Eating vegetarian on Fridays

Posted in: Forums > Food & Drink • 26 posts • Newest

• • urban
    June 8, 2010
    2 posts
  • Hi everybody!

    I dont eat meat on Fridays but all of my friends do. And eating alone is boring and even lame in China...

    So if you have similar problems or you are just kind enough to help me please write me and you will find an excellent european partner for luch/dinner on Firdays! :)

    Matyas 24/B @ Hungary

• • cynthia122
    July 22, 2010
    1 post
  • hi,u know any good vegetarian reaturant in kunming?

• • ghost
    August 16, 2010
    18 posts
  • I'm definitely interested in starting a vegetarian or vegan group. I'm fairly new so i havent found any vegetarian restaurants but i think it'd be nice to meet somewhere in a park or something and bring some vegetarian snacks/dishes

• • Elisa
    August 19, 2010
    32 posts
  • There's a vegetarian restaurant near the big temple with the gigantic Chinese medicine place across the street. If you stand on the sidewalk looking in through the temple gate, it's to your right, about a block down. Sorry I can't remember the name of anything right now...I've been up in shangri-la for 5 months.

    A lot of the dishes are tofu molded into the shape of an animal, which I personally find sorta creepy. All the dishes have animal names, but they are veg. My fave was the one claiming to be eel. It was actually mushrooms and the sauce was fantastic.

• • Mayya_happy
    August 19, 2010
    12 posts
  • Sometimes I`d like to go to the special vegetarian "restaurant " facing to the Provinced hospital of women and kids in qingyun street where isnt far from wenling road. By the way, it`s hard to find that place without friends help because of that doesnt looke on the qingyun street.

    There are always five or six kinds of dishes(in most of time) with 30yuan per people. If you would taste more kinds,you coulde pay more for it like 6-7 dishes with 40yuan,or take more with 50,and so on.But in my opinion I would like to choose the lowest consumption of 30yuan is good.I`m not vegertarian as it`s not worthy of taking more. A lot of The special boss who is embrace buddism cannot speak English but he is very nice man and a lot of buddistic bruochues there to develop a liking for others who`s also embrace buddism.

    If you hope the environment of that place very nice,you`d better to get in another one though they pay more attention to environmental hygiene.

• • putonghua73
    August 20, 2010
    34 posts
  • I think Elise is referring to the restaurant on 圆通街, which serves the fake meat, as well as having one of the largest menus I've seen. That said, although the service is excellent i.e. warm and efficient, the food is quite average in terms of being a little bland, and too oily.

    The place that Mayya_happy is referring to is a very small restaurant, in someone's converted home that is opposite the hospital on 华山西路； it's a very small place - holding at most 3 to 4 tables, but is worth going.

    I'm a vegetarian, but I don't go to exclusively vegetarian places, but rather places that are vegetarian friendly i.e. understand the concept, and have more dishes rather than just presenting a really limp salad or 青菜。 That said, I've not been impressed with Kunmingese food; finding it quite bland and oily in comparison with other provinces. Decidedly average.

• • ghost
    August 20, 2010
    18 posts
  • The one on Yuan Tong Jie 圆通街 going away from the Yuan Tong Temple towards Qing Nian Lu 青年路 on the left. The prices are around 20RMB per dish i think. Urban and whoever else wants to join me is welcome.

• • hedgepig
    August 20, 2010
    275 posts
  • i think putonghua73 is onto something with "I'm a vegetarian, but I don't go to exclusively vegetarian places, but rather places that are vegetarian friendly"... vegetarianism and Buddhism are all too often conflated in China (e.g. you sometimes see phrasebooks with something like "i don't eat meat, please cook my food as if i were a monk")

    here's where the blandness may come in, as a strict Buddhist (correct me if i'm wrong, as i'm no Buddhist, and no vegetarian) will not eat garlic, chilli, ginger etc. so if you're using the 'monk gambit' to get your veggie eats, it's possible you're doing away with flavour at the same time.

    i personally find yunnan cai very edible and very tasty, and i've found my meat consumption has reached all-time lows here due (in part) to the various and flavoursome veggie options.

• • ghost
    August 20, 2010
    18 posts
  • In my opinion a freegan approach is the most neutral, but thats just me. If i'm going to a friends house and they've gone to the effort to cook a meal and we're all eating together i'll eat it. I think the idea of being together when eating and they have already paid for the meat.

    Of course i'd much rather prefer a vegan picnic anyday but you can't always get what you want.

    As for Buddhism, I know 2 of the cooks at the south Shaolin Temple and and they have dishes with ginger, chilli and a bit of oil. Not sure about garlic. Their food was great but then again i enjoy blandness/simplicity at times.

    Usually when i eat at places i'll order either rice or noodles with vegetables (shu cai) and when they ask what kind i usually say whatever (wu si wei) and i find you can get interesting dishes that way.

