I went VEGAN for a week in China
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- After being vegetarian last week, I decided to take it one step further and see if I could be vegan for a week in China!
Here are some of the characters I mention in the video that I'll type below for easy copy and pasting convenience haha
- 素食 (vegetarian food)
- 斋 (buddhist vegetarian food)
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Hope you have a fabulous day xxx
My dad has been a vegan for 30 years in China, and he has no problem finding delicious vegan food, even when we travel to small towns. But two years ago he visited me in US and we went on road trips to several national parks, he can’t find anything other than salad... we eventually ended up packing his food in advance, and I brought inductive pot with us to cook for him, like noodles, instant rice bowl, fresh vegetable. I would say China actually has much more vegan dishes, but they never advertise them as vegan food.
yes!you are right!
Depends where you are. 10 years ago I had to go to Ohio on business and honestly despite not being vegan I could not get a fresh fruit side to go with my steak and potatoes.
What’s wrong with salad? I love my salad and there are different varieties of salad. Probably not as flavorful since there aren’t many seasoning but salad can be awesome.
My brother never eat meat, but when I was young , everyone said him picky not a vaegan
@@jkjkjk100 yes salad's awesome once in a while, but after you have tried so many delicious foods in China it's hard to stick to just salad cuz you know there are so many amazing vegan options there.
When some guy tells you his Chinese is not that amazing, and then he slowly opens up a Chinese book about Chinese Philosophy... I was like WTH????
Dekun Liu hahaha Elliot’s Chinese is beyond impressive!!
so, he gets the way to communicate with others as Chinese people act，self-effacing
I can´t even read a philosophy book in my native language... let alone in Chinese. :))))
Yu Wong hahaha exactly!
Hahahahahaha my brother/sista day kung Liu!
“To be vegan, you have to forget what it means to be a vegan." Yp, a philosopher for sure lol!😂
道可道 非常道 名可名 非常名
Means vegans can eat a steak every once in a while
I just thought the same thing. So philosopher’s answer 😂
There are also many kinds of mushrooms suit for vegetarians in China.
especially in Yunnan province
But be careful because some of them are poisonous
there are more than a dozen common types you can easily in mostly every hot pot restaurants, if you go to Yunnan, there would be even more. beside mushrooms, there are at least 15 different green veges you can get from market in southern China as well. not to mention the ways of cooking them.
My biggest mistake as a vegetarian in China happened the first two weeks I got here. Went to the small canteen at my uni, and couldn't explain myself, so I pointed to the dishes. Ate a dark brown tofu almost everyday, it wasn't very tasty, but I couldn't see any meat in it. Until my friend kindly explained that it wasn't tofu, it was duck blood pieces, I guess you could call it duck blood tofu. Didn't try it again haha. And btw, Oatly is Swedish (I'm so proud haha). The one with chocolate flavour is AMAZING.
Eliot has such a deep understanding of Chinese society I mean, even deeper than some Chinese citizens. I am truly impressed. And the way he just naturally slide the conversation into philosophy LOL that's sooo funny. I hope he got his PhD by now, he truly deserves it.
Toasted sweet potato is definitely delicious. A safe choice that will never disappoint you.
Victor Hu the best!!!
烤红薯 哈哈
Blondie in China BTW, u could use spoon to eat sweet potato instead of bare hands to avoid messing your hands up.👍
And you could lead a healthy, long life eating just sweet potato.
I remember when I was young, a relative of mine (she helped that temple to get funding for renovation) and a master monk invited us to have a private lunch inside a temple. Everything was so delicious, I couldn't tell the differences between the vegetarian version and the original version of the dish.
He can talk like that all day and I wont complain a word.
Elliot should totally make a TH-cam channel talking about Philosophy 😂
I'm like binging all of your videos since I just stumbled upon your great channel. Thank you for uploading your Chinese experience to food and culture. Keep spreading the love!
it's also common for Chinese chef to use 鸡粉 chicken powder/ 鸡精chicken essence/ and or Meat extract (鸡粉)
as a seasoning. So you would also want to specify replace it will good old msg or vegetable essence. Another common seasoning is the oyster sauce that you would also make a note of.
