I should probably start with a small confession.
Iโm not vegetarian.
Iโve never fully committed to it, never drawn a clear line and said โthatโs it, no more meat.โ But over the years, especially while living in Taiwan, Iโve found myself naturally eating less and less of it. Not out of guilt, not because of trends, but because Taiwan quietly makes it easy.
And thatโs something I didnโt fully appreciate until I left.
Taiwan vs Japan and Korea: A Stark Contrast
If youโve spent time in East Asia, you might assume that being vegetarian is equally difficult everywhere. After all, meat and fish are deeply embedded in many Asian cuisines.
But Taiwan is different.
Compared to Japan or South Korea, Taiwan feels almost welcoming to vegetarians. In Japan, โvegetarianโ often still includes fish stock, bonito flakes, or pork-based broths. In Korea, meat is central to so many dishes that removing it can feel like removing the dish itself.
In Taiwan, on the other hand, vegetarian food exists as its own category, not as a modified version of something else. It doesnโt feel like a compromise. It feels intentional.
You donโt have to awkwardly ask five questions at every restaurant. You donโt feel like youโre inconveniencing anyone. More often than not, the option is already there.
Falling in Love With Vegetarian Buffets
Lately, Iโve become slightly obsessed with Taiwanโs vegetarian buffets.
If youโve ever walked around Taipei, youโve seen them, even if you didnโt realize what they were at first. Modest storefronts, often with green signage, stainless steel counters, and rows of dishes behind glass. No fancy branding, no Instagram aesthetics.
Just food.
Theyโre everywhere. And I mean everywhere. In many neighborhoods (especially where I live in Yonghe), you can find one on almost every street.
You grab a plate and pincers, and watch it slowly pile up. A scoop of braised tofu here, stir-fried cabbage there, some lotus root, mushrooms, eggplant, mock duck, mock fish, mock pork; all made from soy, gluten, or tofu skin (carefull with fake meat if you have gluten intolerance!).
You pay by weight, which somehow always feels fairer than paying for a fixed menu.
What I love most is that nothing feels performative. No one is trying to convince you of anything. Youโre not โmaking a statement.โ Youโre just eating lunch.
For someone like me, not vegetarian, but consciously reducing meat, these places are perfect. I donโt feel restricted, and I donโt feel like Iโm โmissingโ something. I leave full, satisfied, and usually a bit surprised by how good it all was.
Taiwan: A Vegetarian Powerhouse You Probably Didnโt Expect
Hereโs a fact that often catches people off guard:
Taiwan ranks 4th in the world when it comes to the percentage of vegetarians.
About 15% of the population follows a vegetarian diet.
And itโs especially surprising when Taiwan is internationally famous for things like beef noodle soup, fried chicken cutlets, pork rice (ๆปท่้ฃฏ), and night market snacks that seem anything but vegetarian.
But vegetarianism in Taiwan isnโt a trend. It isnโt something people adopt because itโs fashionable or because a Netflix documentary told them to.
Itโs something much older.
Buddhism and the Way People Eat
A large part of Taiwanโs vegetarian culture comes from Buddhism.
Many Taiwanese follow vegetarian diets either permanently or on specific days of the month for religious reasons. Temples serve vegetarian meals, Buddhist families cook vegetarian food at home, and over time, this has shaped the broader food landscape.
Whatโs particularly fascinating is that many vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan donโt just remove meat, they follow Buddhist dietary restrictions.
That means avoiding not only meat and fish, but also the Five Pungent Spices (ไบ่พ):
- Garlic
- Onions
- Leeks
- Chives
- Shallots
For someone used to cooking with garlic and onions as a base for everything, this feels almost unimaginable.
The first time I realized this, I was confused. Why would you remove garlic? Isnโt that half the flavor?
So I asked a local Buddhist friend.
โBecause They Make You Fartโ
His answer was immediate and completely serious:
โBecause they make you fart, and that disturbs meditation.โ
I laughed, I really did. It sounded like a joke.
But the more he explained, the more it started to make sense.
Garlic and onions contain strong sulfur compounds that can be difficult to digest and can increase gas production. In Buddhist philosophy, digestion isnโt just a physical process, itโs deeply connected to the mind.
Thereโs a belief that digestive stress leads to mental agitation: more passion, more anger, more restlessness, more anxiety.
And since the gut is often referred to as our โsecond brain,โ disturbing it means disturbing the mind.
So these ingredients arenโt avoided because theyโre โbad,โ but because theyโre considered stimulating, not ideal for someone seeking calm, focus, and inner clarity.
Ancient reasoning, maybe. But not entirely unscientific.
Interestingly, this Buddhist approach to food also makes many Taiwanese vegetarian meals surprisingly IBS-friendly.
By avoiding garlic, onions, and other high-FODMAP ingredients, these dishes tend to be gentler on sensitive digestive systems. Again, this wasnโt the goal, but itโs a very welcome side effect.
Itโs one of those moments where ancient traditions accidentally align with modern nutritional science.
Vegetarian Is Easy. Vegan Isโฆ More Complicated.
While being vegetarian in Taiwan is genuinely easy, being vegan is a different story.
Yes, many restaurants offer vegetarian options. But:
- Cross-contamination is common
- Animal fat or lard is still widely used in cooking
- Sauces may contain fish or animal-based ingredients
There are fully vegan restaurants, especially in Taipei, but theyโre fewer than in many Western cities. Veganism in Taiwan isnโt particularly trendy or ideological. Itโs not marketed as a lifestyle.
Vegetarianism, on the other hand, is practical, religious, and deeply normalized.
If youโre vegan, you can absolutely make it work, you just need to be more careful, ask more questions, and accept that perfection isnโt always possible.
A Generational Twist
One last thing that I find especially interesting:
In the West, vegetarianism tends to increase with younger generations. In Taiwan, itโs often the opposite.
Older people are more likely to be vegetarian.
For many Taiwanese, vegetarianism is something you grow into, often later in life, as beliefs shift, health becomes more important, and religious practices deepen.
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