Category Archives: Food

Vegetarian Survival Guide to Japan

By Erin | Published: January 5, 2012
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Vegetarian feast in Japan at Minshuku Shimosagaya
Vegetarian feast in Japan at Minshuku Shimosagaya

Being a vegetarian in Japan can be difficult, but with some effort and pre-planning can also be very rewarding. Although we despaired at times of finding a veggie-friendly meal, and fish did turn up in our food on occasion, we also had some of the most unusual and delicious meals we have ever eaten. We loved the foodie culture in Japan and found the food to be high quality, beautifully presented and healthy.

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Learning to Cook Thai Food in Chiang Mai

By Erin | Published: December 8, 2011
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Thai cooking ingredients
The colourful ingredients of Thai cooking

The piles of colourful fresh produce in Chiang Mai’s many markets made me long for a kitchen. I love eating out in Thailand and trying new dishes, but I wanted to take the foodie exploration further and learn to cook Thai food myself. Once we were settled in our Chiang Mai apartment (and yes, it had a kitchen!) it was time to take a cooking class. It’s a popular tourist activity in the city and we had an overwhelming number of schools to choose from. We looked at a few of the vegetarian-only cooking classes but as most schools are happy to cater to vegetarians, in the end we went with the Road Forks’ recommendation and chose the Asia Scenic Thai Cooking School.

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Vegetarian Cuisine in Kyoto: Part 2

By Erin | Published: November 15, 2011
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Tofu in various forms at Tosuiro restaurant, Kyoto
Tofu in various forms at Tosuiro restaurant, Kyoto

Japan was a culinary adventure for us in a country where food is prepared with love and the quality of ingredients and skill in presentation is world class. Kyoto was the perfect place to venture into the weird and wonderful world of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist vegetarian cuisine. We sampled beautifully presented food that we had never heard of before, and our limited Japanese skills meant we often had no idea what we were eating. In Kyoto’s vegetarian restaurants at least we could be assured that it was meat-free.

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The Weird and Wonderful World of Vegetarian Cuisine in Kyoto: Part 1

By Erin | Published: November 10, 2011
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Shigetsu at Tenryuji vegetarian meal
Shojin Ryori vegetarian meal at Shigetsu

Kyoto is a vegetarian heaven in a notoriously difficult country for those who don’t eat meat or fish. In Japan fish broth is in everything, and can be difficult to avoid without eating in purely vegetarian restaurants. Luckily there are plenty of these in Kyoto, as Japan’s ancient capital has a long tradition of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist temple cuisine, which is entirely vegan. It is also some of the most unique, bewildering and delicious food we have ever eaten. As vegetarians it can be hard to delve into a country’s culture through its food, so we were grateful to the Kyoto monks for giving us the opportunity to do just that in Japan.

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Learning to Cook Japanese Buddhist Cuisine in Kyoto

By Erin | Published: September 8, 2011
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Meal at Kyoto Uzuki Cooking Class
Meal at Kyoto Uzuki Cooking Class

Eating out in Japan is expensive and as vegetarians it can be tricky explaining what we can and can’t eat. As we are house sitting in Kyoto for three weeks and have access to a kitchen, a cooking course seemed like the perfect opportunity to learn more about Japanese cuisine. When we contacted Emi Hirayama from Uzuki Cooking Classes she was happy to cater for vegetarians. Luckily we are in the right place. Kyoto is the heart of traditional Japan and has a long history of shojin ryori or Zen Buddhist cuisine, which can be sampled at some of the city’s 1600 temples. We couldn’t wait to learn more.

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