Vegetarian in Mongolia?

Old Jun 1st, 2005, 08:22 PM
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Vegetarian in Mongolia?

So can one be a vegetarian in Mongolia and not lose too much weight? Contrary to what some people think, this includes not eating any chicken or fish.

My wife and I are considering where to go next. Mongolia is on the short list, but we are both vegetarians and realize this could be an issue there. We'd sign up with an outfitter for some trekking and cultural touring.

Thanks.
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Old Jun 27th, 2005, 03:11 AM
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I just returned from a horse trek in Mongolia that included a couple of nights in UB. Surprisingly, half the group on the trek were vegetarians and the outfitter (Nomads) did a good job accomodating them. They did make use of eggs and cheese so if your diet doesn't include that, I can't really say what your dining experience would be like. Pretty much every meal was good/excellent. While in UB, there were several options to explore including an Indian restaurant that I loved (Hazara), a Mexican/Indian restaurant (Los Banditos I believe) and several pizza places.

I have to say that I LOVED Mongolia and can't wait to return. I also had a really good experience with Nomads, I would definitely book with them again. I haven't used other agents there so I can't compare them to other companies, so just take my comments as feedback from a happy, satisfied client.
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Old Sep 1st, 2005, 09:00 PM
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marysuenyc,
Does Nomads have a website? How many participants were in your group? Thanks.
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Old Sep 26th, 2005, 01:49 AM
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They do have a website: www.nomadstours.com
There were ~11 people total on our tour. I did a portion of the Mongolian Classic tour (I skipped the Gobi part of the itinerary due to my work schedule) and added a few days at their summer camp. I had intended to do the "Hunting with Golden Eagles Festival" next week but time won't permit I'm afraid. I definitely will do it next year.....
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Old Sep 26th, 2005, 08:06 AM
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I'll take a look at their offerings, thanks!
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Old Feb 6th, 2006, 02:28 PM
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Nelson - I was in Mongolia last summer for 3 weeks with Habitat for Humanity. We were very pleasantly surprised by the food. There was a lot more veg than I expected. It is mostly cold-weather root veggies, like potato, carrot, onion, garlic. In the summer they also have tomatoes and cucumber. I will eat meat if I have to - I ate hardly any there. I ate noodles, bread, dumplings, eggs, veggie dishes.
I guess it just depends how flexible you are. You might have to get creative ordering - they don't get the concept of "no meat." We got into one really funny situation. We ordered beef with potatoes, onions, chives and garlic and it was FABULOUS. But we ate around the beef because we're not beef eaters. So the next day we tried to order the same thing, but without the meat. Got a totally blank stare from the waiter. Tried to explain "no meat". No luck. Then tried a different tactic: "We want to eat potatoes. Please fry them. Please use onions and garlic." That worked!! The concept of "vegetarian" doesn't register, but if you can describe what you want to eat, they will make it for you.

The soup broth will probably not be veggie, so if you are really strict you may get stressed out. I guess it all depends on your level of flexibility. And since you're going to Mongolia, I am guessing that you can adapt.

One more thing - in Bangkok there is a nice Chinese restaurant. Everything there you could order vegetarian and they DID know what it meant!

Have a WONDERFUL time Mongolia is really fantastic - I am planning to go back in July and I can't wait. Email me for more tips if you want. Cheers
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Old Feb 7th, 2006, 11:44 AM
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maemcdonald, Thanks very much for the detailed and humorous reply. It turns out we have had to postpone our Mongolia trip, due to an accident I had last summer. I'm OK now, but we thought rough travel was not in the cards at the moment. Instead we are going to Scotland this year, a bit tamer, and we will just have to try some vegetarian haggis!
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