Attending a conference in Beijing with special dietary needs
There will be a three week international physics conference (taks in English) in Beijing that I might want to attend. Unfortately I'm a picky eater, being a vegetarian with a nut, peanut and raw soy allergy. I do not speak any Chinese, therefore I expect to be unable to communicate this to the personnel in restaurants or the cafeteria.
The speakers attending are from various countries, therefore I would expect that the locals help the guests choosing meals. But having them translate the menu into English is one thing, asking them to ask the personnel for allergens every single day might become old rather quickly. I'll get in touch with them about this.
Outside of the conference the attendees might go for food in a group as well, but I don't think that an English-speaking local would be available at all times. If one has no special dietary needs, just taking something from a bar or buffet is fine, but I would really like to know what I eat.
Is it realistic to do this; perhaps with a note made by a Chinese colleague stating my dietary needs like “please give me some vegetarian dish as long as it does not contain …”? I just do not want to be that guy who is taxing on everyone's patience because I put myself into a situation relying on other people to help me out.
Best Answer
I have heard that vegetarian eating can be difficult in China. I read somewhere, long ago, that the best thing is to say you are Buddhist. Indeed, https://www.insiderjourneys.co.uk/blog/holidaying-in-china-for-vegetarians seems to back up that idea as well as providing other tips that sound worthwhile. However, its guide to what you can say doesn't include the phrase in Chinese characters - therefore you might struggle to make yourself understood unless you get the pronunciation and especially the tones correct.
As for your nut allergies, sorry, but I can't help you there.
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Answer 2
Vegetarian is tricky in China, but doable. A small selection of restaurants cater to Buddhists who do not eat meat (and are, in fact, vegan).
The real headache is your peanut allergy, though. It is very common for Chinese restaurants to cook with peanut oil, so if your tolerance is low enough, then tough luck. But fortunately, there are also restaurants which use rapeseed, soybean or corn oil (those are the most common cooking oils in China). Of course, it doesn't hurt to ask (it would greatly help if you go with someone who could explain it to the waiters), but expect a lot of the restaurants to use peanut oil.
Also, I'm not sure what "raw soy allergy" means: do people actually eat raw soybeans? (They contain lectins and I thought they can't be eaten raw anyways.) If that means you're allergic to soy sauce, then even tougher luck...
There are some salad restaurants in Beijing, though. I'd be pretty sure you'd be fine with those...
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