China, Part 4

Eating in China is difficult. If you're vegetarian. Moreso if you're vegan. There's egg in everything that doesn't have meat, unless you're fortunate enough to get out with a native Mandarin speaker who can utter such phrases as "She doesn't eat anything but vegetables. Really! No, Seriously! Just vegetables!".

I've tried a few unusual foods (for my American palate) while here, mostly to prove to my husband that I am, in fact, brave and willing to step out of my comfort zone. But tonight I asked a chinese friend of mine to order for me, keeping in mind that I don't eat meat or meat products or anything to do with animals. He smiled, shook his head, and said that he would make sure I was happy. Here's what we had tonight:

• Eggplant with black pepper, onions and spicy green peppers. This dish was amazing. It was full of spices, loaded with garlic, and mashed up to a rich, peppery goodness that I cannot wait to make once I get home. I've never seen anything like it before at a chinese restaurant. 
• Potatoes with dried hot peppers, green onions and a vinegar sauce. Again, amazing. The potatoes were sliced like they were noodles and because they were that thin, absorbed the flavor of the green onions and hot peppers perfectly. He told me that if he cooked the dish, he would have first soaked the potatoes in water (after slicing), then tossed with vinegar and cooked them. Then added a bit of white wine, a pinch of white pepper, the dried chopped peppers and green onions, and sauteed until soft. Then drizzled a bit more vinegar on them. Again, can't wait to make this one. One just cannot find these flavors together in a typical american chinese restaurant.
• Sponge cucumber. This was a really strange dish. It looked just liked sliced (vertically) cucumber, but tasted so strange I can't even tell you what it actually resembled. Wait, yes I can. It resembled sponge cucumber because nothing in the world tastes like that. It was sauteed in soy sauce and chili oil with garlic and salt. Simple and scrumptious.

He and another friend split some liver and spicy pepper dish and another meat dish, but I really wasn't paying attention. I was too engrossed in the decadent veggie feast in front of me.

When I'm eating alone here and I tell waiters and waitresses that I do not eat meat, I'm usually greeted with a very confused look. They then beckon someone else over to the table who says something to the broken English effect of "Really? No meat? Seriously?" Of course, I'm paraphrasing. They honestly could be saying "I have no idea what this silly girl is saying, let's just give her some broccoli and shut her up already". Whatever. My point is that this is just not a culture that gets my vegetarian choice.

I'm really grateful that I have a friend here who is helping me live the way I want to live and eat the way I want to eat despite cultural differences. I wish there was a gift I could give him to show my appreciation but I fear the only things that would make him happy would be meat on a stick or cigarettes.