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Thread: vegan in Taiwan

  1. #1

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    Smile vegan in Taiwan

    Hi everyone

    I'm new to this forum. I'm a 26/m vegan from New Zealand. I've been living in Taiwan since January, but for a short, two-month not-so-good stint in Thailand (having to cook every day was the least of my worries, but it was indeed a problem).

    I found this forum while looking for info on being vegan in Japan, which I am considering going to next.

    I'm starting this for two reasons.
    First, to see if there is anyone on here living in Taiwan. While being vegan here is a breeze - in fact food is one great thing about the place - I still think it would help to have a forum for vegans to discuss things, such as whether certain vegetarian foods contain hidden dairy (rare, but it does happen).
    To start with, I found whitakkers dark chocolate - bulk standard vegan chocolate from New Zealand) on the shelf in the 7-11 today. Taiwan became even better

    Also, to recommend Taiwan to anyone wanting to come to Asia to teach, or travel or whatever, and to offer to help anyone who needs it if they are. It has been described as Asias most underrated tourist destination, and I agree. When I first came I lived on subway and dumplings, but it only took a few weeks to find the veg eateries which are in every neighbourhood. I'd hate for anyone to come here for a holiday and not know where to find the good food!

    I'd love to hear from anyone else in Taiwan, if they have anything they'd like to discuss.

    Thanks
    Jesse

  2. #2
    cedartree cedarblue's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    welcome jesse

  3. #3
    pat sommer's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Taiwan sounds inviting!
    I am in Beijing and though interesting, a vegan nightmare: chickenstock msg and bits of pig in everything. It takes a lot of patience and endurance to eat out. There are a couple of bland Buddhist restaurants that I try to visit occasionally... mock duck anyone?
    Anyway, if I haven't put you off, come try the mainland.
    I really need a good excuse to play tour guide!
    the only animal ingredient in my food is cat hair

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    Smile Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Hi, sisters and brothers,

    I am from Taiwan.

    "TAIWAN IS THE HEAVEN OF VEGETARIAN FOOD."

    But now I live in Singapore....I miss so much food in Taiwan.

    Jenny Tang

  5. #5
    friendly fri
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    yes i....Taiwan is a glorious place to relax, to eat, study , and work.
    :D :)

  6. #6
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I am from New Zealand, I am heading over to Taiwan in a month to stay with a friend. He is teaching English over there, I'm pretty excited to catch up with him and also see what Taiwan is all about! I haven't travelled as a vegan yet so hope I have no problems... you think it is easy as in Taiwan?

  7. #7
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    yes , plenty green vegetables, lots of awfully sweet and delicious pineapples, nuff nuff tofu, with rice. Youll see Buddhist vegetarian cafes around Taipei, check HAPPY COW website for details..thanks
    :D :)

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    L0st cAt's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Oh excellent!!! It sounds amazing, thanks!

  9. #9
    friendly fri
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Thats correct, Taiwan is a really wonderful place, the scenery is amazing and theres plenty food for vegans as well.
    :D :)

  10. #10
    Anastazee Anastazee's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I'm going to be in Taiwan from Nov. 4-15. I would love some advice on foods or meals that are very unique to Taiwan. I really like to experience the culture and tradition when I travel so any tips would be much appreciated. Also, if anyone will be there during that time i would love to meet up for a snack!
    -zee

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    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I heard Taiwan is lovely for vegetarians and they even have a vegetarian festival. I don't have more information on that, sorry. Maybe googling for a vegetarian/vegan society in Taiwan might help?
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  12. #12
    我看得懂 mariana's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Quote Anastazee View Post
    I'm going to be in Taiwan from Nov. 4-15. I would love some advice on foods or meals that are very unique to Taiwan. I really like to experience the culture and tradition when I travel so any tips would be much appreciated. Also, if anyone will be there during that time i would love to meet up for a snack!
    Lucky! I would love to go to Taiwan. Let me know how you like it. If you are feeling brave, try stinky tofu. I've heard it's quite the experience. I'm not sure if you'll be in Taipei, but according to this site, Dai's House of Stinky Tofu in Taipei is famous for its vegetarian stinky tofu (I think it's probably vegan, but you should check). I believe other places offer vegetarian stinky tofu, so try googling it. Another food to try if you're feeling brave is durian, or the king of fruits, which apparenlty has the texture of pudding and smells like rotten eggs/smelly feet. If you don't feel so brave, try bubble tea (it originated in Taiwan, and I've heard you can get it with soymilk there) or a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant. Oh, and I've also heard certain night markets offer vegetarian food, but I'm not sure which ones. Hope you have fun and eat lots of yummy vegan food!!

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    我看得懂 mariana's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    P.S. I forgot to say that vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan are marked with a backwards swastika (for Buddhism), so they should be easily identifiable. They'll probably also be marked 素食 (vegetarian). This site has some good phrases to know in Chinese.

  14. #14

    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I used to live in Taiwan from ages 7 to 11, but I have no idea about the vegan food there. I didn't even realize that it was vegetarian-friendly. I didn't really like stinky tofu at the time, though I might appreciate it more now. Still don't like durian.

