Veggie Fest

We made it to Chinatown with some colleagues for this year's annual vegan ("kin jay") food fest. Celebrated during the first nine days of the ninth Chinese lunar month (early October), this is a time of penance and self-purification. No consumption of meat, animal products, and strong smelling veggies such as garlic, chives, celery, and onions.

Here we are sampling the wares of street-side stalls on Yaowarat Road. The food was mostly deep-fried carbs or imitation meat, akin to hot dogs or ham. The food was not very delectable but the atmosphere was fun. It started pouring shortly after the photo was taken and we ended up at the Scala Shark Fin Restaurant. The food was ok, nothing memorable, and they didn't have fake shark fin.

We didn't achieve the intended purification of body and mind as we couldn't observe the dietary rules for the entire nine days. The "jay" meals weren't that satisfying and had to be supplemented with ice cream. "Perhaps we will do it again next year," we snort derisively. Hehehe.