Vegetarians at BLCU dormitories

[prateeksha]

Or at Beijing universities, in general.

Since only month remains in my departure, I am asking this question with a lot of tension and anxiety. How do the vegetarian guys at BLCU manage? I'm talking about the ones who live in the dormitories, the ones without a personal kitchen with gas stoves and ovens.

I have heard that there are public kitchens in dorms with microwaves and hotplates. What are the other options apart from cooking on your own? Sure one year cannot be spent only on bread and rice. Do the dormitories have a mess? What kind of food is served there? And do any of the BLCU canteens cater to only vegetarians? Are there any good and budget vegetarian eateries nearby the campus where one could think of having one meal per day? I will be coming on a sponsorship, so budget is going to be a huge issue.

PS: I'm Indian. And I recently came to know of the Ganges restaurant in the BLCU campus vicinity.

[Gurulu]

Don't worry, prateeksha. Vegetarian food gets more and more popular in China. I'm not in BLCU. I know there are quite a few canteens in Peking U where you can have vegetarian food. There seems such a canteen close to the dormitory in BLCU. You can google it or ask your classmates after you arrive. Here is a list of vegetarian eateries in Beijing http://www.vspku.org/beijing_vegetarian_restaurant/

[prateeksha]

Thanks for the headsup, Gurulu!

My main points of concern are:

1. If cooking in dormitory kitchens is a good idea considering classes, work off computer and some social life?
2. If any canteen or restaurant nearby could provide economical, clean "Buddhist" meals two times a day?

If you or anyone could throw some light on this, would be glad!

[Angelina]

I'm a bit worried about animal fat used in cooking. The good thing is that I won't be the only vegetarian there.

[scooter]

Hi! I'm going to be at BNU for the fall semester, and I'm also concerned about the vegetarian food selection in Beijing.

I'm worried that I might miss out on the social aspect of Chinese dining. My impression is that food is often served "family style," and that sharing a hot pot is a great experience. Is there a good way to participate as a vegetarian?

[prateeksha]

Angelina, got to know that you are a vegetarian coming to BLCU. That's the best news I have heard since I got admission, another vegetarian on campus! Where are you from? I am an Indian. For what course are you coming?

[Angelina]

I've been accepted to study one year at the College of Advanced Chinese Training as a general scholar. You? I'm from Macedonia. Never met an Indian before

[prateeksha]

FOLLOW UP

One year already over at 北语. One of the most memorable experiences of my life. How I ate during the last one year is being summed up here:

1. Cooking on my own: 95% of the times. This is the safest way to ensure no sort of animal product entered the food in any manner. I brought/shipped spices and condiments from India. There is an Indian store in 三里屯 which sells Indian stuff - but that's horribly expensive, although the only place where you can buy wheat flour good enough for chapatis. Rice and fresh vegetables can be brought everywhere.
   
2. Ready-to-eat meals: These are the meal packs which need to be heated for 2 minutes and can be eaten instantly. Available at the Indian store, but several times as expensive. Again, brought from home.
   
3. Quick "meals": More like what bachelor men cook. Quickly scrambles eggs, bread toasts, soups, some native quick meals.
   
4. Local packaged snacks: This bit is tricky. Many, many of these contain animal products. Won't hurt to ask the 售货员, but many of them would not be able to tell if the stuff has something "inedible" for you [not their fault, really.] Try getting your Chinese friend explain this bit to you, if at all it matters as much.
   
5. Restaurants: Probably only 4-5 times in the entire year. Usually pretty expensive for a student on a shoestring budget. There is one Buddhist restaurant with excellent service near to BLCU and Ganges in Hualian now.
   

Feel free to ask any questions.