    As it was about 11 years since I was last there and wasn't vegan at the time, I'm afraid I can't really think of much that would be very helpful for you, Anastazee. The northern part is very nice, with a lot of mountains and trees. I lived in Taipei, which I mostly remember as being kinda grey and dirty, but it's where everything is.
    "cake is a good tool for the revolution!!!" - saycheezly

  15. #15
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I came from Malaysia, now in Japan though. In Malaysia, we have vegetarian restaurants, and most of them serve 'fake meat', 'fake fish', etc. And you know what, most of these things are imported from Taiwan... You can imagine how good it is to be a veg in Taiwan...

    I don't know about that in Taiwan, but you can try to identify vegetarian food by the words 素 or 齋. I too can wait no longer to visit Taiwan.

    And I suppose that an average Taiwanese doesn't understand what vegan is, but it can be sure that everyone knows what a vegetarian is, though there is still ambiguity about whether you are a vegetarian who eats eggs or not.

    Another food to try if you're feeling brave is durian, or the king of fruits, which apparenlty has the texture of pudding and smells like rotten eggs/smelly feet.
    Durian actually comes from South East Asia. I don't think they grow durians in Taiwan, they may just import them from Thailand, Malaysia, or Indonesia. Huge energy booster!!

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    Eeeeediot! Shrapnel's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I'd be curious as to what's available now. I've been considering moving there in about a year and a half. I'll be finished with my degree in English education, and have been offered work with the International Language Program, teaching in Taiwan. I've been mostly considering Japan, but the ILP has a pretty good offer (and I'm already learning Chinese), so I was seriously considering Taiwan. I just don't know how good the vegan living is there.
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  17. #17
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Vegan food is widely available in Taiwan, there are a lot of Buddhist vegetarians.

    There are two common symbols that mark vegetarian food. One is a lotus flower and the other is the swastika. The characters for vegetarian food (su-shi) look like this: 素食. (See here for photo).

    They tend not to use dairy but they can use eggs. Especially in the bakeries.

    You need to pay attention though. Not all of the seemingly vegan meat-alternative are vegan, and they tend to be a little bit slack at knowing or labeling, see the Operation Pancake.
    • I cannot eat eggs ... 我不能吃蛋
    • I cannot eat dairy products ... 我不吃乳製品

    If you are cooking yourself, there is a great selection of cheap foods. As are much of the street food and sweets.

    If the choice between Japan and Taiwan ... you will probably find more veggie food in Taiwan, except for big cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. Outside of those three ... vegan and vegetarian cafes etc become quite rare.



    See also, Download PDF

    Japan and Taiwan use pretty much the same Kanji/characters, unlike the Mainland which uses simplified.

  18. #18
    Eeeeediot! Shrapnel's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Well, I'm right now staying in Taipei. I've been here about a week almost, and have about three more left. I've found a few restaurants that are pretty veg friendly, or at least have veg options, though haven't been to any vegetarian only restaurants yet. I'm staying with someone in an apartment, so I do plenty of cooking, though eating out is still really cheap. If you're a fan of soymilk and tofu, at least it's cheap and plentiful, but I'm having a hard time tracking down some favorites. Also, if anyone knows of a place to find garbanzo beans/chickpeas, I'd love to hear it. I've looked at several stores already and haven't found any.
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Just booked my flight to Taiwan to visit friends for a week so was happy to find this thread. Going to have a good read through it and investigate further.

    Glad to hear there are plenty of options though!

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    Good for you =) What part of Taiwan? If it's Taipei, I can recommend some places.
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    ^ Yep, it sure is so any recommendations would be very welcome. Heading over to stay with friends in October. Thanks!

  22. #22
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    Happy to help! I don't remember the directions 100%, but have a good idea. I was staying near the 2/28 Peace Park and the National Museum which is in the park (I'd really recommend taking to the area. There are several museums (the National Museum, 2/28 Memorial Museum, and a natural history museum), and found several good places for vegan eating nearby.

    The thing about looking for swastikas is not 100% accurate (at least I found). It indicates Buddhism or Buddhist related, but I found it more indicated temples or shops, rather than restaurants. Though, if you see the "素食" characters (the photo is more likely how it'd be written on restaurants), then it's a vegetarian restaurant. Though, you can often usually tell by the monks and nuns eating there (and many vegetarian restaurants are near temples). I ate at Xiangyi Vegetarian Restaurant pretty often (the map on Happy Cow is ok, but I'd plug the address into Google Maps, especially for the street view and more details). In general, vegetarian restaurants are almost vegan, though watch out for eggs in some dishes. Often they will have signs to indicate eggs or dairy, but not always. If you're in doubt, stick with the safe choices like tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, etc., the foods which usually don't have eggs. You can also ask (sometimes the staff knows a little English, but they tend to be understanding enough to help you out even if you just know a few Chiense words, like "Dan" or "Rho" for eggs and meat, respectively). Another note on the buffets. They often have you get your food and then pay by weight, rather than pay to get in and have all you can eat (the only all-you-can-eat buffet I went to was actually a more upscale restaurant and a bit pricey, though the food was excellent). If the buffet is near the door, and cash register is in the back, and there is a scale near the register, it's most certainly one where you pay by weight.

