Surviving as a Vegetarian in Thailand

Thai Vegetarian food usually does not contain any dairy products. Many Thai people eat nam bla (fish sauce), it is very popular in Thai cooking. Oyster sauce is also used quite a lot.

Unfortunately many things have fish sauce added to it, such as the interesting dipping sauces, curry pastes and som dtum (spicy papaya salad). Fish sauce is a salty fish extract with a vinegar-like consistency.

Yellow bean sauce is a very popular alternative among Thai vegetarians. For some reason, the colour yellow is usually associated with vegetarians. Don't be surprised to find your tofu has a yellow mark on the side.

There are two ways to describe vegetarianism:

gin jay

a verb literally meaning eat vegetarian, see note below.

mangsawirat (mang-sa-wi-rat)

a noun for vegetarian.

I don't know a word for Vegan, my dictionary only translates it as "strict vegetarian". However, gin jay has other connotations. People who observe jay do not drink alcohol, do not eat garlic or other strong smelling vegetables, abstain from sex; all of this is usually for religious reasons. There is also the suggestion that jay is only followed for a limited period. In my experience you can say you are jay and that is taken to mean you are vegetarian but sometimes a slight raised eyebrow can be seen if you order a beer to go with your meal.

I recommend that you say you gin jay. It's much easier to say than mangsawirat and I think it is clearer. When you eat at a restaurant I suggest that the first thing you do when receiving noodles or rice mixed with other things is to use your fork and spoon to lift them up and turn them over. Thai people often do this to mix their food, especially when adding seasoning so it would not be considered rude. This gives you a chance to get a good look at what vegetables etc are on your plate but also check nothing else has sneaked in.

Click on this image to download:



The three versions are English, Thai and Thai written with roman letters. I recommend you print it out at reduced size, customise it by crossing things out or adding smiley faces and keep it in your wallet or purse. Many people in Thailand speak English well enough for you to ask for vegetarian food in English, however if you want to be totally safe this may help.