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357 Zhong Zheng Rd, Taipei, Taiwan

The highlight at this comparatively up-market self-service place are the savoury parcels of a mixture based on finely chopped mushrooms encased in tofu skin, themselves wrapped in strips of processed seaweed lightly sprinkled with sesame seeds. You can also enjoy wonderfully succulent mushrooms, small pinkish aubergines, okra, peas in their pods, finely shredded green capsicum and slices of slightly sweet tomatoes…the ability of Chinese cuisine to incorporate foodstuffs that cannot be traditional is something I’d like to know more about.

Of course visitors to a country like Taiwan may well decide to aim for more adventurous dining experiences than those offered by self-service establishments, but in an environment where one cannot speak the local language (indeed, you probably won’t be able to tell the name of the restaurant from the sign outside), it is a relief to find places where you know that all the food will be veggie, and the quality of their offerings is an added bonus. This restaurant is out of the city centre, handy to the Shi Lin MRT station.

Lane 117, #6, Shida Rd, Da-An district, Taipei, Taiwan

One of the mainstays of Sichuan cuisine is ma po tofu, in which the tofu comes with a topping of meat, and it comes as a surprise to find it listed on the menu of a veggie restaurant. Even more surprising is the form it takes: the tofu comes in a chilli sauce into which has been mixed shredded lettuce and…sultanas! The resulting dish is a study in contrasting colours, textures, tastes (think sweet and sour) and, as it cools, degrees of heat, for it turns out that sultanas are very good at retaining their heat. It is accompanied by a serve of a mixture of different kinds of rice and a small bowl of salty miso soup, which contains a small amount of tofu. An unusual meal, but one that reminds you of the limitless possibilities of Chinese cuisine, and is both satisfying and remarkably cheap. The small restraurant also functions as a health food store, where various Chinese preparations can be obtained.

Please find following a message from Fr Themi (Orthodox Mission to Sierra Leone) which discusses fasting in the context of poverty, and gives us all some perspective on our lives.  I found it a very interesting and thought provoking commentary and hope that you find the sharing of it relevant, particularly since we have been discussing fasting at recent meetings.

Some time ago, I was looking at various websites about preventing animal cruelty, and promoting animals rights and all the things that we vegetarians are interested in, as we love and want to care about animals and protect them from the evils inflicted upon them.  One of the websites (which one I unfortunately can’t remember) said something about animal lovers wanting to care for their fellow human beings, as they are animals too.  It struck a chord with me at the time, as I think you will agree with me that in general, people who love animals are the sort of people who also tend to try and help others (ie their fellow humans) where they can.  Thinking about it has given rise to this post, which doesn’t highlight a campaign exactly.

Following is a short list of some of my favourite groups or charities which aim to alleviate the plight of a suffering humanity (in no particular order, with perhaps the exception of the first one!)

• Mercy Ships (www.mercyships.org) – a global charity bringing “hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor”, operating hospital ships in developing nations
• CityCare Brisbane (www.citycare.org.au) – provides community services to marginalised people in Brisbane, eg the homeless, empowering them for a better future, bringing hope and opportunity to those facing hardship
• Medecins Sans Frontieres (www.msf.org) – also known as Doctors Without Borders – an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, healthcare exclusion and natural or man-made disasters
• Lifeline (www.lifeline.org.au) – crisis support service, with the well known telephone crisis line
• Christian Blind Mission (www.cbm.org.au) – an international development organisation dedicated to improving quality of life for people with disabilities in the world’s poorest countries
• Australian Red Cross (www.redcross.org.au) – provides over 60 community services, ranging from blood supplies and disaster services to first aid and refugee services.
• Paradise Kids 4 Africa (www.pk4a.org.au) – seeks to help “break the vicious cycle of poverty through love and education.” Supports the work of Rev Dr Themi Adamopoulo who heads the Orthodox Mission to Sierra Leone
• Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA (www.apheda.org.au) – fights for global social justice, for human rights, genuine sustainable development, self-determination, workers’ rights, equality, freedom and democracy. Most projects are in partnership with local unions or community organisations, and provide education and training to working people.

Certainly this should not be taken as anything like a comprehensive list, as there are a multitude of committed organisations out there doing great things for people every day.

