How To Order Vegeterians

[Endo]

Hi Guys,

My Girlfriend is a Vegeterian and I cant seem to find something to help her order..

The phrase book i bought has no mention of Vegeterian... The Thai2English.com translator has no mention of it...

She wants to learn the word for vegeterian in thai....

Could someone please tell me how to say vegeterian in thai phonetically please?

Thanks in advance.

[Pescator]

Hi Guys,

My Girlfriend is a Vegeterian and I cant seem to find something to help her order..

The phrase book i bought has no mention of Vegeterian... The Thai2English.com translator has no mention of it...

She wants to learn the word for vegeterian in thai....

Could someone please tell me how to say vegeterian in thai phonetically please?

Thanks in advance.

mangsawirat

faen phom gin dtae pak. My girlfriend only eats veggies.

faen phom gin jeh yangdiaow. Same

[meadish_sweetball]

Technically jeh is more strict than mangsawirat, but since she's not a vegan mangsawirat will do fine (includes eggs and garlic/onions).

Apart from not using animal products, real 'jeh' diet is also void of strong smelling ingredients like onion and garlic.

[OxfordWill]

If you say she only eats veggies, you really only will get veggies.

As others said, vegetarian is difficult, but most people will understand "mang\-sa-wee-LAT". Sometimes, this does not actually ensure you will not get meat or fish. The shorter word "mang" is also understood by most good waiting staff.

As above, you can ask for "jay". Say the dish you want- for example "cow pat" (fried rice) with -jay. "cow pat jay". Then, if you wanted egg, you can say "sigh kye die" (you can add egg). Unfortunately, asking for jay food will sometimes mean they cant help you, as some people consider jay to be religious, and they dont have the proper utensils to ensure your dish will be holy enough.

You could also try asking for vegetarian, then say I dont want meat, I dont want fish:

"cow pat mang-sa-wee-LAT. Mai sai nerrr-ah, mai sai blaa".

If none of the above work, I have also had definitive success with saying "I want this dish to be 'jay', but it doesnt have to be jay, it can just be vegetarian"

"cow pat jay ... (they look at you with confusion, about to protest) ... mai tong jay, mangsawilat gor-die. (doesnt have to be jay, veggie is fine)."

Big smiles, lots of krup or ka. Expect them to think you are either insulting the hygiene of their establishment, or just plain stupid.

good luck

Edited September 12, 2008 by OxfordWill

[Pescator]

Technically jeh is more strict than mangsawirat, but since she's not a vegan mangsawirat will do fine (includes eggs and garlic/onions).

Apart from not using animal products, real 'jeh' diet is also void of strong smelling ingredients like onion and garlic.

You are right meadish. Just don`t expect thais to follow that doctrine.

My travel mate is a strictly vegetarian he has had lotsa onion and garlic although he order ahaan jeh

[Endo]

Thanks for all the tips guys, hopefully will help her out:)

[meadish_sweetball]

Technically jeh is more strict than mangsawirat, but since she's not a vegan mangsawirat will do fine (includes eggs and garlic/onions).

Apart from not using animal products, real 'jeh' diet is also void of strong smelling ingredients like onion and garlic.

You are right meadish. Just don`t expect thais to follow that doctrine.

My travel mate is a strictly vegetarian he has had lotsa onion and garlic although he order ahaan jeh

Yes, in regular restaurants, 'your mileage may vary' when it comes to the understanding of 'jeh'.

I also think Thais with a bit of experience of foreigners realize that most Westerners are not eating 'jeh' for spiritual/religious reasons, and just want something that doesn't have any meat in it.

If you're really strict, it's usually a good idea to seek out the places with red writing on a yellow background, a colour combination that signals mangsawirat/jeh food:

The text in the bottom right corner of the sign says 'mangsawirat' in Thai.

This restaurant conveniently also has 'Vegetarian' in English writing on the sign... (The sticker on the glass door says 'jeh' in Thai in a font quite heavily stylized to look like Chinese letters.)

In the standard Thai font, the words look like this:

เจ = 'jeh'

อาหารเจ = 'aahaan jeh' (jeh food)

มังสวิรัติ = 'mangsawirat'

[DavidHouston]

If you are going to be in Thailand at the end of September and early October of this year, the Phuket Vegetarian Festival is not to be missed. Forget the lavish parades and the crowds - the food itself is unforgettable. See http://www.phuketvegetarian.com/index_eg.htm. In addition to the food itself, this is a spiritual festival for those wanting to participate. See http://www.phuketvegetarian.com/phuketvege...getarian-10.htm

Hope you have a great time!

[Uros]

Not only Phuket, but in Bangkok and most everywhere else too. Participating restaurants decorate with yellow banners and flags. Lots of special street food as well. Even in supermarkets you will see seasonal "J" products such as vegan soy milk in the yellow box.