Vegetarian restaurants offer alternative food<\/p>\n
T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
It may be called spicy duck or fried chicken, but there is no
\nfowl in the food. The sauteed beef, the fried tuna fish and the
\nshark fin soup are also meat free.<\/p>\n
They are vegetarian dishes, made from the basic ingredients --
\nbeans, flour and mushrooms.<\/p>\n
Take the shark's-fin soup, for example, served in the
\nvegetarian restaurant here. It consists of creamed corn and
\nseaweed to replace the shark's-fins and \"chicken\" which is made
\nfrom soy beans, shredded carrots, mushrooms and celery. It tastes
\nsweet, almost like the famous Chinese chicken and corn soup.<\/p>\n
The spicy duck is mainly made from soy beans. It is served
\nwith chili sauce. While fried Gohiong, which looks similar to
\nsausage, is made from strips of dried tofu filled with mushrooms
\nand other ingredients.<\/p>\n
Vegetarian restaurants are growing in number. They can be
\nfound at locations around the city - mostly in West and North
\nJakarta. Among them are Padmanadi, near Pasar Ikan in North
\nJakarta; Cita Rasa in Pluit, North Jakarta; Selera in Kelapa
\nGading, North Jakarta; and Mudita on Jl. Batu Ceper, Central
\nJakarta. A number of vegetarian fast food outlets -- like
\nYummyBean and Love Power -- have also hit the market here in the
\npast few years.<\/p>\n
A few vegetarian restaurants use eggs and dairy products, but
\nmost are vegan. Many do not even use onions, because according to
\nsome Buddhist teachings, eating onions may have a negative
\nemotional impact.<\/p>\n
One of the oldest restaurants in town is Padmanadi Restaurant,
\nwhich opened 18 years ago in Pluit Plaza, North Jakarta. A few
\nyears later it moved across the street to open a branch in Mega
\nMall Pluit. Early in the 1990s a third restaurant was opened at
\nthe nearby Kompleks Mitra Bahari.<\/p>\n
Arianto, the restaurant manager, said that there is also a
\nbranch in Canada, which opened just last year.<\/p>\n
The food is priced at between Rp 25,000 and Rp 30,000 for a
\nsmall portion, while the large portion costs double. Every first
\nand 15th day of the month (according to the Chinese calendar) the
\nrestaurant offers a buffet that costs Rp 30,000 per person.<\/p>\n
\"Our place is always full at that time, because on those days
\nthere are many people who eat vegetarian food,\" Arianto said.<\/p>\n
He explained that besides vegetarians -- including Buddhists
\nwho are vegetarians -- there are others who eat vegetarian food
\nonly on certain days. For example, only on the Chinese calendar's
\nfirst and 15th day of the month. Others eat vegetarian food only
\non certain days of the week.<\/p>\n
He said that in the beginning his family, who are vegetarians,
\nstarted the business to serve vegan Buddhists.<\/p>\n
But now, many are vegetarians for the sake of their health.<\/p>\n
Willy Wibisono, operational manager of Mudita Restaurant, said
\nhe also provides a catering services for white collar employees
\nin Central Jakarta, who find it difficult to obtain vegetarian
\nfood near their work place.<\/p>\n
The food served at vegetarian restaurants may of course
\ndiffer, depending on the ingredients and method of preparation.
\nThe dishes may include monosodium glutamate, but they do not use
\nchemical flavoring essences.<\/p>\n
\"Do you know that burned kemiri (candlenut) smells like fried
\nchicken?\" said Willy, 27, who started eating vegetarian food
\nregularly about three years ago but decided to be a pure
\nvegetarian only last year.<\/p>\n
The restaurant, which also sells vegetarian \"instant\" meals,
\noffers hot food priced at between Rp 9,000 and Rp 20,000 for a
\nsmall portion.<\/p>\n
Mudita restaurant, established in 1992, has old-fashioned
\nChinese decor, with small Buddhist statues and candles.<\/p>\n
It is located on the first floor of a building across from
\nGajah Mada Plaza, while on the second floor there is a billiard
\ncenter, which serves cheap alcoholic drinks and vegetarian meals.<\/p>\n
Vegetarian food can also be obtained at fast food outlets like
\nYummy Bean, which only started operations two years ago but
\nalready has at least 10 outlets in Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar,
\nSemarang, Batam, Jambi and even Malaysia and Singapore.<\/p>\n
T. Sudarman, the franchise holder, is convinced that his
\nbusiness has a bright future.<\/p>\n
\"More and more people are aware of the importance of a healthy
\nlifestyle and our food is loved by children,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Among the most popular meals are the burger, which costs Rp
\n12,000 and the nuggets at Rp 6,000. \"Our burger is made from soy
\nbeans, mushrooms and sea weed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most of the ingredients used in these restaurants are locally
\nproduced but some are imported from China and Singapore.<\/p>",
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