In China, there are not too many vegetarian restaurants. One reason is that spectacular economic growth has meant that more people, especially in the cities, can afford to buy meat. SHILPA PAI MIZAR charts the cause of vegetarianism and its valiant proponents
TRY finding a vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai, or a vegetarian, for that matter. The odds are a hundred to one that you won't. But China's largest metropolis is home to both.
As the listings in any local English language periodical will tell you, the city has around 15 vegetarian restaurants. "Not enough," says Evelyn Lee, the proprietor of L'arbre de Provence, a premium vegetarian restaurant located in the Xujiahui shopping area. A vegetarian herself, she opines that the opening of more vegetarian eateries in the city will make life easier for non-meat eaters, and help the idea of vegetarianism gain acceptance among its residents.
Evelyn has an interesting story to tell about why she turned vegetarian. A couple of years back, while planning to open a restaurant, she happened to meet Mr.Tseng, owner of Zao Zi Shu (Jujube Tree), one of Shanghai's best known vegetarian restaurants. He told her a tale which particularly touched her: Centuries ago, a Chinese scholar asked his cook to make a dish of eel. As the scholar watched, the cook struggled with the eel which kept lifting its stomach out of the boiling water. Intrigued, the scholar decided to find out why. He discovered that the poor creature was trying to save the eggs she was carrying in her belly. Moved, the scholar swore never to eat meat again.
Many such tales and Evelyn was convinced. But not everyone is easily moved. Vegetarianism is not very popular in Shanghai. Lily Wu, manager of the Huai Hai Road branch of Jujube Tree and a vegetarian, says her mother often forces her to eat meat. Taking friends out to a vegetarian restaurant is considered "cheap" in Shanghai, and then there is my Chinese friend who always giggles when I tell her what I'm having for dinner — don't I think meat is food, she asks.
Attitudes are not very different in the rest of China.
In Beijing, the capital city which has restaurants to cater to every palate, the number of vegetarian restaurants is less than 20.
The reasons for this are many — China's spectacular economic growth over the past couple of decades has meant that more and more people, especially in the cities, can afford to buy meat. Also, the fact that non-vegetarian food in one's daily diet is bad for one's health, which is steadily gaining acceptance in the West, is not acknowledged in China. Here, because of widespread poverty and food shortages throughout history, meat is considered a delicacy eaten by the rich. Religion, another important reason why people choose vegetarianism as a way of life, is slowly making inroads into the Chinese way of life. Hou Lu, a Buddhist, turned vegetarian as a form of prayer when her father fell sick. Mr.Tseng, also a Buddhist, stopped eating meat when his mother took ill.
The concept of vegetarianism is not easily understood either. You can try getting yourself a vegetarian meal in a "normal" restaurant. Unless you are fluent in Mandarin or the local dialect, you are likely to find it very difficult to communicate this to the waitstaff. If you do succeed, they look at you in a puzzled fashion or give you a "you are weird" smile. Besides, they may just remove the pieces of meat from a dish and serve it to you, which makes quite a few vegetarians squeamish.
But the cause of vegetarianism does have a few valiant crusaders. Gong De Lin, one of oldest restaurants in Shanghai to offer vegetarian cuisine, once celebrated the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha every year by freeing caged animals and birds. On any weekday afternoon, the lunch hour customers trooping in and out of Jujube Tree, Huai Hai Road restaurant tend to take a moment off to browse through the pamphlets and books displayed at the door. The reading material is all about the benefits of turning vegetarian. The restaurant often conducts promotions like the one in which the customer was given a card which had the names and addresses of all the vegetarian restaurants in Shanghai. If she visited each of these and got them to stamp their seal on her card, Jujube Tree gave her a free gift.
Curiously, young women in Shanghai are turning to vegetarianism and their reasons are age-old — to stay slim and beautiful. Evelyn is quick to add that their male escorts, who walk in sceptical, leave as satisfied customers. And this could be because of the imitation meat dishes. Among the most popular dishes at both Jujube Tree and L'arbre de Provence are the Vegetarian Black Pepper Steak and the Vegetarian Chicken in Lemon Juice. The "meat" is made mainly from Soya bean curd or "tofu".
The restaurants also take into the account the sentiments of their Buddhist customers, who do not eat garlic and onion. L'arbre de Provence has separate kitchens for Buddhist (or Chinese, as it is referred to here) vegetarian and Western vegetarian. The dishes which contain mayonnaise — made from eggs — are indicated on the menu, and alcohol is not served.
Regular customers include Buddhist monks, young people who work in nearby offices and elderly Buddhists. Lily notes that quite a few of their regular guests are doctors who know that scientifically, vegetarianism is the healthier option. In fact, the herbal teas on the menu at Jujube Tree have been formulated by a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine.
The restaurants are popular with expatriates and foreign tourists. Mr. A.K.Jain, who has been in Shanghai for a year now, eats at Jujube Tree often, and says he enjoys the food. Around two-thirds of Evelyn's customers are non-vegetarians, and according to Mr.Tseng this helps the cause as getting a regular meat-eater to eat one vegetarian meal is to help save an innocent life.
Like India, China too has a tradition of vegetarianism which dates back thousands of years. The Taoist philosophy and Buddhism, which came to China from India, both have sects which advocate eating a meat-free diet. Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty (502-557 A.D.) is one of the first known figures in Chinese history who urged his people to follow the principles of Buddhism and avoid eating non-vegetarian food. But will vegetarianism as a way of life gain ground in modern China? Mrs. Gloria Tseng, who helps run Jujube Tree, feels it will. As China continues to open up, she says, people here will realise that being vegetarian is both healthier and more fashionable.
Meanwhile, Mr.Tseng and his fellow crusaders strive on. They are willing to help any entrepreneur who wants to open a vegetarian restaurant in Shanghai.
Mrs.Tseng says future expansion plans include towns in China which do not have any vegetarian restaurants, rather than Beijing or other large cities which already have a few. This, she points out, will help spread the idea.
You could help too. If you ever decide to explore the Pearl of the Orient, drop by at one of the restaurants for a meal. And if you are vegetarian, and tired of the handful of Indian restaurants Shanghai has to offer, you really do not have much of a choice.
Note: Zao Zi Shu means Jujube Tree in Mandarin. As is common in China it also has an "English" name which is Vegetarian Life Style. So, for the English speaking person, the restaurant goes by both these names.