15 Wu Chang St, section1, Taipei, Taiwan

It’s every child’s dream of paradise: you choose what to eat and have as much as you like. When you walk into the Vegetarian Heaven you pick up a tray and pair of tongs, and are confronted by a vast array of dishes. There is tofu prepared in various styles, mushrooms with a flavour so intense they must have been dried and rehydrated (I’d like to know how this works), the greens the Chinese do so well, broccoli, various other vegetables, a dark dish based on sea vegetables, a satisfyingly not-too-sweet black bean desert and (how far can the borders of Chinese cuisine be extended?) potatoes. You pay by weight; rice and soup are complimentary. This restaurant gives a wonderful insight into a traditional and entirely vegetarian way of eating. The only danger is that, as you work your way through the vast amount of food you piled onto your tray, you will hear a distant voice from your childhood: ‘Someone’s eyes were bigger than his stomach.’

10 Little Stanley St, South Bank, Brisbane

During the days of the Empire on which the sun never set, Indian cooks devised a number of dishes calculated to please the British palate: a kind of fusion food, Raj style! Among these is mulligatawny soup, which the Ghandi Curry House does well. The lentils are pureed and nicely spiced, and soft rice lurks at the bottom of the bowl. There are also large samosas, where lentils are to be encountered as well as the usual mix of vegetables. The main dishes include Vegetable Kolapuri, in which carrots, green beans, peas and green capsicum swim in a tomato-based sauce. Some curry afficianados may find this dish a wee bit bland. The spinach paneer is worth ordering for its beautiful deep green colour alone, but I’m told the taste is very good too.  Located in the middle of a tourist area, this restaurant offers some unusual takes on a wonderful cuisine.

2/1420 Logan Rd, Mt Gravatt, Qld

The entire VVOC team converged at the Loving Hut for lunch, and we all enjoyed oursleves. There is a very good range of openers, among them a creamy corn soup with silken tofu and mushrooms, the corn largely dissolved to create a beautiful smooth texture; the slightly sweet Inari sushi, in which finely chopped veggies with rice come wrapped in tofu skin; Vietnamese rolls of sprouts, carrot and parsely wrapped in rice paper, and, unexpectedly, perfectly respectable popato chips with a side dip. The favourite main dish was the Loving Wrap, which consists of tofu and mushrooms in a tofu wrap, and comes with generous serves of vegetables and rice. A number of the dishes listed on the menu contain ingredients described in such terms as vegetable protein and soy protein; by and large we prefer to steer away from such concoctions, although for some people, particularly those new to a non-meat diet,  they can be very welcome.  All in all it was a great lunch, as good food was shared in the best of company.

100 Marsh St, Armidale NSW

I’ll never forget the first time I tried tom yum soup. Nothing in my experience had prepared me for the intense taste coming from the mixture of lemon grass and lime leaves, but it was obviously the product of people who knew very well what they were doing, and since then I have always enjoyed raising a spoonful. At the Yim Thai the soup comes thick with mushrooms (Tom Yum Hed), which provide hearty bulk without getting in the way of the flavour. The restaurant also offers vegetarian curry puffs filled with carrot, potato, peas, corn and onion; there are tasy enough, but much milder than the soup. The main dishes include Tofu Tod, in which deep fried tofu comes with a plum sauce, Pad Thai tofu, and a variety of other dishes. In fact there are 17 dishes in the veggie section of the menu, which should be enough to keep the inhabitants of the beautiful Athens of the North happily eating for some time.

Today we shared a lovely lunch at The Loving Hut.

1. Thanks to John for his restaurant reviews.

2. Thanks to Jacki for her ongoing work with campaigns.

3. Jacki suggested we put up a post featuring our t-shirt and bag as an activity.

4. Vasilios is going to put up links to two articles he has written; “Being Orthodox and Western” and last year’s Easter article.

5. John has offered to lend Helen a book : to assist in writing a posting about fasting.

6. John is going to write a review of The Loving Hut and has kindly offered to host our next meeting.

7. Discussed the book “Dewey“, a wonderful story of a library cat in IOWA.

We have all I am sure been saddened to hear of the tragedies which have occured to people and animals alike in the recent Haiti disaster.  It is heart warming to me to see that the government of Haiti actually requested the assistance of WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) – that in the horror of all that has happened to the people of Haiti, and the immense amount of assistance that is required to aid the population, that the welfare of animals has not been forgotten.  The Animal Relief Coaliton for Haiti (ARCH) has been formed to deal with the Haiti crisis and is led by WSPA and iFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare).  More information can be found at the WSPA website – www.wspa.org.au