I remembered watching a Chinese documentary style TH-cam video who deep dived the history of msg in China, and to my surprise, the yellowish granulated chicken powder, is actually not made from chicken. It's rather a more potent form of MSG with 10times the umami of the regular msg. You should check that out and maybe vegan can stop being afraid of "chicken" powder. It's a marketing stunt because traditionally, meat is only eaten regularly by the rich in China so attaching "chicken" to it makes it sell better. I'm refering to 鸡精to be specific. Does not include chicken stock and oyster sauce which contain real animal extract
Oh my god, this guy is so intelligent. The way he speaks about the ideas, he is totally a philosopher- a thinker. Loved this video, Amy!!!
He's handsome too:).
Blondie, great info for our plant-based learners hoping to thrive in China when they come to visit. We'll be forwarding this along to them for sure. Thanks for making China easier to navigate for our students :) As always we are here to help anyone that wants online Chinese lessons. Best wishes!
Yaaaaas! I was hoping you would include the sweet potato carts, those are my favorite! They can be hard to find, but there is a permanent one at a market on the campus where I teach. Also, on a side note, thank you for always including the pinyin and characters for specific words, dishes, and places you mention in your videos. It helps a lot for learning new words or if I want to look something up to try myself!
yay!! glad it was useful Stephanie!
Amy, your this video is so valuable as it is practically useful to so many people! I am forwarding it to my friends. Thank you so much!
Thanks Damian!! So happy you liked it~!
It's definitely a lot easier to be a vegan in China than it is in the West. Mock meats (aka seitan) made out of soy, wheat gluten etc. were invented in China hundreds if not thousands of years ago, that is true. In Chinese we call this 斋料. One of my favourite snacks or toppings is fried beancurd skin and it is so fragrant. I live in a country with a huge overseas Chinese diaspora and one of my favourite breakfast meals is fried vegan rice vermicelli (斋米粉) even though I'm not vegan.
Mantou (馒头) might look unappealing but I find that it is naturally sweet and good on its own
Amazing!! Here in Brazil it is really hard to be vegan. I am fascinated by Chinese vegan cousine now
Hey Amy, a tip for you, a popular beverage “露露” which usually sold in blue metal cans are the ALMOND MILK you are looking for. The brand didn’t label itself almond milk very obviously and many people don’t notice it is almond milk either, but it won’t change the fact that it’s an absolutely great product, it has been on the market for decades long and filled through my childhood family feasts. Recently they also introduced None-sugar version, taste just like the old one, I love it and this is not a paid ad...
this video and the last one were so great to watch, thank you so much, love your videos!!
What a great Idea!!! Love that you tackled this issue and proved it can be done!!! I’ve had many questions about this!!
Hi Amy, thanks so much for uploading this video. Been your follower and as a vegan myself, it's really great to watch your last two videos. Well done!
P.s. the chewy stuff in the sweet and sour dish is made with either gluten or bean curd skin. Chinese Buddhist monks have been using it since ancient time to replace meat. Back when I travelled to China 9 years ago, my favorite dishes were something with mushrooms, tofu, and eggplant. Whereas gluten, I would say it could be a hit and miss. Need to know how to cook it well. In my opinion, the sweet and sour you ordered probably isn't ...
yns12345 thanks so much for sharing that info!! It’s a texture I haven’t experienced before and I guess it just takes some getting used to haha
Blondie in China I think the fake meat is probably soy bean-based as well.
The fake meat is definitely made from soy beans. They just put some kinds of seasoning or spice to make it taste like 'meat'. They won't have any actual meat product in the temples.
the waiters smile when he served the food for u at the temple had me 🥺🥺🥺🥺
I'm loving the thumbnails! Love that you don't take yourself too seriously and it's all about fun and light-heartedness 😊
Always looking forward too all of your videos!
I loved the vegetarian video and didn't expect this video honestly since a lot of people don't distinguish between vegetarians and vegans (at least in my experience in the US) but it is a welcome thing. Never commented but I just love the positivity that you showcase in your videos and showcasing the "good side" of China and the many different aspects of their culture which is not seen very often in the rest of the western world.
