chinese in Taiwan, and as it's a political issue it's unlikely to improve any time soon. (The ruling pro-unification-with-China Chinese Nationalist party favour using Chinese romanisation (pinyin) and the opposition pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party favour a system which more accuraetly reflects Taiwanese pronounciation and assigns different romanisation to syllables from all languages spoken in Taiwan.) It's not uncommon to see a road name written two different ways at the same intersection. So most Taiwanese will not recognise any but perhaps the most common street names in English, nor will they have any idea how to pronounce the Chinese from an address written in English. Beware also that main roads often have the same names in each city (for example, most towns and cities seem to have a Zhong Zheng Rd / Jhongjeng Road running to the train station. Main roads are often long, and are usually divided up into sections (pronounced "duan" in Chinese). Roads can are also be numbered. For example, Chung Siao 2nd Road is not the same as Chung Siao Road Section 2; these are occasionally confused on the HappyCow site. An address written in Chinese, while short and succinct, will have all this vital info included with no ambiguity.

While this all sounds difficult, it really is easy to solve. I suggest carrying business cards for places one works and eats, and/or a guidebook with addresses in Chinese. Also, don't be afraid to walk into a 7-11, buy your next bottle of water, and ask them to write down the address of that 7-11 in Chinese so you can get back to the point. Also, keep contacts of people who offer to help (such as that person you met at the vegetarian restaurant you went to soon after you landed, who gave you their business card in case you ever needed help) and take them up on it if necessary. And, failing all that, there will probably always be an English speaker not too far away, at least in major cities.

All this said, chances are that if you come to Taipei or another major city you'll probably use the MRT and/or buses, and if you live in a smaller city, you'll probably buy a scooter (be careful!).

SCOOTER

Taiwan has more scooters per capita than any other country in the world; if you've spent more than an hour here, you'll have worked that out already. They are fast, convenient (for example easy to park) and fuel and cost efficient, and if you live outside of Taipei (or even if you don't) you'll probably get on before long. However, the downsides are that they are dangerous, and accidents are really only a matter of time. Pollution is also bad (especially in Taipei) and sitting in a sea of scooters at the lights can be very unpleasant. For details on licenses, ownership etc (important) see websites like tealit.com or any other expat sites. In short, International Driving Licenses are allowed for a limited time (but must be stamped by an office after the first month) and it is possible to get local licenses (but most people here short term don't, at their own risk). My advice: if you're going to do it, drive very carefully, license or not. While most people have accidents, most people also go through red lights (especially turning right), weave in and out of dangerously small gaps in the traffic, and turn left on the green light before the oncomming traffic has reached them; law and safe driving practice requires that, at intersections marked with a line and a box, scooter riders turning right first go to that box and then go through the intersection on the next green light (it works, and is much safer). Personally I consider riding a scooter carefully to be worth the risk, but I don't think it's worth the extra few minutes possibly saved to drive like most locals and foreigners. From what I've seen, virtually all accidents, especially serious ones, occur at intersections, usually because people don't follow the road rules. And if the risk of accidents isn't enough, breaking rules can also be expensive. I've never heard of foreigners being pulled over and fined for no license without a cause (not so say it couldn't happen) but when foreigners are pulled over for breaking the rules and fail to produce a valid local/international license, it's a 6000NT fine (plus the fine for the original offense).

WALKING

Taipei and Kaohsiung are blessed with footpaths in most areas, though it's often more of a scooter path/park. Outside of Taipei, however, footpaths are few and far between, and walking can be quite unpleasant and dangerous, as there is often very little distance between parked vehicles and scooters, which flow through every gap they can fit into, sometimes in both directions on both sides of the road. I often wonder whether it's safer to be on a scooter than on foot. The walk from the Jhongli station to the Loving Hut, for example, which I do almost every week, is a very unpleasant and perhaps dangerous one. Keep alert!

INTERCITY

The best means of getting between cities is the new "Gao Tie", the high-speed train down the west coast. It's basically a Japanese Shinkansen, however Europeans built the tracks, which had to be especially designed for Taiwan's exceptionally mountainous and terrain. With top speeds of about 300km/hr, it does the trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung in 96 minutes direct (a few a day) or about two hours if it stops at all the stations (as the rest do). As the inter-city transport of the future here, English signage is very good (and even gramatically correct), and tickets can be purchased online at www.thsrc.com.tw.

Hsinchu High Speed Rail Station at night

However, the HSR has its downsides. Firstly, its, not surprisingly, the most expensive way to get between cities. Prices are discounted during off peak hours, and occasionally during holiday seasons, but a ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung generally runs to about 1500NT (~35€). Another problem is that it's built for the cities of the future, which is no doubt intelligent planning, but for now, the stations are usually several kilometres out from the main city centres, which are generally centred around the (conventional) train stations. While shuttle buses run to the old train stations, the extra time taken often makes this hardly worthwhile. For example, from where I live in Hsinchu City, it takes ten minutes to get to the conventional train station and 1 - 1.5 hours to get to Taipei on the train, for about 100-180NT. Alternatively, I can spend half an hour getting to Jhubei - the 'new Hsinchu' on my scooter, and catch the high speed train for up to 290NT, which takes half an hour. It isn't usually worth it unless I know that when I'll be returning the conventional trains will be overfull, which happens most Sunday evenings.

A Taiwan HSR ticket

Tickets rarely sell out on the high speed train, but beware that during the weekends they don't sell unreserved seats, so should they sell out, you won't be allowed on.This possible problem aside, the shuttle bus from the Taoyuan station to the airport makes the high speed train a fast, comfortable and otherwise very reliable way to get to the airport (also hope there isn't an earthquake, which understandably results in the immediate suspension of the system until safety checks are performed on all the tracks.) It's now also possible to check in bags for EVA Air and China Airlines (the two local carriers) at the Taoyuan HSR station, and then take the shuttle to the airport and go straight to the boarding gate.

HSR trains at Taipei Main Station

CONVENTIONAL TRAINS
Taiwan has a very good, if aging, conventional train system, courtesy of the Japanese (they had to pay them to build the new high speed train, but the conventional train came as part of a packaged deal known as colonisation). Most places around the perimeter of the island, especially on the west coast and top half of the east coast, are easily reachable by train. However, since the high speed train is clearly the face of Taiwan for tourists and businesspeople, English on the conventional trains is somewhat limited, with Chinglish signage usually present and comprehensible. Clerks should officially speak English - and one window often has a sign up advertising that that clark speaks English - but in reality this may not always be the case. Worse still, the tickets don't say what platform the train leaves from, though directions down to platforms usually say where trains departing from there go, so the only way to tell often is to look at the signs announcing the departure times; it's unlikely that two trains will be scheduled to depart from different platforms at the same minute. If trains are delayed (as they often are), the signposted time will still be the 'official' one (which will match the tickets), with the estimated delay usually announced in a small box on the right. Signs generally provide all this information in English, but it's still very confusing the first few times. If taking the train, allow extra time - especially for purchasing the tickets, as there are often queues - and finding the right platform. Train conductors, though they rarely speak any English, are always helpful, and a glance at your ticket and a point at the platform to go to or train to board is usually sufficient.

