I am a vegetarian and was recently in Hong Kong and Thailand. Some kind of seafoody sauce is used in most food in Hong Kong. You won't taste it al all, but it's there. The tofu in Hong Kong restaurants is fairly good, but probably has the same sauce. If you want to be stay away from these sauces I suggest buying sandwiches or other baked goods at bakeries. You can always check out the supermarket as well for some other treats. In my opinion, if you end up avoiding most restaurant food, you won't be missing much either way. Enjoy your trip!

as the previous poster mentioned, u can easily visit a bakery or a deli. but it would be a shame to visit hk without trying some of the local restaurants. you'll be hard-pressed to find better cantonese food anywhere.

being a vegetarian in hk can be more difficult than, say, in the us. but there are restaurants which serve 'jai' -- vegetarian cuisine. there's a famous one in causeway bay -- can't remember the name offhand, though. if you visit the buddha on lantau island, the monastery there serves this type of food. in addition, most restaurants serve tofu and veggies. when u order, simply tell the waiter how u would like the vegetables prepared. vegetables stir-fried with garlic is very popular. i don't think oyster sauce is used.

There must be hundreds of restaurants in HK. It is a cosmopolitan, first-world city. You can get a vegetarian menu in most places. I got one in Vong's, an expensive restaurant in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. You might ask the concierge at your hotel to call and find out if they have a vegetarian menu. Most everyone speaks English, so when you go to a restaurant, you can ask yourself. Don't limit yourself to your snack foods. Where did you read about oyster sauce?

Dave,

I read about the oyster sauce in the Insight Guide to Hong Kong. I never really have a problem here at home finding things to eat so I'm hoping I won't there either. I guess I can always eat at Italian, Thai, American-type restaurants, too. Eating is not a real important part of travel for us-just a basic necessity.

The Insight Guide also said that a lot of people in Hong Kong DON'T speak English which I thought was strange. You are saying that most everyone does and I won't have a problem explaining what I want and being understood?

Thanks for everyone's help.

Krista

There are many vegetarian resturants (usually Chinese style) in HK, which many local vegetarians or non-v people go to. In fact, some of them are amazing! And many buddahists are vegetarians on 1st & 15th of the Chinese calendar month. If you know where you will be, I can probably tell you a couple names. Most people, except for elderly, speak at least some English there, depends on their education. You can get the hotel staff to write "I am a vegetarian" in Chinese, so you can show that to waitpersons. Have a good trip!

Ada,

Thanks for your reply. The first 4 nights we are staying in Wanchai. The next 2 nights we are spending in Kowloon near the Star Ferry. Any restaurant suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Krista