|
Vegetarian food
 With
so many Buddhist institutions in Singapore Chinatown, it is not surprising to find
vegetarian food outlets.
The vegetarian food outlets caters to anyone
who is interested in trying vegetarian food and welcome anyone curious about or
interested in this cuisine. People who
patronize the vegetarian restaurants could be full time vegetarians, vegans,
part time vegetarians (i.e. only on special occasions) or simply curious.
You can be a local, tourist, Buddhist or non
Buddhist. It does not matter.
Vegetarianism can be found in various cultures. Among the Chinese in Singapore,
Some Buddhists choose to be vegetarian as a means of practicing compassion.
They do not want animals to suffer and be killed for their
food requirements.
In
Taoism, being a vegetarian is part of a cleansing process for participating in
rituals. Today, many people switch to a vegetarian diet on the first and fifteenth
days of the lunar month. During these selected days. vegetarian stalls in hawker
centers and coffee shops are especially busy during lunch time because of
increased demand.
Modern
reasons for being a vegetarian includes concern for animals, health reasons and
having holistic worldview.
Whatever
the motivation, Chinatown has a wide variety of vegetarian restaurants, cafes and food outlets
have emerged to serve the
diverse needs of this segment.
Chinese Vegetarian Food
An
interesting version of vegetarian cuisine is Chinese vegetarian food.
The
typical menu in a Chinese Vegetarian Restaurant looks like menus from any other
Chinese restaurant; BBQ Pork, mutton curry, fish fillet, fried chicken, sharks
fin soup......
Yet, the
dishes are vegetarian, i.e. no meat is involved in the preparation.
Chinese vegetarians believe that the taste, flavor, and texture of meat dishes
can be reproduced using non meat mediums. The chief
would select a
suitable non-meat substitute and the cooking technique similar to that used in
preparing the meat dish is
applied to this non-meat substitute.
The
result is is a dish that looks like and tastes like the original dish but without
the use of meat. This way,
people can enjoy their favorite food without killing animals.
In fact,
people unfamiliar with Chinese vegetarian cuisine can hardly believe that the
"chicken" or "beef" they had is actually vegetarian meat.
Vegetarian food culture continues to evolve and to
reflect popular food culture.
Popular food items such as
Chinese pastries and
Bakkwa
(肉干), are available in vegetarian versions. Bakkwa, commonly known as BBQ Pork, is made from Soya sources instead of
meat. There are also vegetarian versions of festive food such as
moon cakes for the
mid autumn festival,
Dumplings
for the
Dumpling festival or Duan Wu Jie
端午节.
Popular non Chinese dishes
have been reproduced in Vegetarian style. You
can order fish and chips, pork chops and even sushi. The
multicultural environment of Singapore has also produced the Vegetarian Satay
complete with peanut sauce.
You
probably have to try to believe it.
Listing of Vegetarian restaurants, cafes and
outlets in Chinatown
Related stories:
Chinese pastries
Bakkwa
(肉干),
moon cakes
mid autumn festival
Dumplings
Dumpling Festival or Duan Wu Jie
端午节. |