There are three types of trains: the Tze Chiang (express) is fastest and most comfortable (and most expensive), so when going between major stations, these are the best bet. Seats are ticketed, though if there are no seats (as is often the case if you don't purchase a ticket in advance) you can buy a standing ticket, though you sometimes have to ask for it as the clerk's often assume foreigners won't want one. So if in a hurry, it's best to ask for the fastest ticket and say a standing ticket is ok. Tze Chiangs only stop at the major stations. The next fastest is the Chu Kuang, which is similar but slightly slower and stops at a few more stations; seating is also allocated. The third type, the local trains, stop at every station and are usualy very slow, but some new faster ones with English displays are now running. While there is no allocated seating and only one row of seats along each side of the train, they are generally quiet except for the few stops before or after a major city (like local trains in Japan). When going to a faraway station in a small town where only the local trains stop, it is best to purchase a Tze Chiang to the nearest major station and then transfer to a local train, but in reality this is unlikely to be the case for a traveller in Taiwan, and probably not worth the effort or confusion for a one-off journey. It's also worth noting that because local trains are less popular and have more staning room, and Tze Chiangs can get overcrowded, it can be more pleasant to spend two hours standing on a local train than one an a half hours standing in the aisle of a Tze Chiang.

A ticket to Chiayi for the 2010 lantern festival, and an open return ticket as there were no seats available for the return leg at the time of purchase. Note the lack of platform number on the tickets.

It's often a good idea to purchase a a return ticket at the same time, as it brings a slight discount, and a greater likelihood of a seat for the return leg. Tickets bought at the counter can be changed or refunded if you can't use the return one as planned.

There are two types of ticket machines. The older style aren't especially complicated, but they can't give tickets with allocated seating (a ticket with a seat is the same price at the counter or other machine below), so are really only worth bothering with for short hops on the local train, as there are rarely queues at them. They don't take notes, but a change machine is usually nearby.
Most station have a wall of these machines, which are really only good for short hops on the local train (without allocated seating).

Most main stations also have newer, bilingual, computerised machines, which are much more newbie-friendly. However, you need to state which type of train you want to take (generally start with Tze Chaing (the fastest), then try Chu Guang, and then the Local Train, unless you are going to a small station where only the local train stops). The other downside of these machines is that you can't refund or change the tickets. Should you miss the train, you can still get on a different train, but you won't get a seat. Another downside is that they don't say when the trains arrive, so while you can choose the fastest train, there's no way of knowing whether a slower train departing earlier will arrive earlier. Ticket clerks will usually sell the tickets with the earliest arrival at the destination.

These newer, bilingual machines dispense all types of tickets, but cues are often as long as at the counter, and their tickets cannot be changed or refunded.

CAR, SCOOTER and BICYCLE

It is possible for a traveller (or a foreign resident with a license - or not) to buy or hire a car and drive between cities, but I rarely hear of people doing this as buses are so good. I do, however, plan to do a trip around the island by scooter in the near future, and will update this as to how it goes. However, due to the efficiency of the public transport, there is little need, except to see faraway attractions such as Taroko Gorge (though it's perhaps easier for a foreigner to just hire a scooter nearby). Taiwan has an excellent (tolled) highway system, however scooters (and motorbikes under 550cc) are no allowed to use it. This means that scooters are limited to smaller - generally quieter, more pleasant and more interesting - local roads, though at peak times the air quality can get very bad. Roads are generally kept in very good condition, but beware that in the mountains and on the East Coast, roads can be washed away during typhoons, as was the case in Typhoon Morokat in 2009.

The Cross Island Highways are beautiful but perilous. I learned the hard way when I did the Central Cross Island Highway that the 'high' is in terms of elevation, not road classification. Check with other websites as the the feasibility of doing these routes.

Bicycles used to be an unpopular reminder of Taiwan's poorer past, but are having a revival, with the government introducing cycle paths and encouraging cycling as a means of boosting local and international tourism; cycling around the island is becoming increasingly popular among both locals and tourists. Plenty of info is available on cycling websites. However, I would suggest that for a vegan cyclist, Taiwan would be an especially good destination due to the friendliness of people and availability of vegan food.

Off topic: TOKYO

2009-11-16T05:29:00.001-08:00

TOKYOTori (gate) to the Imperial Gardens. The gardens, like most of Tokyo, were incredibly beautiful.

This will be the first “off-topic” blog post: a trip to Tokyo. Off the Taiwan topic only that is, as much of my weekend was spent finding and eating vegan food.

Japan is by no means veggie (let alone vegan) friendly, with few vegan options anywhere, and a culture of accepting things how they are, and when it comes to food, that's usually with fish. Whilst living in rural Japan a year ago, I needed to cook virtually everything I ate, and carry my bento (Japanese lunch box) everywhere I went, or live on Inari Sushi and rice balls from convenience stores, and even then, the inari sushi sometimes came with 'surprises'.

My first meal in Tokyo on the way to the Imperial Gardens: a "Zen" meal from the Loving Hut. It was, at the time if not now, the best Japanese meal I had ever eaten.

Firstly, another plug for Herwin's “Vegan Japan Pocketguide”. This book saved me hours of time searching for places online, finding their addresses etc, and allowed me to find so many restaurants and tie them in with important sights in Tokyo, virtually hassle free. I found and enjoyed three or four vegan meals a day, met Japanese vegans, and for the first time, except perhaps for one vegetarian Japanese restaurant in Bangkok, got to taste 'real' vegan Japanese food.

The "Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide", from which I found my way around the Tokyo vegan scene, including of course everything shown here, and many more left for next time.

While I must say that I have usually described the Japanese food I have managed to find as bland at best, for the first time on this trip I felt that I discovered the charm of Japanese food: through the simplicity and delicate sauces and condiments – and Japanese might even say presentation – subtle flavours of rice, vegetables and fake meat come out, making it pleasantly palatable and, usually, delicious. I'll still pass on the natto, though.

A Japanese macrobiotic curry. It was delicious.

As to be expected for Tokyo, everything was expensive (especially compared to Taiwan) but food was much less so that I had expected. My cheapest meals (including rice and/or a drink) usually ran at 1000 – 1500 Yen, and my most expensive – a sour plum (really sour) and tofu entree, tempura, beer and dessert at Non, a traditional vegan pub - hit me for almost 4000 Yen. Still, how often does one get to experience a traditional Japanese pub, all vegan?

My entree (very very sour plum and tofu and a beer at Non, a traditional Japanese pub (except for it being vegan). Unfortunately I forgot to photograph my tempura or dessert.

The only other downside (than cost) is that meal portions are rather small, and sometimes after one meal, I felt that I could eat another straight afterwards, and did just that. By the time I had navigated Tokyo's superb but somewhat overwhelming subway system and arrived at my next restaurant, I felt as if I hadn't eaten at all. Of course, the upside to that was that I could try more restaurants in a day, and with 40 odd in the Vegan Pocketguide, there were plenty to choose from. Sometimes it was necessary two fit in two lunches and/or dinners close together, as like in Taiwan, many restaurants close between 2:30 and 5:00.

