TO MOST carnivores, the term vegetarianism means the avoidance of meat. But the term requires elaboration.
'It makes a difference whether vegetarianism is a diet or a philosophy,' says American vegan Stanley Sapon, the founder of the Rochester Area Vegetarian Society. 'A diet is a list of the foods you choose; a philosophy is a set of coherent reasons for making those choices.'
Many vegetarian cuisines owe their origins to ancient beliefs, and most in Hong Kong are Chinese. There are two types of cuisines: su and zhai, says Joe Yuen, manager of the Bo Kong Vegetarian Restaurant that specialises in Buddhist dishes, in Causeway Bay. Su is an ordinary vegetarian diet, whereas zhai is vegetarianism founded on Buddhist beliefs. Although there are no set dietary laws in Buddhism, some Chinese believers in the Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism don't eat onions, garlic and leeks.
'These ingredients are among the Five Pungent Spices that some Buddhists believe can increase one's sexual desire and anger,' says Yuen. 'This is how zhai differs from su, although many people are unaware of the subtle difference.'
Similarly, Indian vegetarianism consists of two main kinds: the ordinary and Jain diet. According to Shihabdeen Mohamad Khaleel, director of the Woodlands Indian vegetarian restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, the two types are rooted in ahimsa, a religious concept that violence, including killing animals for food, is wrong. Although many Hindus pursue spiritual purity through a vegetarian diet, the pacifist Jains sect goes one step further by avoiding root vegetables because they consider this a form of violence.
'The Jains don't eat things like garlic, onion, potatoes and carrots because they are considered to have feelings,' says Shihabdeen.