A new trend
Since the 1990s, vegetarianism has made headway in many parts of the world, but people no longer practice it merely for religious purposes. Now associated with health and environmentalism, vegetarianism is more often regarded as a lifestyle choice. As issues such as environmental protection, animal welfare, and carbon reduction take hold, and as the general public becomes more aware of nutritional science and preventive healthcare, increasing numbers of us are keen to try “flexitarianism.”
This new trend contrasts with some strict forms of religious vegetarianism that ban pungent plants such as scallions, garlic, chives, onions, and asafetida. While vegetarian restaurants used to fall outside many people’s orbits, now even meat-eaters agree that “it’s nice to eat vegetarian from time to time.”
Internationally famous for supplying tasty comestibles, Taiwan’s food industry has been quick to respond to this new tide of vegetarianism. With branches everywhere across the island, each of the major convenience store chains is now selling its own vegetarian products. Since 7-Eleven launched its successful vegetarian brand in 2020, other companies have followed suit. Prominent examples include Family Mart, which has teamed up with the vegetarian restaurant Deli Soys, and Hi-Life, which has joined forces with Easy House Vegetarian Cuisine. In addition to selling vegetarian foods in its own branches, 7-Eleven has even opened vegetarian shop-in-shops, offering more than 300 different products.
Patrons of vegetarian restaurants are also spoilt for choice. With the rise of creative cuisine, many culinary traditions—including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Malaysian—have gained a foothold in the island’s vegetarian market. “Vegetarian culture took root in Taiwan very early, so we boast a good number of vegetarian restaurants and a remarkable diversity of vegetarian foods,” Huang Shengjie says. Furthermore, to cater to religious vegetarians, Taiwanese companies have long been producing vegetarian meat. Nowadays, the plant-based meats made from pea or mung bean proteins are superior to traditional vegetarian products in terms of composition and the manufacturing process. Taiwan’s technology for making vegetarian meat is world leading. Local factories are able to reproduce any flavor, shape, and texture of meat, and this represents a great advantage for our food service industry.
Zhan Shenglin, head chef at Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant, applies his culinary ingenuity in order to entice meat eaters.
Yang Shin’s fame has spread far and wide. Even on a weekday, it is usually packed at noon.