Channa masala from Nattaraj Aoyama Branch. I think Taiwan could really do with a branch of Japan's Indian vegetarian restaurant chain, as most “Indian” restaurants in Taiwan are run by Pakistanis, who not surprisingly cater much better to the Halal clientele than vegan clientele (or should I say than to me?). I've stopped going to them after a few lied about what was vegan.

While availability of vegan food in Japan doesn't even come close to Taiwan for convenience – there are almost as many vegetarian restaurants in Hsinchu (population 400 thousand) as in Tokyo (population 12 million) one thing the Japan vegan scene wins hand down on is variety of vegan food available, and this made for a welcome change to someone who eats one or two typical Taiwanese veggie meals most days. In two days in Tokyo I had a Japanese “Zen” meal at the Loving Hut, a macrobiotic Japanese curry, two Indian meals, breakfast at a French-style cafe, organic pies and pizza from an organic vegan bakery, several vegan cakes and muffins and a three course Japanese pub meal.

Breakfast at a French-style cafe, one of the few vegan restaurants open for breakfast.

Taiwan has a few 'Thaiwanese” restaurants, and the Loving Huts serve a few “International” dishes (read Inter-Asian, plus French fries) but that's about as far as it goes.I hope someone will open either a vegetarian Indian restaurant (such as Nattaraj as mentioned above) or a Thai restaurant somewhere in Taiwan (probably Taipei). Given the number of vegetarian restaurants here, and other (non-Taiwanese/Chinese/Japanese) ethic food restaurants, I think such a restaurant would be very, very successful, especially of placed near a large Buddhist temple.

This "Farmers Market" was an unexpected find in downtown Tokyo, and more pleasantly surprising was that some of the too-processed-to-have-come-straight-from-a-farm products, such as cookies, were vegan.

I can't recommend Tokyo enough for a weekend trip from Taiwan, or longer. Sayoonara.

My meal on the plane - brown lentil patties. It was the first time I'd eaten brown lentils in years, and they were great. Eva Airlines aways serve good – and always vegan – food (code VGML) and unlike KLM (who fly to Bangkok) never “forget” or “lose” the vegetarian meal order. For anyone reading this blog and considering coming to Taiwan, I highly recommend the independent, Taiwanese-owned Eva Air – besides the vegan food, staff are friendly and efficient, and perhaps more importantly, they have never had a fatality. To the contrary, the state-owned “China Airlines” have one of the worst records in the developed world (seven times the international average of [fatality] incidents), and only last year a plane burst into flames and burnt up on the Tarmac in Japan (fortunately they got everyone out in time). Travel agents, through whom China Airlines seem to do most of their business, generally try to sell China Airlines flights first (with the selling point always being “their air hostesses are so beautiful” - suppose it's nice to know when you crash into the sea) but I always insist on paying a few dollars more for EVA Air. Their online booking system is also very good, and usually returns the cheapest fare anywhere in Asia, with the only exception being KLM to Bangkok (but take your own food, as they “forget” the vegetarian meal requests at least half of the time).

SHORT UPDATES

2009-10-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

This section will contain any small news items not worth a post in itself.
If this new information contradicts older posts, I will endeavour to update them. However, if you are vegan in or coming to Taiwan please read this section to ensure that everything else is up to date.

Also, if you find a new vegan product somewhere, or notice that one is missing, or not vegan (anymore), please email me.

AUGUST 2010
Though not really news anymore, I have updated my 7-11 post to include their updated vegan range, see my post here.

To the philosophers following this blog, please do not post philosophy in Chinese any more in the comments section! I haven't deleted any of it because it is on a good philosophical note and not spam (in case any one wondered), but this blog is specifically about veganism in Taiwan. Comments about veganism are getting lost in the philosophical titbits, so please stop - thank you.

MO's BURGER CANCELS VEGAN BURGER
I recently noted that Mos Burger - hardly a chain to get excited about - sold a vegan burger, and that it was an option for a quick eat if one was at the high speed train station in Hsinchu. This has been DISCONTINUED, making the only vegan options a salad (a few leaves) and a coffee. When I asked for vegetarian, the staff pointed to another burger that could be made without whatever flesh was in it, but when I asked if it was vegan, they said no. It also doesn't have the vegetarian logo that the salad and previous vegan burger had, so we should assume that no burgers at Mos Burger can be made vegan. The only option at the hsinchu high speed train station now is the 7-11 meal.

NEW VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT GUIDE PUBLISHED
A recent festival ("The First Environmentally Friendly Conference for the Disabled") in Taipei included at least a dozen stalls by "Supreme Master" Ching Hai selling vegan food, products, and Ching Hai clothing and other items, and of course many giving out free information about the merits of a vegan diet.
There I found the following very handy list of most (or perhaps even all) vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan, organised by city. It is all in Chinese, so is perhaps of limited value to the traveller or newbie to Taiwan, however since most street names use two of only a small number of characters, it is possible with little effort to be able to recognise street names soon after arriving in Taiwan.
The other downside is that since it lists all places in a city, chances are that most will be either a typical small noodle house (which all serve very similar food) or a typical buffet. I am slowly working my way through the Hsinchu ones. So again, it's more a useful resource for someone living in Taiwan than for the traveler.
Hundreds of people attend the "Environmentally Friendly Conference for the Disabled". Most stalls were selling vegan food or promoting vegan items. The familiar "Go Vegan" banner can be seen above some stalls. In the background is the title "Liberty Square" which replaced "Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall" on the entrance to this somewhat controversial public square in downtown Taipei.

Fake Meat Update, or lack of

2009-10-14T05:53:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, the Taiwanese government reportedly performed spot checks on several fake-meat "vendors" (whatever that means) and found that over half contained real animal products. Follow-up tests and investigations were promised, but have not been released or reported on so far.

While it made the briefly section in Taiwan's largest English (and in my opinion best) newspaper, the Taipei Times, and the Taiwan News (another good paper), it created somewhat of a stir in vegan circles around the world, as much if not most of the world's fake meat is made here in Taiwan. Anyone who ate fake meats at Chinese vegetarian restaurants (most of which are in fact Taiwanese, no Chinese), had to wonder whether the too-good-to-be-true fake meat actually was.

If it really was over 50%, we could expect the Buddhist population in Taiwan to be up in (peaceful) arms about it, however, no such reaction has been noticed. Then again, most of Taiwanese vegetarian dining population are not actually vegetarian, but simply eat at vegetarian restaurants at certain times, as dictated by their local customs and religions. It may be that these "vendors" were all non-vegetarian suppliers, and that food at Buddhist restaurants, if made by Buddhist companies, is safe. There is really not enough information to draw any conclusions, but certainly enough for concern.

Though I have been unable to get to the bottom of it, I have paid much more attention to the ingredients of fake meat in grocery stores. The majority contains milk (in fitting with the fact that Buddhists eat dairy products) and some contains egg (because the I Kuan Tao religion also eat egg products). It also often contains many less than healthy ingredients. It should not really be surprising that dairy, usually whey (or whey protein) is added to soy products meant to have the taste and texture of animal flesh. I highly doubt that many, if any, Chinese/Taiwanese vegetarian resaurants which promise "we use no dairy or egg" check the ingredients of their fake meat for whey. Buddhist-run restaurants probably will check the ingredients for egg, however.

