Vegetarian vs Vegan

I love vegan food, even though I’m not vegan. I was raised on Chinese vegetarian (Buddhist) cuisine, which is a whole cuisine in and of itself, not just eliminating or substituting meat.

My favorite vegan cookbook is Vegetarian Cooking, which is out of print. The dishes are creative and rival any meat dish.

I don’t really mind vegetarian food, since dairy and eggs do not require killing animals. 

I’m selectively lactose intolerant (I can’t drink milk, I don’t like yoghurt, and the smell of aged cheese makes me gag, but I love butter and ghee), and I hardly ever eat eggs, so I prefer vegan, anyway. 

I could not go into a cheese shop without gagging. I once had to hold my breath while shopping for sparkling water because it was next to the cheese. The only cheeses I can tolerate are mozzarella, burrata, and paneer.

I just don’t like restaurants that remove the meat or substitute a plant-based meat alternative from a standard dish and calling it vegan. I know it’s just me. I’d like the vegan food to be its own cuisine.

I do miss the appetizer in Buddhist restaurants that’s a combination of three flavors of wheat gluten: oyster (vegan, of course) sauce, curry sauce, and sweet and sour sauce. I haven’t seen that in Chinese vegan restaurants in a long time.