Taiwan

[Michael]

The place to dicuss local topics and to meet others in your area.

[otomik]

The place to dicuss local topics and to meet others in your area.alright so why did you create this thread, it seems to pointedly assert Taiwanese independence when I think people could be comfortable in the china section (no posts here yet). did someone make a big deal about creating this thread? Hong Kong, Macau and Tibet don't have their own threads either. I think you're trying to start something.

I demand you create a Manchukuo thread for all my Manchukuo area vegetarian concerns.

[rockindancer86]

just want to say vegan food in Taiwan is AMAZING! So are the zillions of vegan restaurants.

I predict I'll be moving here when I leave Japan. :lol:

[Funner]

I really dig those huge vegetarian buffets all around Taipei. Good for vegans too

[tensai]

just want to say vegan food in Taiwan is AMAZING! So are the zillions of vegan restaurants.

I predict I'll be moving here when I leave Japan. :lol:


I really dig those huge vegetarian buffets all around Taipei. Good for vegans too

Any specific places or general tips like a good website with a list of places where you can eat?

I would like to go with my wife to Taiwan or Thailand this winter (very different of course) and part of the decision is I'd love to go to a place where it is relatively easy, or where you can be somewhat spontaneous regarding your food choices..

Good to hear you had a good time there..

[RoboMonkey]

Happy Cow will list vegetarian restaurants for pretty much anywhere you want to go.

Here is the link for Taipei:

http://www.happycow.net/disp_results_address.php?distance=10&maptype=l&list%5B%5D=vegan&list%5B%5D=vegetarian&list%5B%5D=friendly&list%5B%5D=store&address=taipei&x=0&y=0


I don't know about Taipei, but the Loving Hut here in Shanghai has great food and is also very cheap.

[JesseD]

Hi everyone

Firstly, thanks Michael for starting this - it's nice to have a forum to discuss veg'n life in this country. And we don't need a space here to assert Taiwan's independence (I assume Otomik means independence from China, though it would make more sense if he meant Japan, since Japan is the only country other than itself to have ever governed Taiwan). Taiwan is the most free country in Asia, and long may it stay that way. Hong Kong and Macau are officially part of China now, Tibet has been occupied for decades, but Taiwan is a free, democratic and independent country; any thought that it is part of China is as absurd as the widely held Chinese belief that the Tiananmen Sq massacre never happened.

Firstly, I have a blog on veganism in Taiwan, intended to help new travellers to or people living in Taiwan. It's a bit thin on actual restaurants to visit (but I hope to build on it in time) but it gives an overall introduction to vegan life and travel in Tawian.
www.vegantaiwan.blogspot.com (it's blocked in China.) For actual restaurants, I recommend the Happy Cow as Robomonkey mentioned above.

I'll be the first to say how great a place Taiwan is for vegan food - in my opinion the best in Asia, at least. There are thousands of vegetarian restaurants here so a vegan meal is never far away anywhere in this country. Even the 7-11 stores here all carry a vegan meal which they can microwave on the spot. However, as I talk about on my blog, beware that it is not as vegan friendly as first meets the eye: most of the fake meat is made with dairy (usually whey) and a recent government test found that over 50% of fake meat contained real meat. It is yet to be confirmed or denied, but it's certainly cause for concern. Also beware that the I Kuan Tao religious group (a quiet but sizeable proportion of the population who own over half the vegetarian restaurants) are vegetarian but eat dairy and egg, so egg products can also end up in their fake meat. Most restaurant owners themselves are unaware of the dairy issue for vegans as Buddhists eat dairy products, though hopefully with the ever-growing numbers of the "Supreme Master" Ching Hai followers this will change in the not-too-distant future.

The best bets for vegan eating are the Loving Huts (addresses for several translated on my blog) and other restaurants run by Ching Hai followers, followed by the Buddhist restaurants and finally the I Kuan Tao ones. The first are easily recognised by the "Be Veg Go Green Save the Planet" posters everywhere. But it would be crazy to come to Taiwan and not try some of the buffets talked about above, just beware of the fake meat, but there's still plenty to choose from. The jelly-like desserts are made with agar agar or another plant equivalent and not gelatine (as far as I can tell, and it's a pretty safe bet) but most cakes and desserts at buffets will contain milk. I have lots more on my blog about these issues.

Don't let these warnings put you off: this is a very veg'n friendly (and all-round friendly) country, and a great place to travel and live. The lonely planet describes it as Asia's most underrated tourist destination and I completely agree: it has a rich and vibrant culture, many beautiful lakes and mountains, and is an incredible cultural (and culinary) melting pot resulting from centuries of immigrants and colonisation from the Japanese, Chinese, Dutch and Portugese. Also, as a sweeping generalisation, Taiwanese are more interested in the outside world (traditionally American, but this is changing) than many other Asian nations, so there are plenty of foreign foods and conveniences around, and many, many people speak English (in the cities at least). It's also very, very safe, clean by Asian standards, and has a modern, affordable and reliable public transport system. I recommend it :)

Any questions on Taiwan, feel free to ask me, or if there's something I should put on my blog, or something wrong there, please tell me... Thanks.