One highly trustworthy exception to this rule is again, the wonderful followers of the "Supreme Master" Ching Hai, in particular their Loving Huts (website in Chinese only, but see my article on the chain here). Her followers (should that be devotees?) are strictly vegan (or fast going vegan) and owners of Loving Hutts are meticulous about checking that their ingredients are vegan.

So, in the absence of any real conclusion, but given that business in Taiwan is less than honest, most people eating vegetarian at any given time are not vegetarian themselves (all the time) and very few are vegan, I do not recommend eating fake meat from unknown sources in Taiwan (or eating anything from China at all). In Taiwan, I usually only eat fake meat at restaurants run by Ching Hai followers. For vegans abroad, inconvenient though this may be, I would not recommend eating any imported fake meats from Asia at all, and instead sticking to ones made by local veg'n companies, unless it is at a restaurant run by Ching Hai followers. Sadly, that sweet-and-sour Chicken you've been eating at your local Chinese vegetarian restaurant probably contains whey, and might just contain a little chicken, too.Vegetarian shark fin soup anyone?

7-11 and Convenience Store Food

2009-10-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

Update: AUGUST 2010

A while back the 7-11s introduced a new vegan range of small meals (or snacks, depending on how you define them).

There are four frozen items in yellow packets in the freezers, clearly labelled "vegetarian" in English and 純素 (vegan) in Chinese. These include steamed buns, fried (then frozen and microwaved) rice, a "broth" and noodles.

vegan steamed buns

UPDATE: These have been DISCONTINUED, and have been replaced by dumplings, which come out ok but sometimes they stick together. Make sure you get sauce to go with them (find the free sachets). I preferred the steam buns personally :(

The steamed buns (above) are the best bet for a meal on the run. They will microwave them in the bag (doesn't sound very healthy, but hopefully the bag is made for it, and it keeps the steam in) and give you the plastic bag (hot). This is the best option at the 7-11 if you need to save your food for later consumption.

"vegetarian broth" (left) and fried rice (with soy sauce sachet over the top)

The "broth" (no it's not a mistranslation of soup) is to my taste a little bland, but it can be mixed with the noodles (not shown) to make a reasonable noodle soup. The fried rice (right) is in my opinion the next best of the new range (after the steamed buns).

While it's great to have a wider variety at 7-11s, for a real 'meal', the "Black Pepper Ramen" (below, from my original post) is still the best option.

More recently, the 7-11s have introduced small bags of maple-syrup-flavoured cashew nuts, again conveniently labelled vegan.

vegan cashew nuts from the 7-11

7-11s have by far the best vegan range (and fortunately they are also the most common convenience store in Taiwan), however the Family Mart stores have introduced Inari sushi, which anyone who's travelled in Japan will be very familiar with. The 7-11s also sell them, but they are not labelled vegan, a sure sign that they aren't.

Inari Sushi from a Family Mart store, 全素 (vegan + no garlic/onion; for Buddhists) enlarged

Old Post begins here...

Well before this blog falls off into the vast unused quarters of cyberspace, I thought I'd follow with quick and reasonably tasty morsel: a new 7-11 meal available at virtually every 7-11 in the country.

The Taiwan 7-11 chain, presumably in response to the new labeling laws coming in have changed their frozen vegetarian selection. One, not vegan, is more or less a combination of the two older meals. The second, however, pictured below, is a vegetarian udon soup. It is filling and tastes rather good for udon, at least in my opinion.

Take one out of the freezer (usually at the back of the 7-11). When they ask you if you want it microwaved (probably in Chinese, but it's all that they will ask you) nod. If you're so new to Taiwan that you're not yet accustomed to chopsticks, you might be lucky enough to get a knife and fork; if not, ask for one. Don't forget to get sauces from the rack somewhere under or behind the counter.

I usually add the chili and tomato sauces to give it more flavour, which it rather lacks.

The vegan option has a green box and is pictured below. Note that the yellow one usually beside it is not vegan (it contains milk, as shown by the 奶素 label).

This is how it looks when you get it back, microwaved.

UPDATE:

Though not nearly as filling or healthy, the 7-11s now sell a box of vegetable crackers, which makes a good accompaniment to go with the meal. It is made in Taiwan and quite tasty, and contains a range of real vegetables. It does not have ingredients in English (though a similar one below does) OR the vegetarian label, but I have checked all the ingredients carefully, and there are none which could be at all suspicious.

Vegan crackers, available from every 7-11.

The following crackers can be found at other convenience stores and small supermarkets (grocery stores). They have exactly the same ingredients, strangely printed in a different order. They are also listed in English. They are made in the same factory in Taiwan, and as far as I can tell, taste identical.

A different box of similar if not identical vegan crackers to those above.

Hsinchu Vegan Restaurants

2009-08-15T02:55:00.000-07:00

Hsinchu Train Station

Hsinchu is a small city almost unheard of outside of Taiwan, however, there is at least a 50% chance that the computer chips you are using to view this web page were manufactured here (though your computer was probably assembled in China). The Hsinchu Science park (a massive but surprisingly pleasant industrial area of factories and businesses) is perhaps the powerhouse of Taiwan's economy, and as a result the average income in Hsinchu is higher than any other city in Taiwan (though due to its size Taipei still appears more affluent).

If you are a tourist or traveler in Taiwan, you probably have little reason to come to Hsinchu, except perhaps as a stop on your way south, though with such a fast and efficient train system on such a small island, even that is unlikely. If you're here, chances are it's either for a business visit to the Science Park, or you're living here, either teaching English at a local school or buxiban (cram school) or teaching another subject at an International School.

While it's no Venice or Kyoto, much work has gone into 'cleaning up' Hsinchu in recent years, including the development of a pleasant canal through the centre of the city. Hsinchu is arguably Taiwan's third most liveable city after Taipei and Taichung, though with its new MRT system, Kaohsiung could be challenging all of these.

One disappointing thing about Hsinchu is the notable lack of a Loving Hut (for now).

Like most of this blog, this page is a work in progress :)

BEDDHA AID DINING HALL 佛濟食堂 (Fo2 Ji4 Shi2 Tang2)
(Note that the above may not be the correct translation)

Though a small buffet, this is my favourite place to eat in Hsinchu. Not only is all the food vegan, but it serves quite a different range of food from any other Taiwanese buffet I have ever come across. To my palate, the food has much more flavour than regular buffets. Also, though they speak very little Enlgish, the staff are very friendly.

This restaurant is just outside the main entrance to National Jiao Tung University (the third to top university in Taiwan, to National Taiwan University in Taipei and National Tsing Hua University nearby in Hsinchu), so attracts a strong student crowd, as well as many workers and least two regular New Zealand teachers, of which I am one.

Like all good buffets, it is slightly more expensive than most, at up to 200 NT for a very large plate, with a bowl of rice.

They also have a good a-la-carte menu, but as it is only in Chinese, it really only works if you see other people eating something you would like, in which case the staff and probably the other customers will be very accommodating to your pointing at their food and requesting.

