Survival Guide for Vegans in Japan
Tofu and vegetables = vegan friendly!
Maki Itoh of Just Hungry shares advice for vegans in Japan—first off, to be careful because many traditional Japanese dishes use dashi, which is made with dried fish. "Just about the only things that are fairly sure to be dashi-free are plain rice and homemade pickles," she says (although she does share a recipe for vegan dashi). Looking towards non-traditional Japanese cuisine for vegan dishes may not be much easier. She suggests cooking for yourself if your stay is long enough (she shares recipes on Just Hungry and Just Bento), eating brown rice and whole wheat bread, and shares links to other vegan resources in Japan. Don't miss the comments from her readers for more suggestions on where and what to eat.
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8 Comments:
Or better yet, how about lightening up a little bit and trying some of the local cuisine? Avoiding dairy and meat-heavy dishes is easy enough in Japan, but if the ubiquitous dashi is going to prevent you from trying anything beyond plain rice and homemade pickles, you'll be seriously missing out. What's the point in traveling if you're going to studiously avoid what's fundamental and native to the country?
horseradish at 3:21AM on 03/25/09
Come on, are you really suggesting people let go of their principles because they're travelling? I'm not vegan, but I don't think their beliefs should be treated as a whim -- you wouldn't do that if the person was keeping kosher for religious reasons.
Yes, it's sad to miss out on the culinary experience, but sometimes that's reality. Good thing Just Hungry points out the options.
piccola at 6:48AM on 03/25/09
FYI pork extract is also ubiquitous in packaged foods in Japan. I didn't know my former boss (Jewish) bought some cute kiddy snacks, and had already eaten it before I warned, so I didn't tell her...
you do miss out a lot if you eat strictly vegan in Japan, but there are enough Shojin and macrobiotic (eh. one of the fads, it may disappear soon) foods to try, I guess. Natto is vegan if you don't use the seasoning packet (contains dashi) that come with it, by the way. ;-)
hmw0029 at 7:43AM on 03/25/09
@horseradish, being vegan isn't just something someone can "lighten up a little bit" about. I poke fun at vegans with the best of them, but the I'd make fun of them even more if their convictions were pliable enough to be dropped while traveling. Let's imagine how that would go down...
Jews traveling to totally get that stick out of their asses and eat pulled pork in Tennessee and North Carolina because it's "fundamental and native." Frankly, so should Muslims. Hindu and visiting Chicago? Eat your damn steak. In China on business? Stop being such a wuss and chow down on that dog. While we're at it, men visiting the Pitcairn islands should totally put their ethical qualms aside and molest girls as young as 12, because it's a longstanding "native" practice.
shoneyjoe at 9:32AM on 03/25/09
@piccola and @horseradish, I have to agree with @piccola...my husband and I love to eat and love traveling, but we're strict vegetarians for religious purposes and have been vegetarian our entire life. When we travel, we do a lot of research beforehand to find vegetarian friendly restaurants that we want to try. When we went to Costa Rica recently, I had a little piece of paper that said in Spanish various phrases like no lard, no pork, no meat, etc. that I used in remote places where the waitstaff didn't speak English. I got the idea from my brother who did the same thing in China (no fish/oyster sauce, etc.).
I will say that when we went to Italy, we really wanted to enjoy the food. I had been forewarned that many places heat pasta up with a splash of chicken stock. While I asked at each place, I'm pretty sure they didn't always understand in the remote areas...but I ate anyways which I wouldn't do in the US and tried not to think too hard (shame on me).
If you're a lifelong or longtime vegetarian, you're likely used to being slightly restricted anyways so it doesn't take away from enjoying traveling. We've actually discovered great food in places that are unlikely to be vegetarian friendly and see it as a fun part of the hunt :)
Regarding Japan, my husband ate a lot of Indian food when he was there for 6 months. Vegans should watch out for soups too which often have shrimp paste, etc. in them. I hear the Buddhist temples there have delicious food. Thanks for the link to Just Hungry - seems great!
nithya at hungrydesi at 9:44AM on 03/25/09
@shoneyjoe - rofl.
nithya at hungrydesi at 9:45AM on 03/25/09
Sorry guys, good points all -- I just got back from a reeeeeeeally tedious "vacation" in Germany with a friend who wouldn't even go into any traditional restaurants because there was "too much meat on people's plates" and everything else might be tainted by it. So I'm just feeling bitter for missing out on all that wurst.
horseradish at 6:32AM on 03/26/09
Option 1:
During the whole trip, live in constant fear of unknowingly consuming a tiny amount of delicious and healthy fish, all the while driving companions and hosts crazy with your rude and irritating neurosis.
Option 2:
Stay at home (Japan thanks you.)
Option 3:
Stop being a melodramatic ninny and eat the same crap you enjoy at home - Japan is not on the planet Mars.
Doctrine at 1:28AM on 03/27/09