    I hope this helps and doesnt sound like an elitest rant.

• • Mayya_happy
    August 20, 2010
    12 posts
  • "圆通寺大光明酒店二楼鱼泉斎"

    "圆通寺对面四季酒席"
    "青年路经贸宾馆一楼福禄寿餐厅"
    "青年路北延长线滨江大厦三楼"
    "五一路156号兴杰大厦二楼中农有机生态素食馆"
    A friend sent this message to me withou having phone numbers. I went to the fifth restaurant with friends. Every dishes price is almost 30yuan.

• • Sikaote
    August 23, 2010
    8 posts
  • Veg all you want, I like meat.

• • Krismoonpie
    August 25, 2010
    33 posts
  • There is a good vegetarian noodle shop that is right next door to and basically attached to the vegetarian restaurant that you are talking about on Yuan Tong Jie that has fully veggie noodles, mi xian and er si. I highly recommend the er si with the 'za jiang' soup rather than the 'san xian' There are chunks of tofu and veg etc in the soup but not really a fake meat feel and 100 percent vegetarian.

• • Dan Siekman
    August 27, 2010
    102 posts
  • We heard this place is decent, but not cheap. All vegetarian.

    http://www.gokunming.com/[...]

• • Encrypted
    September 1, 2010
    69 posts
  • here some more info:

    http://www.gokunming.com/[...]

    I'm vegan and I've been in Kunming for about 10 months. Tell me if you are interested in meeting!

• • ChinaJ
    September 2, 2010
    1 post
  • I'm a vegetarian as well, and just arrived in Kunming. Have any of you actually been getting together for meals? If so, I would definitely be interested in joining. Please let me know!

• • Encrypted
    September 2, 2010
    69 posts
  • Welcome to Kunming "ChinaJ". Count on me if you are interested in meeting.

    see you.

• • ghost
    September 3, 2010
    18 posts
  • Lets do it, Lunch? Next Friday..? I checked out the menu for the restaurant on 圆通街 (Yuan Tong Jie) and it was 18 kuai for vegie dumplings and the tofu or whatever it was shaped as a dead pig or dead chicken didn't look great. I could be wrong.. There was talk about the one on 华山西路 (Hua Shan Xi Lu)

• • ghost
    September 3, 2010
    18 posts
  • Contact me via email before/on Friday if you are keen..

    shamie_jr@hotmail.com

• • Encrypted
    September 4, 2010
    69 posts
  • Hi ghost,
    The one in 圆通路 is a bit expensive but the dishes are quite big. I went there 4 or 5 times and I ate very good dishes and some just ok.

    5 min from this one there is a vegan restaurant a bit cheaper and very good food.

    see you

• • ghost
    September 4, 2010
    18 posts
  • Ok, lets go there on Friday at 1pm then.. Whats the address/details.. i live close to 圆通街 so i can go in and tell them how many people are coming if you like.

• • Encrypted
    September 4, 2010
    69 posts
  • Ok for next friday. But it's quite difficult to explain how to get there. You'll understand next friday. There is never a lot of people and they have big tables so there is no need to worry. It's better to meet somewhere in 圆通路 and then walk there. (for example in front of the vegetarian restaurant).

    I can give you the phone number of the restaurant if you want.

• • ghost
    September 4, 2010
    18 posts
  • Ok sure, maybe out the front of 圆通寺 (Yuan Tong Temple) It's not far from the vegetarian restaurant because there isnt much standing room out the front of the restaurant with people walking through there. Just in case to save confusion/possible taxi problems, its on Yuan Tong 街/Jie (not 路/Lu)

    My number is 13211600577, people call me or msg me with their name for Friday.

• • Encrypted
    September 4, 2010
    69 posts
  • Ok. Yuan Tong temple then.

    For the name of the street both are valid.

    圆通街 or 圆通路. It depends on the person but chinese people know both.

    See you next friday.

• • Krismoonpie
    December 2, 2010
    33 posts
  • There is a great new vegetarian restaurant in Bei Shi Qu called 爱有多深 (Ai You Duo Shen). It's off of 北辰中路 Bei Chen Zhong Lu in the plaza area near the Prague Cafe near not far from 北辰达到 Bei Chen Da Dao but on the other side of Bei Chen Zhong Lu from the Prague. Their phone number is 5724222. I have had two great meals there. It is a clean healthier Chinese stir-fry with no fake meat but lots of spice. Not too expensive and very nice staff and management. Highly recommended!

• • Krismoonpie
    December 2, 2010
    33 posts
  • Oh, I see there is already a review on GK about it from 2 days ago hehe...http://www.gokunming.com/[...]

• • Encrypted
    December 2, 2010
    69 posts
  • I've been there around 2 months ago. It's not new. They have very good food, but not my favorite. The problem is that it's the most expensive vegetarian restaurant in Kunming.
    But as "Krismoonpie" says, Highly recommended.

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