A typical meal from Buddha Aid Dining Hall.

How to Get There
It's a long and not very pleasant walk from the train station - a scooter or taxi is the best option. To get to the Buddha Aid Dining Hall (from the train station) walk out the train station and go down Linsen Road (with the subway restaurant on the corner). Continue down Linsen Rd until you reach JhenSing Bridge on your left, and SiWei Road to the right. Take Jhensing Bridge to your left up and over ZhongHua road and the railway line behind it. The restaurant is directly over the bridge on the right. As soon as you get over the bridge, take the first park you can find or get out of the taxi.

MINDER VEGETARIAN
Minder Vegetarian, Hsinchu. Buddhist Nuns sometimes sell fresh fruit outside. Prices are always very reasonable and the food is very fresh, and (more to support them) I recommend purchasing it.

Minder vegetarian are covered elsewhere on this blog (pages changing so not linked here), but the vegetarian branch (like all) is an excellent place for a solid meal. The only downside is that the food is not all vegan (some contains milk), and I have been unable to get assurances from the company about which foods are vegan. Anything with milk should usually be obvious, however one thing to watch out for is that some very soft, mushy looking tofu is made from cow's milk. Cakes and other deserts should also be assumed to contain milk. This may sound grim, but there are at least twenty dishes which are certain to be vegan at any given time, including (real) tofu dishes (anything deep fried should be fine), steamed vegetables and fake meats (again, dairy caution). Any "eggs" are fake, as being a Buddhist restaurant, it does not use egg (or garlic or onion).

As with any good buffet, food is slightly more expensive, and a large, eat-in meal, with rice, can cost up to 200NT, slightly more than other buffets.

This restaurant also has an "all you can eat" option, however without the dining experience that other expensive buffets have (including the main Minder Vegetarian branch in Xindian, Taipei) it really is a waste of money, as you eat the same food but pay much, much more for it, just for the convenience of being able to keep going back for more.

a typical meal from Minder Vegetarian

How to Get There
From the Hsinchu train station, turn right into Zhong Hua Road (North East), and follow it for about a kilometer. It is well labelled, on the left, just after MinSheng Road.

The address is:
300新竹市東區中華路二段82號
Hsinchu City, ZhongHua Road, Section 2, Number 82.

SUBWAY
I don't plan to often recommend non-vegetarian eateries in this blog, however, for many foreigners in Taiwan,including myself, it is sometimes nice to have a meal which is not Taiwanese, without having to cook it yourself. For this, subway is a good bet, if not the only one. All stores have English-speaking staff, though they usually appreciate it if a foreigner speaks Chinese, or tries to.

On the assumption that the bread is the same as elsewhere in the world (something I am waiting for confirmation of from the company), then:
1. Wheat bread contains honey, otherwise breads are vegan unless the name suggests otherwise (eg Honey Oat and Parmeasan Oregano).
2. The sweet onion sauce, ketchup and chilli sauces are vegan.
3. I do now know about the mustard sauce, but the honey mustard appears to contain mayonnaise (and, of course, honey).
4. You need to be careful to tell the staff not to put cheese on it.
5. Just in case someone doesn't speak English, when they point at a machine at the back, they are asking you if you want it toasted. Toasted subway break really doesn't make a good salad sandwich :)

How to Get There
Walk out the Hsinchu Train Station, and look down LinSen Road (that's the one almost perpendicular to ZhongHua (which is parallel to the train tracks), slightly to the left as you leave the station. Subway should be visible from the main entrance.
'
This makes it also a good place to grab a bite to eat if you have time before taking a train, or to take onto the train. Alternatively, pick up a frozen (microwaved) vegan meal and a Taipei Times (Taiwan's most read and in my opinion best English-speaking Newspaper, not easily found in Hsinchu) from the large 7-11 on the corner just beside Subway.

MO's BURGER at Hsinchu High Speed Train Station
EDIT: As of Saturday, 17th October, 09, this burger appears to be DISCONTINUED, limiting the vegan range at Mos Burger to a salad (a few leaves) and a coffee.
A 7-11 meal would be much better, or if going to Taipei, Taoyuan or Taichung, go to a Loving Hut there instead.

Yet another non-vegetarian eatery listed purely for convenience, is Mo's Burger, which you may wish to try if and only if you take the High Speed Train. This new, super-fast train (a Japanese shinkansen on tracks made especially by French and German engineers to suit Taiwan's rugged and mountainous landscape) is a great way for getting up and down the length of the country, including an express train from Taipei to Kaohsiung in about 90 minutes. However the station is so far from the centre of Hsinchu, that if you are coming to Hsinchu for the first time from Taipei, by the time you take a taxi from the station to the centre of Hsinchu, you'll have saved very little time over the conventional train, and probably have spent at least three times as much. If you take the free shuttle bus to the city centre, you probably won't save any time at all. It is, however, worth taking it if you have your own transport to get to the station, or if you are going further south (but take the conventional train to Taichung for the same reason). It is also worth taking it if you are flying out of Taiwan, as there is a convenient shuttle bus from the Taoyuan Station to the airport, so it is a very fast, reliable way to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport.

So, if you find yourself at Hsinchu Gao Tie Zhan (Hsinchu High Speed Train Station) and with some time on your hands, or in need of food, Mo's Burger, which is inside the station at the other end to the 7-11, serves a rice and konnyaku burger, in which the rice is fried to form a kind of a burger, with strips of konnyaku and some vegetables and sauces inside. They also have salads, but watch that they do not contain egg.
All stores have an Enlgish menu, with vegetarian (vegan but for the egg in the salad) clearly written on the few safe dishes.

Alternatively, for a faster bite at the station, there is a 7-11 which should sell the frozen vegetarian meals discussed elsewhere on this blog.

Map and other restaurants coming soon... :)

Loving Huts

2009-08-06T05:36:00.001-07:00

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.

Please Sign This Petition

2009-08-02T06:46:00.000-07:00

SAAW International is a great new animal rights and welfare group based in Taiwan. They are organising the following petition to have the government endorse a nation-wide vegetarian day every Monday.

This may seem far fetched - and I won't hold my breath - but the following article from the Taipei Times states that last year more than one million Taiwanese pledged to eat vegetarian temporarily, including the mayors of Taipei and Kaohsiung (Taiwan's second largest city).

With Mahayana Buddhism perhaps the most common - and certainly the most respected - religion in Taiwan, and two others ("Supreme Master" Ching Hai followers and I Kuan Tao) also endorsing vegetarianism, it is much more widely accepted than in western countries. Taiwan also seeks ways to prove itself as a good global citizen. This could be a good way.

Please sign the petition, preferrably with a message.

This petition is organised by SAAW International.

Introduction to Being Vegan in Taiwan

2009-08-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

Why a Vegan In Taiwan Blog?