    If you're looking for pure vegan, then Loving Hut is the best choice. Food is really cheap in terms of price, but excellent in terms of quality (I got a tempeh dish, small soup, rice, vegetable side and drink for less than the equivelant of $3 US). Lovign Hut is a chain of vegan restaurants and part of a larger interfaith organization (though primarily Buddhist). Check Happy Cow for locations to be sure, but often the signs will say "Loving Hut" in English (if not, the Chinese is "愛家"). I'm not sure if the menus are the same in every restaurant, but I beleive they're all vegan, and have a good selection (the rose flavored soy milk latte was excellent).

    While not vegetarian, Sababa is veg-friendly. It does Middle-Eastern, primarily falafel, but a variety of other foods. Just make sure to indicate you don't eat eggs. I found a few dishes marked vegetarian had eggs without indicating. On the plus side, the one at Yong Kang St. was also pretty English friendly (they get a lot of Westerners who teach English), so you can easily ask about the food.

    If you go to Long Shan Temple (and I really recommend you do), there are a few places for good vegan eating close by. If you're facing the temple entrance, then to your left will be a night market, and to the right will be the way to Kang Ding Road, where there's a historic district and museum. I'm not sure the exact street (and Google Maps doesn't help with the smaller alleys), but I've eaten at a veg restaurant around here... I think on Guang Zhou street, or one of nearby streets (need to check the signs for the vegetarian characters). There was another restaurant, more of a noodle place, nearer to the Metro station, near San Shui street).

    There was also a vegetarian restaurant near the metro station on the way to the Palace Museum (it even said "vegetarian" in English), though I didn't try that one.

    Other than these places, just look for the restaurants with "素食" and you shouldn't have too much trouble finding a place.

    As for stores, soy milk and tofu is pretty easy to come by, and so are soy beans, but it was a pain to find chickpeas. Ingredient lists are sometimes in English as well as Chinese (especially for imported foods), but not always. Still, it's not hard to find vegan ingredients aside from Hispanic foods (not too many stores carried refried beans or tortillas) and I couldn't find nutritional yeat at all (minor note: not much variety of breakfast cereals). The bigger stores do carry vegan body care. I found toothpaste, shampoo, condistionare, soap and body wash (Tom's, Nature's Gate especially). Smaller shops might not stock them, but any of the larger supermarkets (often located in the shopping centers, large multi-storied buldings with the food usually on the lower floors) should if you look. In general, though, you can probably eat out twice a day or more and not overspend since the food is so cheap (being able to have a full meal for the equivelant of a few Euros is not difficult).

    One bit of warning about directions and addresses in general, the Chinese can often be translitterated more than one way, even for the same street or location (so "重慶" may be written as "Zhong Qing" or "Chong Qing", and "龍山寺" might be called "Long Shan" or "Lung Shan" Temple). It's not as bad when speaking, since the sound is similar that people should know what you're talking about, but it can make searching for directions a hassle, and if you seem something written differently, it might not be two different words (unless it is... it can be confusing. I guess they like to have some fun with the wai guo ren).

    Anyway, I hope this helps. Since you're staying in October, you should have some time to research, but hopefully this gives you some good ideas. And if your friends speak Chinese, they can always ask about dishes at non-vegetarian restaurants (a lot of places are veg-friendly, aside from the American ones like Outback Steakhouse). If there's anything else, like getting around or suggestions on what to see, let me know and I can try to help.
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    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Wow, Taiwan kind of seems like vegetarian heaven... I'm learning Chinese this year at school *and* I want to teach overseas once I'm done with schooling for a year or so. Taiwan seems like the place to be be!
    Peace, love, and happiness.

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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Thanks so much for taking the time to write all that! I will have a good read through and probably print out to take with me when I go.

    One of my friends is a native speaker so we should be ok to ask if we are not too sure of things.

    Again, thanks!

  25. #25
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    @ Tigerlily: Really? That's really cool! Chinese can be hard to learn in terms of vocabulary (at least the tones and writing), but the grammar is really easy, and it's pretty fun. I'd really recommend teaching overseas. That's my plan for next year actually, after I graduate. I had a great time in Poland, and want to try another place.

    @ Jibber: Aw, you're welcome =) I'm glad it was helpful ^_^ And having a native speaker with you should be a big help. I hope you do have a wonderful time there.
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  26. #26
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    I'm fairly good with languages, I hope it won't be so bad!
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  27. #27
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Ah, I'm sure it won't be. And besides, Chinese is pretty fun to learn =D
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    Default Re: vegan in Taiwan

    Hello folks, sorry for reviving a very old thread, but I guess it fits!

    Have arrived in Taipei for a 3-week-holiday yesterday and am delighted to see that there are no major problems with being vegan here. Last time I was here I was still vegetarian, so eating was no problem with dairy and eggs. But now as I am vegan everybody (in my wifes family) was afraid what they would feed me.

    Best regards,
    Andy

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