Wokipedia is a regular magazine column in which we introduce aspects of Chinese gastronomy, one letter at a time. This issue, 'V' gets the treatment.
… Vegetarianism 素食主义
Being a vegetarian in China can be a bit like playing the lottery. While Buddhism has a long-established tradition of vegetarianism that’s not necessarily reflected in Chinese cooking, more and more people in China are choosing to forego meat for health reasons. The prevalence of tofu in all its many forms makes for an easy source of protein, but many smaller restaurants still seem to think that dishes that only use meat as a “seasoning” are somehow vegetarian. Arm yourself with the phrase “I’m vegetarian, please don’t use any meat” 我吃素，请别加肉 (wo chi su, qing bie jia rou) and you should be fine, otherwise try one of Beijing’s many fine vegetarian restaurants, such as Fairy Su, King’s Joy, or Vege Tiger.
… Venison 鹿肉
Not commonly featured in modern Chinese cuisine, venison was a fixture on high-class menus during imperial times, when hunting was still popular. Therefore, your best bet if you want to try venison is none other than a restaurant that serves imperial cuisine, such as Najia Xiaoguan, which has braised venison with mushrooms on the menu.
… Vermicelli 粉丝
In East Asia, the English term ‘vermicelli’ usually refers to thin rice noodles (known specifically as mifen 米粉), while the Chinese term fensi 粉丝 actually refers to noodles made out of mung bean starch (which are also known as cellophane noodles, just to add another level of confusion). Fensi form the basis of the popular street snack hot and sour noodles (suanlafen 酸辣粉) as well as the comically-named Sichuan dish “ants climbing a tree” (mayi shangshu 蚂蚁上树), in which they are stir-fried and served with a spicy minced pork sauce.
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Images: Woodburn Venison, Dave's Studio
