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cient pagodas and on the first or the
middle days and the festive days of
lunar months, it’s typical to find veggie
feasts there. Vegetarian meals at the
pagodas are often simple and frugal,
but they attract many thanks to their
restful atmosphere.
At pagodas, the followers listen to
the Buddha’s words to erase the stress
and pressure of daily life, restoring calm
in their minds. In the past, pagodas
were places for the old, but now the
number of people in all age groups is
increasing rapidly.
Moreover, pagodas such as Hung
Phuc pagoda in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri dis-
trict frequently offer hundreds of free
vegetarian meals in public places for
doctors and patients at hospitals, teach-
ers and students at schools and uni-
versities and even office workers. Ac-
cording to master monk Thich Thanh
Phuong, this is a way to help common
people understand more about the val-
ue and importance of vegetarianism for
our health and the environment sur-
rounding us.
VEGGIE OPTIONS
In order to meet the higher de-
mand for veggie food, many restau-
rants have opened in Hanoi. Differ-
ing from the simple meals at pagodas,
these restaurants offer feasts of hun-
dreds of veggie dishes.
The space and decor of restaurants
are also diverse. Some are set
up peacefully with simple and
sparse decorations, like
pagodas, while others
are more sophisticat-
ed. Veggie menus are
also multiform and
range from common
dishes to royal styled
delicacies.
Not only fruits,
vegetables and cereals
are used, there are also
various kinds of ready-made
ingredients to cook dishes. Sim-
ple vegetable soups are turned into
many types of mouthwatering hot pots,
wheat flour into porkpies and barbe-
cued pork chops, while bean flour and
tofu are transformed into roast chicken
and even Beijing duck.
Those flocking to the restaurants
are mainly people who wish to find
good food for their health and beauty.
Others are simply tired of meat and
want to find a change.
“I love vegetarian food not only
because it’s fresh and fatless, but also
as it is a way to avoid the slaughter of
animals,” says Kim Chi. “With veggie
food, we can eat as much as we want
but not care about our weight – that
is very important for an office worker
like me.”
HOME COOKING
Many Hanoians follow the Bud-
dha’s philosophy and believe he is in
their hearts and minds. So, they them-
selves cook veggie food at home as
a matter of course on festive days to
worship their ancestors.
“I often cook veggie food at home
to serve our family because I believe
that Zen food can nourish a kind heart
in our children. They will be good-na-
tured peoeple, always ready to help
others and never commit merciless ac-
tions,” says Tuong Vi.
According to many housewives,
cooking veggie food is not complicated
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