When I first came to Taiwan nearly three years ago, with the intention of teaching English for a year and then returning to New Zealand, I had heard that it was great place for vegans; this was a significant reason for choosing Taiwan to live over Japan or Korea – a decision I certainly don't regret. For about two rather hungry and miserable weeks, however, I lived on dumplings for lunch and subway for dinner, or for a change, occasionally subway for lunch and dumplings for dinner, or even subway for lunch and dinner. At one point, I traveled right across Taipei to search (unsuccessfully) for an ordinary Taiwanese buffet recommended by the Lonely Planet, though a kind-hearted Taiwanese person did eventually search online for me (again unsuccessfully) and then finally explain my needs to a nearby non-veg restaurant. A few days later, I found a Buddhist vegetarian (with the unmissable reverse swastika) deep-fried fast food vendor in Gongguan, which sustained me every night for another week or so. It was only the assurances I had received from fellow veg'ns before leaving New Zealand, that kept me in Taiwan for that first month,
during which time I lived in hope – and sometimes in hunger – that I would eventually work out where all these great vegetarian restaurants apparently were.

And I did. Within in a month or so, I was finding delectable vegan food everywhere I went in Taipei, and had all but forgotten my earlier
struggles to survive. However, it all came back to me when a friend and vegan writer, Herwin Walravens, came to Taiwan to print his new, glossy, Vegan Guide to Japan, and explained how difficult it was to find food, and recommended that I start a vegan guide to Taiwan. This blog is modeled on Herwin's Vegan Guide to Japan and new Vegan Guide to Thailand, soon to become a pocketguide like his Japanese equivalent.

This blog is primarily aimed at the new vegan (or vegetarian) foreigner to Taiwan, whether here as a tourist, on business, or for work, most likely as a teacher. For readers of Chinese, the following sites also list vegetarian restaurants: [COMING SOON]

This blog will focus first on survival in Taiwan, but may, in the future, if it gets enough readers, include reports on more interesting

vegetarian restaurants for long-term expats to try out (please send me recommendations). It will focus first on Taipei and Hsinchu, the two cities most likely to be visited or lived in by tourists, new teachers and businesspeople.

Vegan Survival in Taiwan

Finding Vegetarian Restaurants
Vegan restaurants really are everywhere: I haven't had an apartment without at least two or three within walking distance. However, they are often down small alleys and back streets, and are not easy to find.

2. ASK people. Don't be afraid to walk into a shop (a convenience store is a good place to start) or even ask a stranger on the street if they know where one is; likely they will, and if you are lucky and they have time, they might even walk you there (gotta love Taiwan for things like that).
3.Print the following characters up and paste them around your house.
Virtually every vegetarian eatery will have these two characters, either alone together or as part of the name.
Is it Vegan?
Probably, but not necessarily. First of all, there is currently a scare that much fake meat contains real meat; read about it here. For now, I say leave it to the Buddhists, Ching Hai devotees and, if necessary, law-makers to sort this out, and assume that at truly vegetarian restaurants, assume that it is, but watch this space).

Some dishes contain cheese or milk products in the sauces, but it is usually very obvious, as dairy products are not used in traditional Chinese/ Taiwanese cooking, and are expensive to import (and a class/status symbol – something that needs to change in Asia) it is generally either obvious, or not used at all.

A bigger concern, however small, is that many fake meats do contain milk products, particularly whey. At a small place, it may be possible to ask to check the ingredients (if the bulk packaging they buy lists them), but at a large place, I do not recommend eating any fake meats at all. (Note: this recommendation has just been edited after a little further investigation into whey in fake meat.) It is a risk most vegans take all over the world (the fake meat you ate at your local veg Chinese restaurant was probably made in Taiwan), but I am in the process of writing to the major chains to find out how common it is, and which of their food is vegan. In the meantime, I do not recommend eating any 'fake meat' at any buffet. There is always plenty of (healthier) and much more trustworthy tofu products, spring rolls, vegetables etc. Note, however, that even some "tofu" is made with milk. It usually looks softer and is served with minimal, or no, sauces. Tofu which is heavily marinated, or deep fried, is fine.

Of course, the safest bet is to go to a Loving Hut (website in Chinese, my article on them here) or another restaurant run by the wonderful “Supreme Master” Ching Hai followers, as all are strictly vegan, and there could be no doubt that they would source their vegan ingredients very carefully. These restaurants serve good food, usually slightly more international than the regular Taiwanese restaurants (especially the buffets, which all serve very similar food), are well-priced, and generally have staff who speak good English.

What if a Vegetarian Restaurant Can't be Found?
An unfortunate reality in Taiwan, like most of Asia, is that non-vegetarian eateries are unlikely to do truly vegetarian – let alone vegan - food, spare the safest bet of steamed vegetables and steamed rice – hardly Taiwanese cuisine worth raving about. (Contrary to popular belief, the same goes for Chinese and most other East-Asian restaurants all around the world.) Most, if not all fried food (eg fried rice), will contain lard (if not stock, and potentially a whole
lot of other nasties), in the same way that food from a normal Thai restaurant will contain fish derivatives, whether “vegetarian” or not. However, the fact of the matter is that in Taiwan it is virtually never necessary to eat at such vegan-unfriendly places; I eat out upwards of ten times per week (usually at one of the two simple buffets within walking distance of my home, or the other five a few minutes ride away) and do not remember the last time I ate at a non-vegetarian restaurant. If I go out with a group of non-vegetarians, it''s usually not difficult to persuade them to go to a vegetarian restaurant – the numerous fake meat dishes they serve help there – but in the worst case scenario, I now usually eat before hand and just have a drink at the non-veg restaurant. However, if you wishes to try your luck at a non-veg restaurant, here are a few tips.

1.Chances are if you're going there or being taken there, the staff will speak English and understand “vegetarian”, “egg” and “milk”, “cheese” and “cream” (but perhaps not “dairy products”) and probably understand what you want, in English.
2.If not, the best thing to say is: “woo chrr chyuen swu” (inRomanised pinyin, it is written: 'Wo chi quan su'). Literally, this means that you are vegan and do not eat onion and garlic (and a few other things Buddhists don't eat) but it is really not worth communicating your desire for garlic and onion, as this will just confuse things; they will hopefully be familiar with Buddhist cooking and if so it is the best you'll get . However, due to its tones, if you are new to Chinese, the confused waiter/waitress/chef may well think you are speaking English and not Chinese, so it would be much better to show them this, the Chinese of the above: 我吃全素 (despite being one of the hardest languages to read and write, literacy rates are virtually 100%, especially in the cities). For interest's sake,
'quan su' is very similar to “Jey”/ “Jeh” from SE Asia, or Jain food from India.

3.Taiwanese are inherently friendly to foreigners, and, should you have problems, especially in a major city, it is almost certain that someone who speaks English will race over and help you. Use them - they mean it genuinely - and thank them afterwards with “Share share nii!”. (People new to Taiwan, especially if they've spent time in South East Asian countries, can mistake a genuine attempt to help a foreigner – and perhaps a desire to practise their English and/or show it off to their friends – as having a hidden agenda to sell, scam or otherwise be a nuisance. Use it and appreciate it. (Doing business involving large amounts of money with Taiwanese is, however, another story.)

