Trying To Be Vegan and Zero Waste in China

Hello everybody! I thought, as I possibly won’t upload as frequently as I usually do, I would start a series of everyday moments, in which I can be more personal. I moved to Beijing, China since my last post, so I most certainly feel that calls for an update. I got a few comments regarding the nature of air travel, and I do completely agree that it can be unnecesary and polluting, but when there are no other options, you gotta do what you gotta do. I like to think that neither of us are completely perfect, and I do love to travel.  Zero Waste is going to be interesting here, and I have to rethink and reinvent everything from scratch, which is difficult, but also really exciting.

Also read: Eco Travel In A Circus Wagon

I’ve been scouting my area, which is called Jiuxian, for vegan restaurants and options. I do not know much Chinese, but so far I get by on the basics and the comfort of a translation app. I’ve accepted that some infomation will ultimately get lost in translation, so the chance of eating something with fishsauce or milk powder in it is pretty big, but eventhough it makes my stomach turn I try to accept that I probably won’t be perfect in that aspect either. However, and this is the case whereever you’re travelling; it’s all about intention. I go with my gut and avoid everything that seems suspicious, there is really nothing else to do. I am still in a rookie phase here, so I am exploring local grocery stores and supermarkets, hopefully I’ll have time to go and find a Farmer’s Market or something of that nature.

Also read: Travelling Eco – Malaga

Everything is very different and new and that in itself is quite scary. The apartment I am living in, and sharing with two others, was in much worse condition than I imagined and that really affected my mood on the first day, well both that and the jetlag. But I’ve decorated it a bit and made it feel more like home; a process which required me to purchase some things, I tried making it as package free as possible, but of course there was some waste. I cannot wait to give you the tour though. I know some of the big things I do have a huge impact on our planet, like buying new things and travelling for work. But living without these things would not simply be inconvient, it would be an empty life; seeing the world and a home that feels like home are essential to me, however plastic bags, straws, take away containers, fast fashion, meat, dairy and eggs are not. I try to stay true to my values in those aspects that really matters to me personally.

Also read: Zero Waste Travelling Tips

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3 Comments

  1. Love this! I hope you’re enjoying your trip and am glad that you’re staying positive. Positivity is such an important part of Zero Waste. Without we get bogged down in what we aren’t doing and all the negative things around us. It’s mhch more fun to focus on the positives.

  2. Ok jeg ved intet om Kina og slet ikke om Beijing, men for snart mange år siden boede jeg i Vietnam. Der var det helt klar nemmest at finde vegetarisk/vegansk mad i gadekøkkenerne. Der kunne man stort set altid få stegte ris med grønsager og det lækreste stegte tofu. Jeg er aldrig blevet syg af at spise lokale steder- bare man holder sig til de travleste så man får maden frisk.
    Glæder mig til at høre mere om dit Asien eventyr.

  3. I’ve moved in Shanghai for 3 months for work and I must say being vegan was a challenge! I remember food prepping every single day before work and showing the translation in Chinese of the foods that I was trying to avoid in restaurants since nobody was really speaking English. Can’t wait to see your apt tour and good luck with everything, I know China can be too much sometimes but you can do it no matter what! 🙂

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