Opinion / How I stayed vegan in Hong Kong: a personal journey
Lim Li Ying has never doubted her choice. She loves the feeling she gets from eating plant-based food and rarely gets sick
“Will you remain a vegan forever?” This is the question that has been asked of vegan social media influencers since the “vegans turning back to non-vegan diet” debacle – the latest one to cause a furore involves YouTube stars Rawvana and Tim Shieff, while Ariana Grande was caught promoting a non-vegan Starbucks drink – scandalised the vegan community. Many have explained their devotion to the cause, from animal welfare to saving the Earth, healing from an eating disorder or a health issue.
Having prescribed to the plant-based, cruelty-free lifestyle for six years – when understood that going vegan would heal my eating disorder mentally and physically – I now subscribe to a plant-based diet free of dairy and meat and animal by-products such as honey too. I also asked myself: will I remain a vegan forever?
Because the truth is, it is not easy to be vegan.
What is it like being a vegan?
A question I so often get from non-vegans.
This started as an article describing how I navigated my way through Hong Kong after arriving from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to this city that boasts some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants of various cuisines. No foodie would ever give Hong Kong a wide berth. Food is an essential driving force for the Chinese – talk always turns to food: Have you had your dinner? What did you have? Have you been to this bar/restaurant/cafe?
So what it’s like to be a vegan in Hong Kong...