4.Realise you are taking a risk. There is a significant chance your food is not vegetarian, either because the non-veg waiter/waitress/chef did not nderstand, or just did not care (however nice they seemed). The chances are lower than perhaps getting fish in SE Asia, but are there. In Taiwan, veg'ns eat at vegetarian restaurants and non-vegetarians eat everywhere, including often vegetarian restaurants. Many Taiwanese are vegetarian on certain days of the week, or month, or I think when relatives die, and some do deals (with deities I think) that they will go vegetarian for a set length of time if good fortune comes on them, such as business success or gaining entry into a good university.

Is that Egg?
Quite possibly, but look closely. The I-Kuan-Tao group are a small, vegetarian religion in Taiwan who run a few of the vegetarian restaurants, and they do eat and occasionally serve eggs, however, due to the large majority of Buddhists frequenting their restaurants, they generally just cook simple egg dishes, and shouldn't put them in main dishes (the nature of Chinese food should make it obvious anyway). However, the majority of restaurants are run by Buddhists who wouldn't; however some, most notably the Minder Vegetarian chain (link in Chinese) make very good imitation eggs out of carrots and tofu and who knows what else, but they are vegetarian (presumably vegan).

Cakes and milky-looking desserts / puddings, unless stated “quan su / 全素(see the link on labels) should be assumed to contain milk and/or egg, unless of course they are at the great vegan Loving Hut (no it's not a love hotel) chain, where they are made out of soymilk.

Convenient Stores
When all else fails, there's always the convenience store, and there's usually one 'just over there'; Taiwan has more 7-11s per capita than any other country in the world, and with almost the highest population density in the world, probably the most per square kilometre also; in Taipei there literally seem to be at least one on each major intersection. And unlike the rest of the world, virtually all large convenience stores serve vegetarian meals (they're yet to be confirmed vegan, but it's a fairly safe bet that they are).
Edit: see my article on the new 7-11 meal here. Note that the word 7-11 (or just "the seven") is commonly used here to refer to any convenience store, including the chain's rivals such as 'Family Mart' and 'OK Mart'. This meal can ONLY be found in a genuine 7-11. All the frozen meals I have found at other chains (not that there are many) contain milk. This shouldn't be a problem, as 7-11s are everywhere in cities, and common even in small towns.

Take one out and bring it to the counter, and while you pay for it, they will ask whether you want it microwaved (or probably point to the microwave if you look like a confused waiguoren and they can't say it in English, or lack thee confidence to even if they can, which is most likely). Smile and nod or point to the microwave. Make sure that they open it and place a slit in the cover of the container, otherwise it won't cook properly, and may get hot enough to melt the plastic slightly (carcinogens anyone?). They nuke for a couple of minutes, take it out and shake it, then put it back in again for a bit longer. It's not five-star organic, raw, multi-course vegan cuisine, but it's a life-safer when you really can't find a vegetarian restaurant, or don't have time or can't be bothered to look for one.

In the same freezer, there should be frozen sweet potatoes (that's kumara for any kiwis out there). The Taiwanese eat them frozen – apparently it tastes like ice cream, but not to my palate – but with a bit of persuasion, they'll microwave them for you. Just beware that they come out steaming hot, and tend to drip boiling water from the corner of the cardboard package.

Somewhere under the counter, are free sauces to go with them in convenient little sachets – help yourself. The ketchup, chilli and sweet chilli are vegan, so long as flavours/flavour enhancers (typical in any processed sauce sachet) are fine.

The 7-11s tend to trial a range of interesting snack food, including for a while vegan rice crackers from the US, vegan spicy corn chips made locally, and even (mouth watering remembering) for any kiwis out there again, Whittakers dark chocolate bars. However, none of these lasted, and there are no such specialities at the moment, but watch this space. There are, of course, always nuts (watch out for fish, but it usually has pictures of fish on it if it contains it) and dried fruit, usually sweetened and containing a range of (probably unhealthy but vegan) additives, such as aspartame and food colourings. The 7-11s also sell small packs of plain tofu, and small jars of TVP and peanuts, but they really don't compare to the frozen meals.
Edit: see the 7-11 post (link above) for vegetable crackers now at the 7-11.

Websites
Most travelers will be familiar with the Happy Cow.
There are indeed many, many more than here (a job for me is to put more, especially the more interesting ones) on but this list should be easily enough to start with, and good practise for navigating Taipei's excellent and ever-expanding MRT system, or Kaohsiung's new one. Roads, streets and lanes can be a little confusing (check for the places on google Earth before you leave, and whether it's listed there or not, print the map out) and don't be afraid to go to the area by the MRT (subway / underground) and then ask someone to point you in the right direction. If you can't be bothered walking and finding it,
or are running late, another option is to print the address and give it to a taxi driver, but realise that it may take the driver a couple of times around to find it if it is in a small alleyway off a back street (taxi's in Taiwan are cheap, and drivers are very honest; I haven't been ripped off in any way in over two years in the country).

Not all taxi's speak English, but most should be able to read the address in English; if they can't, you could always read them the address in English (forget the tones) and they should work it out. With patience and reassurance (they probably will be embarrassed about their bad English, even if it's brilliant, which it probably won't be) a taxi driver should be able to help you find any place so long as the address is complete, for only a few dollars, so long as you came from somewhere nearby.

Restaurants

Everyday Eats
While fine dining eateries, especially ones with international menus, are few and far between, Taiwan has literally hundreds of small buffets, each serving similar traditional Taiwanese food, consisting mostly of steamed vegetables, fake meats, soups, dumplings, and sometimes sushi. Other than the small risk of dairy ingredients (see above), any diary products should be visible, and most will not use egg (again, any egg will be obvious).

In most restaurants, the procedure is as follows: walk in, take a paper plate and begin serving yourself. Pricier establishments have clean tongs which get washed after each use; others have a set of tongs in. or beside each dish. For takeaway dishes (wai dai – literally “outside bag”) fill up a small rectangular box, which may have separate compartments. Hungry foreigners may require two – expect an extra pair of chopsticks to be thrown in for the other you eating
it. When you have finished, take your food to the counter and place it on the scales, pay and you're done. Some establishments (the excellent Minder Vegetarian chain are a fine example) have separate scales for “Dine-In” or “Take-out”. Soup – though more a drink than a western-style soup - is always free.

Most neighbourhoods will contain a buffet or three, with the ubiquitous
“Su Shi” usually lit up in neon. I have attached some photos below.

It should be noted that as the food sits around a long time, and the
cheapest of establishments don't have glass panes to protect the food from coughing and sneezing customers, buffets are perhaps the least food-safe option, though I have only gotten sick from one buffet in over two years, at which the tofu tasted strange. The balancing-out factor is that turnover is usually very fast, with a good buffet serving dozens if not hundreds of people per meal.

Perhaps the best buffet chain – consistently clean and delicious, though not vegan – is the Minder Vegetarian Restaurant (website in Chinese). These are always busy, and food is always fresh and delicious. Being Buddhist-run, they serve some dishes containing dairy, but never use egg (though some of the carrot-and-potato imitations could have you wondering). I am awaiting a response regarding which dishes are vegan, but it is safe to assume that any without any obvious dairy are. Some mportant locations are:

1. Taipei Main Station: from the main ground floor, take any stairs up to the foodcourt on the first floor, which makes a ring around the inside circumference of the station. Follow it round until you see the sign. This is a much smaller than than most, but very convenient.