Sterling thanks so much for commenting!!! Glad you like what I’m doing and hope you continue to enjoy my videos ❤️
One of my most favorite dishes is the thin sliced potatoes.... so delicious and I can make a meal of it. Another great food video 😍
You're video's are great! And you yourself are such a vibrant and warm human being!! It is such a pleasure to watch you present your content! Love you, girl!✨🙏✨
the guy in orange tshirt keep waving to the camera 😂
HE'S SO ADORABLE LMAO
Loveee this video, i had such a blast traveling china as a vegan, always an adventure finding food and never went hungry. Please feature Elliott in more videos too, woof! ;)
in Chinese if you are a Vegan when you make orders just mention that you eat “全素” that means totally plant based food. no dairy no egg.
How do you pronounce that ?
@@mochi_4726 quan(tone 2, chew-ah-n) su (tone 4). "全 quan" means "all", "素 su" means "vegetable".
Enjoyed your video! I used to live in Hangzhou and at the time I wasn’t vegan, but started now this past year. Definitely inspires me to try all the great vegan food there is in China next time I go back! Thanks again for the informative & fun video!
In China, you probably need to go to one of those buddhist restaurant if you are very strict, because in most restaurants the cooks use lard to cook vegetarian dishes.
You, lovely girl. Thanks for sharing your experience of having vegetable food in CHN.
YAY I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE
SO SO SO EXCITED for this lengthy video xx
Thanks for sharing your experience! We’re also interested in trying a more plant-based here in China. The prospects seemed too daunting at first but we’re managing
Hi Amy I have been waiting for another great video from you. 😊😊
A temporary vegan Lyoness going out on a hunt for delicious food is the mane point of this video. What a roaring success it turned out to be! :D
Hoping she eats the lion’s share!
Awesome vid! I love it! Keep up the great content.
another awesome video Amy. It was a great follow up from last weeks Vegan video. I like the information you received from your vegan friend. The information you provided during your week of eating was extremely useful as well👍. I have such a huge list of foods I want to try from watching your videos 🤣
never been so early and awesome video!
Thank you!!!
Amy love this! Im not a vegan but I appreciate all kinds of experiments and people, when i did a vegan for a day episode i felt so clean, its actually amazing to sometime Change your diet just to creat a healthy lifestyle! Hope me and helmi can meet you in china or wherver one day! To my fellow Aussie oi oi oi 🙌😬
Nick and Helmi would love to meet you guys!!!
Love the thumbnail! So goofy! 😂❤️
Thanks for making these fun videos of your experiences in China and showing the positive side of China.
In summer you should look for 丝瓜 dishes! Super tasty, I could eat it for every single meal
个人不是素食主义者，但是丝瓜炒毛豆，好吃到飞起
找到一样喜欢吃丝瓜的人了……
最喜欢吃丝瓜了。吃完拉屎巨通畅
蒜蓉蒸丝瓜 好吃到飞起
China has a lot of delicious vegan foods, miss my trips there
Just found out that I didn't subscribed to your channel. I was like " How's that even possible?I've watched all her videos and loved all of them." Then I hurried up and immediately hit the subscribe button! You make the best videos about Chinese culture, food, and landscape. My boyfriend was fascinated by your videos, and now he can't wait to visit China!
me too!
you may be unsubscribed by youtube coz blondie is saying sth good about china
i like your videos so much. when i open my pencil in the daily morning, i will see your latest videos. even if i have seen them, i will review them again. because i can learn authentic english. thanks for you again! good pronounce and proper chinese subtitle. i improve my english quickly. i really appreciate it.
Does Eliot has Instagram or TH-cam channel? He is so cute, I can hear him talk about vegan philosophy all day
he is a philosopher so he probably cannot afford instagram
OMG i loved your channel and now i love it even more
Yay! Glad to hear that Martin!
Always excited to see your videos. Much love to you and yours!
aww thank you!!
Wow I can’t believe I found this video. This is amazing. I grew up in China and didn’t even know it’s possible to live in China as a vegan. These days i constant stress about how I’m going to eat the next time I go to China, so this video is super helpful! Thank you for making this.
I watched this video with my boyfriend and he keeps telling me to leave comment saying “My boyfriend is from Quanzhou” 🙄😂 there.
AHAHAH hello to your " bf from quanzhou"😂
@@mochi_4726 he said “hi” 🤣
I'm new to your channel your thumbnail got me watching.... great first impression! lol
Oddly Random hahahahahah glad it worked to grab your attention!!!
