Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
Lifestyle
Home / Food

Vegan meals trending amid changing dietary habit

Xinhua | Updated: 2018-11-29 10:28
Share
Share - WeChat
China has about 50 million vegetarians. Thirty Chinese universities have jointly formed a vegetarian union, led by Tsinghua University, for promoting and practicing the awareness of a vegetarian diet.[Photo by Wang Jiang/Asianewsphoto]

Dorje Dongdong's zen-style restaurant in downtown Xining, the plateau capital of Northwest China's Qinghai province, offers vegetarian hotpot, which has been raved about by food lovers one year after its opening.

Born in a Tibetan Buddhist family, Dorje, 34, only became a vegetarian three years ago, when his first daughter was born.

"Tibetan people living on highlands need energy from yak meat, although we believe in Buddhism. But as the Tibetan nomad life has changed, it has been a long-time struggle for me to quit eating meat," said Dorje.

Growing up on the highland pasture 3,500 meters above the sea level in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Yushu in Qinghai province, Dorje's family used to keep 100 yaks. Yak meat and zanba, a staple food made of highland barley flour roasted with butter, are the family's daily diet.

On the restaurant menu, the main dish is a mix of vegetables for a hotpot made with Tibetan tea.

Dorje said nowadays, the vegetable supply from Xining and the city of Chengdu in neighboring Sichuan province is stable.

He said the dishes in his restaurant, based on traditional Tibetan food, are trendy and delicious. One popular item is a hamburger-like bun, with the bread made of highland barley filled with mixed vegetables.

Dorje said the trend of a vegetarian diet is not just about religious beliefs, but about the rising awareness of a healthy diet as well.

He said although his parents still eat meat for dinner, they also eat vegetables and fruits. His two sisters are now vegetarians.

1 2 Next   >>|
Most Popular
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US