Feature: what kind of vegetarian is a "Guo Bian Su"?

Sometimes vegetarians in Taiwan will say they are "quán sù" (全素; "completely vegetarian") or "dàn nǎi sù" (蛋奶素' "egg-milk vegetarian"), but one can also hear the expression "guō biān sù" (鍋邊素; "pot-side vegetarian").

The first means strictly "vegan", the second is "ovo-lacto vegetarianism", and the last means that the person is easy-going about not eating meat, that he or she is happy simply to pick the vegetables out of a pot or plate of mixed meat and vegetables, or, similarly, eat vegetables or noodles that have been boiled in water used to cook meat.

Another name sometimes used for this is "fāngbiàn sù" (方便素; "convenient vegetarianism").


Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2012

Feature: Glosasry III (no talking)

Many vegetarian restaurants are self-serve buffet style (自助式), and the photo above shows a typical sign seen at such places:

(word-by-word horizontally from top left to bottom right):

夾菜時      "tweezering vegetables time      
請勿交談    please not exchange talk
謝謝合作    thank-thank combine action!"

i.e. "When selecting vegetables, please do not talk; thank you for your cooperation."





 

                                                                Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2011

Feature: Glossary: Religious reasons complicate timing

Most restaurants have regular opening days and times, but with many Taiwanese being irregular vegetarians based around the religious calendar, things can get confusing.

This sign reads (word-by-word, vertically from top right to bottom left):
each week-sun (=Sunday) public rest
(meet with
beginning 1, 15 as
usual operate business)

i.e. Closed on Sundays (unless Sunday is the 1st or 15th of the lunar month, in which case, open as usual).

Feature: RTM "Vegetarian Chicken" is NOT Vegetarian

One standard of vegetarian life in Taiwan is "vegetarian chicken" (素雞; su ji), which is made from tofu skin (豆皮 or 腐皮), tied into bundles and dried. Apparently, someone thought it looks like chicken breast.

Not an NOMM favorite, at least it offers a protein-rich vegetarian option. Not at RT Mart (大潤發), however, where it is served in a non-vegetarian sauce (see photo below).

While the sign is quite clear, and so the hypermarket is doing nothing wrong, perhaps not all foreigners will know that 葷 (hun) means "meat dish". This is especially true since the character contains the semantic element 艹, which normally indicates a botanical meaning.




                                                                                

                                                                     Text and photos © Jiyue Publications 2011