It's quite common to use lard or other animal fat to stir fry in many restaurants. And lard is also commonly used in traditional Chinese cakes like the mooncake or zongzi dumpling. Be sure to avoid them or specifically point it out when eating in a restaurant if you are a vegan.
Great video, thank you! Just what I’ve been looking for :)
There are many vegetarian restaurants in my hometown, and some of them are free, a kind of buddhist charity.
Thanks a lot for your advices in Chinese. I am in China for two years and for one year I am a vegan 🌱 I found it quite difficult at the beginning, but now I realize that is very cheap and healthy, especially in China 🇨🇳 the meat 🥩 here is so bad for me
Thank you for your videos, it really motivates me to keep up with my Chinese!
Absolutely LOVE this video. Can't wait to enjoy the array of vegan options when I go to China :)
17:34 my favorite green vegetable is 油麦菜, second is 莴笋, and 生菜 is fine to me, but when i tried to translate them into english, they all turned out to be “Lettuce”， actually they do have some subtle differences to each other😂
yeah 油麦菜 is a kind of lettuce that is chosen for its leaves, and 莴笋 is a kind of lettuce that is chosen for its stems
So you should know the "impossible meat" was possible in China for a thousand years.
A lot of restaurants in China use lard instead of oil and beef stock instead of water in their dishes. This is especially true in vegetable dishes in order to add more flavour. Just be mindful of that if you’re vegan/vegetarian
As a native Chinese, I often watch your videos abroad. I feel what you say is very true. I like your videos
Both of your mandarin are amazing!
And since virus spread in Wuhan these past days.. Is your friend okay
you will find a lot of vegetarian food seems like meat in the local temple.
It is made of starch, so beware of your diet.
I just realized the timing of this video...and you were in the heart of the country where things went down. wow. Maybe you filmed this prior to the actual date listed here? I hope you were able to stay safe. I just came across your channel so I will watch more videos to get the updates I missed lol. Also...as a vegan I really loved this video. Thanks for sharing,
The temple food is actually REALLY amazing when I was young I went there with my family every month. they are also very very cheap, around 5 - 12 RMB for one big bowl which full of vegs.
10:23 SerpentZA: Wait, that's illegal
cool
I would love to see a video about being less wasteful in china ! in my opinion, there is so much plastic and trash and waste in China, which is really tough given the large population so would you be able to try a waste free challenge ?
As a 20 year vegan, really glad to have discovered this video and the previous weeks vegetarian video! Thank you!
These videos are actually so helpful. I’ve been looking into traveling to different Asian countries, from Lebanon to Japan, for a while now but I figure it is going to be difficult as a vegan with celiac disease. This video at least gives me an idea about the “vegetable culture” if you will of China
so glad it could be useful for you!!! Celiac is a challenge in itself, and probably even more challenging that being vegan in China, but I've had friends who are celiac live in china and they have managed!
Buddhist vegetarian foods do not use the 5 “pungent” ingredients onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks. That’s the difference between eating Zai and Shu ... you can go figure out which is which
I love how sometimes you inconciously represent the chinese tones with your hands as you speak 15:04 or 15:11
haha i noticed that too! it's super cute
Look who gave us a longgg video 😭😭 you don’t even know how much I love you 💕❤️😘 😅
I recommend you to go to visit 灵山大佛 in Wuxi. It is like a very very big Buddhism theme park. And it has some very tasty vegetarian buffets there. Also the architectures in it are magnificent.
caution: mantou in guangdong province usually contains milk.
btw, i also confuse normal veganism with some religions followers and thought vegan people don't eat root veggies, chillies, garlic etc...
and your friend is cute
Thanks for the caution about the mantou.
Western veganism is different from what you described because vegans don't eat anything made, or created from animals like meat, eggs, dairy but will eat everything else.
What you describe is what westerners call Jain vegetarianism. Jains don't eat anything that comes from animals, like vegans, but also do not eat any underground vegetables like you described.
I hope that helps :)
I agree with Elliot, there no concept like "vegan", this is a modern concept/label created in the West environment as an identity marker, while in China is just an option of eating everything, or not eat certain things...there's no necessary link with a personal identity or philosophy...
made me laugh when you said hmmm what is this haha loved the video, very helpful!!