2. Eslite Bookstore Building: this is the most convenient – and almost the only – decent vegetarian option when visiting Taipei's must-see skyscraper (still the world's tallest completed building, but not for much longer). From Taipei 101, walk out the SongZhi Road exit, turn left and head towards the Eslite Bookstore (multistory building, shown below [SOON]) about five minutes walk towards the MRT station. Go inside, go down to B1 and it's just behind the stairs. (If you really must eat at 101, subway is your best bet, followed by an Indian meal of dubious quality, authenticity and vegan standards. A kebab shop seems to come and go as well, so falafel is also a possibility.)

3. Hsinchu: Zhong Hua Road. Walk out the main train station (that's the older, conventional train station, not the new high speed train station), turn right and keep going about a kilometre. If in doubt, ask someone, or a taxi driver, for “Ming De Su Shr Yuan.

4. The original, best restaurant, is at 137 Minquan Road, in Xindian. If you haven't eaten at any of the others, this is probably worth visiting for the experience, but if you've been to another one already, it's not worth tracking it down for the increase in size. An alternative option is to eat upstairs, where you pay about 400NT for all you can eat, and can have dishes (eg sushi) be made to order by waiting chefs. Dining here is quite an experience, and the travelling vegan should eat at one such 'all-you'can-eat' buffet at least once while in Taiwan. However, the service comes at a price, as the hungriest of foreign vegans would be lucky to spend half as much on the same food downstairs, when paying by weight. Take the MRT to Dapinglin Station (far south on the green line), and take exit 1. As you walk up and out onto the footpath, follow that road for about one kilometre, until you see the restaurant below.

5. Close to the above restaurant is the excellent Tzu Chi Buddhist Hospital, which is a good hospital to go to if one has the need. Like virtually everywhere in Taiwan, doctors and dentists all speak very good English, as they train using US textbooks in English. The best thing about this hospital, however, is the large, all-vegetarian foodcourt in the basement, including, again, a large Minder Vegetarian Restaurant.

Loving Huts
The Loving Huts are, without a doubt, a vegan's best bet for a quick, tasty meal in almost any major city in Taiwan. They are all vegan, immaculately clean, surprisingly cheap, and staff generally speak good English.
EDIT: My new post on Loving Huts is here (or follow the link above).

The Loving Huts are the largest chain or many, many restaurants run by followers of the "Supreme Master" Ching Hai, a Vietnamese-born religious teacher who lives in the US but has close ties to Taiwan. She and her followers actively promote veganism and environmentalism, for example this advertisement is in the Taipei Main Station, so will be viewed by tens or hundreds of thousands of people.
In Taiwan, the restaurants are all vegan (but not in China or Vietnam)

New Vegetarian Labelling Coming In

2009-06-28T04:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2009/06/28/2003447303

Excerpt:
The DOH will also start implementing its new labelling system for vegetarian food. It has divided vegetarian food into five categories, including food containing eggs, milk, or both milk and eggs, as well as those containing green onions, garlic, green leeks, red leeks and white onions, and those containing none of the ingredients above.

Food manufacturers must follow the categories and label their products appropriately.

Excerpt ENDS-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is good news for the growing number of vegans in Taiwan (growing mostly due to the growing numbers of the "Supreme Master" Ching Hai), who run a number of great vegan restaurants, which will be the topic of another post shortly.

The traditional label 全素 (quan2 su4, lit. "totally vegetarian") theoretically should be vegan, and also not contain any onion garlic or leek. It is very similar to "Jeh"/"Jey" food from SE Asia, or Jain food in India. However, from my experience, since Buddhists (who the label has traditionally been used by) consume milk products, most chefs will use it for food containing dairy, especially if it is a 'hidden' ingredient, such as whey or casein in fake meat . The label 純素 (chun2 su4 - lit. "pure vegetarian") is, by definition, vegan, and can include onion and garlic and is as close to a vegan guarantee as there is, but while it is becoming increasingly common, it is still used much less often than 全素.

For anyone new to Taiwan and searching for packaged foods, three related labels are:
奶素 ( contains milk, otherwise vegetarian) and 蛋素 (contains egg, otherwise vegetarian) and sometimes 奶蛋素 (contains both).
Other characters which can appear with them are: 可(can) and 用(lit. use, in this case eat) and 食 (food) and 者(person) eg 素食者可用 ("vegetarian people can eat this.") 可用食者 can all be ignored.

Summary:
全素 = probably vegan and no onion, garlic or leek (but double check for dairy).
純素 = vegan :)
奶 and/or 蛋 = not vegan

This "vegetarian" label is on its way out, since it does not specify whether or not it contains dairy or egg (or onion/garlic/alcohol).

This soy sauce producer is kind enough to label vegan in English.

The Loving Hut company (run by Ching Hai followers) produces a good and ever-growing range of vegan baking, including a range of cookies. The (enlarged) layer reads:
top row: "without milk without egg"
bottom row: "vegans can eat"

The Fake Meat Scare: Is it Really Fake?

2009-06-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=976592&lang=eng_news

Over 50% of processed foods for vegetarians found to contain meat

Central News Agency
2009-06-14 06:38 PM

Taipei, June 14 (CNA) The Investigation Bureau has recently found that some processed foods advertised as vegetarian contained meat, and it has vowed to refer producers who knowingly added meat to their products for prosecution on fraud charges.

Pu Chang-en, a technician at the bureau's department of forsensic science, said Sunday that among samples collected from 31 vegetarian food vendors in Taipei City and County for safety checks, food taken from 17 vendors were found to contain meat.

DNA tests revealed that in the two most serious cases, the vegetarian patties and ham of one vendor and vegetarian dried shredded pork from another vendor contained at least 20 percent beef or pork, Pu said.

An investigation targeting the producers of the fraudulent vegetarian processed foods has been launched to find out whether meat was deliberately added to the soybean-based products to enrich their texture and flavor.

Fu explained that it is possible that vegetarian foods showing small traces of meat could have been contaminated by poorly cleaned work tables or cooking equipment in factories that also produce meat products.

Producers found not to have deliberately defrauded consumers would not be subject to prosecution but would receive a warning and be ordered to remove problem products off store shelves, Fu said.

(By Elizabeth Hsu)

This is disturbing to say the least.

This should concern all veg'ns who eat mock-meats anywhere in the world, as the majority of fake meats sold at "Chinese" vegetarian restaurants or stores around the world are made here in Taiwan, not in China.

It is not clear whether this is about products from non-vegetarian vendors (which should be treated with suspicion everywhere, especially in Asia - I rarely eat at non-vegetarian places in Taiwan) or includes those sold by vegetarian producers and restaurants. It seems hard to believe that Buddhists and I-Kuan-Tao - the smaller (egg-eating) vegetarian group here would add meat to their products, but it's not impossible.

To look on the bright side, at least here the authorities conduct DNA tests to check that things labelled "vegetarian" actually are.

So I say, watch this space. In the meantime, I find myself ever-so-slightly more likely to opt for a ladle of ma-po-tofu over fake chicken or pork at the buffets.