Telling Chinese people that you don't eat meat is often met with 莫名其妙地望著 (mò míng qí miào de wàng zhe), a look of confusion, and maybe even shock. The saying that Chinese people will eat "anything with four legs except tables and anything that flies except aeroplanes" may have been inspired by Cantonese cuisine, but it remains true that in China anything is fair game for the dinner table.

Despite this, it is possible to survive in China and Beijing as a vegetarian or with food allergies, so long as you know what to look for and a few essential phrases. Chinese cuisine can be quite accommodating as it usually incorporates a lot of vegetables and tofu (豆腐 dò fu) or – not only do they know how to cook tofu better here than in the West, but it's a great way to stay healthy thanks to its high protein (蛋白質(zhì) dàn bái zhì) content.

If you are invited over for dinner (晚飯 wǎn fàn) at your Chinese friend's house, be prepared to answer questions about why you are refusing their mum's famous homemade meat dumplings (肉餃子 ròu jiǎo zi). If the thought of being interrogated over your eating habits and dietary requirements gives you an upset stomach (胃不舒服 wèi bù shū fu), here are some essential phrases for wriggling your way out of sampling chicken feet (雞腳 jī jiǎo) and the like.

How to explain being vegetarian/dietary requirements in Chinese

我吃素。
wǒ chī sù
I am vegetarian.

我吃純素。
wǒ chī chún sù
I am vegan.

我不吃肉／我不要肉。
wǒ bù chī ròu / wǒ bù yào ròu
I don't eat meat.

我不吃海鮮。
wǒ bù chī hǎi xiān
I don't eat seafood.

雞蛋可以／不可以。
jī dàn kě yǐ / bù kě yǐ
Eggs are okay / not okay.

你有忌口嗎?／對什么食物過敏嗎?
nǐ yǒu jì kǒu ma? / duì shén me shí wù guò mǐn ma?
Is there anything you don't eat? / Do you have any allergies?

我對…雞蛋／海鮮／ 花生／乳制品／麩質(zhì)…忌口／過敏
wǒ duì … jī dàn / hǎi xiān / huā shēng / rǔ zhì pǐn / fū zhì … jì kǒu / guò mǐn
I am allergic to …eggs / seafood / peanuts / dairy / gluten.

你為什么不吃肉?
nǐ wèi shén me bù chī ròu?
Why don't you eat meat?

因?yàn)椤谊P(guān)心動物／對身體很好／對環(huán)境很好／更便宜。
yīn wèi … wǒ guān xīn dòng wù / duì shēn tǐ hěn hǎo / duì huán jìng hěn hǎo / gèng pián yi
Because I care about animals / it is healthy / it is good for the environment / it is cheaper.

Explaining the concept of vegetarianism to a Chinese person may be tricky, but trying to order food with your specific dietary requirements can be even harder in a restaurant and in Chinese! Even after ordering a dish without meat (沒有肉 méi yǒu ròu), it is still possible to end up with some surprise chicken floating in your noodles because the restaurant owner doesn't understand or they simply think chicken doesn't count as meat (肉 ròu) (true story). And just because a dish on the menu contains the character for vegetables (菜 cài), it doesn't automatically mean it is vegetarian-friendly.

Similarly if you have food allergies, you should always ask as clearly as possible what is in the dish you want to order. Even asking about the type of oil the dishes are cooked in may be necessary, as Chinese restaurants like to use peanut, sesame or a mixture plus they usually cook everything in the same wok. Chinese restaurants are becoming more aware of food allergies, particularly when faced with foreigners, and may ask you if you have any specific dietary requirements (你有沒有忌口／對什么食物過敏嗎? nǐ yǒu méi yǒu jì kǒu/duì shén me shí wù guò mǐn ma?). But it is still worth double-checking because you don't want to find any rogue peanuts in your dishes.

How to order food at a restaurant without the fear of meat, allergic reactions, or dying entering the equation

你有素菜嗎？
nǐ yǒu sù cài ma
Do you have any vegetarian dishes?

我也不吃雞肉。
wǒ yě bù chī jī ròu
I don't eat chicken either.

這個(gè)菜有肉嗎？
zhè ge cài yǒu ròu ma?
Does this dish have meat?

我要吃這個(gè)菜，不加肉。
wǒ yào chī zhè ge cài bù jiā ròu
I want to eat this dish without meat.

你能不能做飯不加肉？
nǐ néng bù néng zuò fān bù jiā ròu?
Can you make this dish without meat?

我對X過敏，請不要加X。
wǒ duì X guò mǐn, qǐng bù yào jiā X
I'm allergic to X. Please could you not add X?

你用什么油做飯？花生油嗎？芝麻油嗎？
nǐ yòng shén me yóu zuò fàn? huā shēng yóu ma? zhī ma yóu ma?
What oil do you use to cook? Peanut oil? Sesame oil?

If all else fails, you can always try asking for some staple dishes, listed below, which usually feature on restaurant menus or try your luck and ask if the cook can create something for you from scratch.

Vegetarian dishes to order

蒜蓉西蘭花
suàn róng xī lán huā
broccoli fried with garlic

青菜炒面
qīng cài chǎo miàn
fried noodles with greens

豆腐
dò fu
tofu

辣椒炒土豆
là jiāo chǎo tǔ dòu
spicy stir-fried potatoes

西紅柿炒雞蛋
xī hóng shì chǎo jī dàn
tomato fried with egg

麻辣／拍黃瓜
má là / pāi huáng guā
smashed cucumber with chili oil and/or garlic (cold dish)

地三鮮
dì sān xiān
fried potatoes, peppers, and eggplant

香菇包子
xiāng gu bāo zi
steamed buns with mushrooms

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來源：The Beijinger
編輯：萬月英