Just back from Sydney last week. It is very very smoky right now. Hope you continue enjoying the wonderful life in China,
HI 美女..聰明友善的國民外交大使 影片很讚喔...加油!
An excellent video!
Brian Petersen thanks Brian!
New subscriber and find your channel fascinating and refreshing. Your Chinese is impressive
Ahh your videos make me want to go back to china as well! SO much delicious food!! I was Vegetarian on my student exchange in china but now I am Vegan and there are still so many delicious foods out there to try! We also went to a temple during the exchange and it was amazing best food I've had in my life! 1000 years of vegan culture, they know what they are doing :DD
my favorite lays ---cucumber flavor
tanly1234 hahaha for me they take some getting used to. I’ll always be a salt and vinegar girl! Unfortunately I can’t find those anywhere in China! Only international supermarkets
@@BlondieinChina have you tried the lime flavor? It's not entirely the same, but has a similar tart flavor you might like. Salt and vinegar is my favorite back home too, but in China the "chicken and Mexican tomato" is my favorite.
IM liking mustard flavor😁
OMG! You are in Wuhan again! I am in Huazhong University of Science and Technology. If you want to visit HUST, I hope to be the tourist guide! Because I was born, raised and live here for 31 years!
Too old too simple
@@comantx4311 I have no idea what u r talking about
@@rinckeric4741 没有啦，我很渣的。。。跳槽太频繁，导致没公司要我
lmao this is amazing lol. As a chinese, id say its amazing to study those traditional philosophy. I cant make much sense out of it myself lol. Astonishing! Keep it up!
Sometimes veggie baozi is not pure veggi, they may add egg to the flour to increase texture, and add pork fat in the fillings to enhance flavor. Veggie dishes may also have pork fat.
Mapo tofu is usually cooked with minced meat, be careful
i think it is usually vegetarian
It's cooked with pork
Who told you that?
To westerner, do not say ‘ eat tofu’ to ladies. It can meant ‘ take advantage of her’
and dont say eat Jiaozi to your brother's wife lol.
cuz that will make your brother eat vinegar. and u will eat some bitter.
cz Sun
Oh, thanks . Learn something new.
One thing that Vegan really has to notice is the use of Lard in Chinese cuisine, basically pork fat oil. A lot of Chinese cuisines might use lard oil instead of peanut oil, which is also non-vegan. Make sure to tell the restaurant that please do not use lard. In Chinese , it's ZHU YOU or NIU YOU （Pork lard or beef lard 豬油，牛油。）
I appreciate you effort making so nice videos about real street life inside China! You are Chinese girl now! Love you lovely girl!
Did you see any improvement in your health or energy levels during these two weeks of diet change?
P.S. Love your videos
Efren Arellano I definitely felt healthier and although I don’t ever weigh myself I feel like I may have lost a bit? I felt good generally!
I’ve had less than 6 headaches in the 29 years since I removed animal products from my diet
@@SeanAlcorn I haven't had a headache for like 10 years, and I like eating animal products.
@@daneegee8146 - good for you. You murder them yourself or have somebody else do the wet work for you? I simply prefer my nutrients not to be second hand.
@@SeanAlcorn Do those have anything to do with headaches? Do you know how many insects die when human spray chemical on plants? Aren't insects life?
(not trying to start a flame war here)
Funnily all my life i was thinking & believing that being a vegan is "asian stuff" (esp in "greater" China & India) since ... ancient times hahaha...
Omgg yees thank you soo much for this video!!!! Love it!!!!
There are also all kinds of red bean pastry and fruit porridge that serve as great breakfast option!
14:08 一进门，“我要吃饭” xD
哈哈哈哈
“WHERE dO yOu GEt yOur PRoteIn”
beans，tofu etc
@@jaycetse2956 Haha yeah exactly. I think I was quoting it from the video, something that every vegan hears endlessly
OMG, he's doing a phd program in philosophy with Chinese. That's so impressive.
Restaurants may use lard/butter when they cook vegetables. That makes the dish much more delicious. If you want strict vegan food, you need to tell them or just go to a vegan restaurant.