A Guide to Navigating Dietary Restrictions in Nanjing

Coming to China from the United States, or from a country with a significantly different culinary tradition or dietary restrictions, can be daunting. As someone from a decently metropolitan area in the US, upon arrival, it may feel like there’s a limited variety of things to eat. However, whether you have personal preferences or strict dietary restrictions, this Q&A with American students from the HNC is here to help and demonstrates that with some planning, there are many options available to suit diverse needs. 

Vegetarianism – Eamon Tuttle

1. How is adjusting to the food scene in China?

I came to China once before for several months of study abroad in 2019, so it has been helpful to have prior experience navigating eating in China as a vegetarian. Chinese cuisine is so varied and rich, which means there is plenty of great food to discover, but it also means going to a new restaurant or area could very well have completely unfamiliar dishes that you’ll have to learn about very quickly. One issue I’ve sometimes had is being overly cautious about foods that would have been fine for me to eat. An example is 鱼香茄子 (yú xiāng qié zi), which I at first assumed was a dish containing fish and eggplant, but in fact it just means “fish fragrance” eggplant and doesn’t contain any seafood.

2. What are your go-tos so far? (dishes, restaurants, etc.)

I’m a big fan of noodles of all kinds, and I’ve found that most places that offer noodle dishes will have one or a few varieties that either don’t contain meat by default or substitute it with egg. I’ve found several spots near campus that offer Xi’an and Lanzhou-style noodles, and I especially like the wide noodle dishes like 油泼面 (yóu pō miàn) and 刀削面 (dāo xiāo miàn). During a recent trip to Shanghai, I also discovered a vegetarian buffet chain called 素满香 (sù mǎn xiāng) that had many great options for a fair price. They have locations in Nanjing and a membership program, so I will definitely be heading there again soon!

3. What are some things to look out for/ask about when ordering out?

When trying a new dish or going to a new restaurant, if you’re unsure at all, the best thing to do is to ask the staff directly whether something contains meat or if they have any meat-free dishes 素菜 (sù cài). Even though many people in China aren’t vegetarians themselves, people are generally aware that vegetarian diets exist, so the staff will usually be able to help identify what you can and can’t eat. However, if you’re going to a new place and don’t really feel like getting into a full conversation, one thing you can do is check to see if they have a menu listed online and if there are any common meat-free dishes.

4. Do you prefer eating on campus, at the Nanjing University campus, going to a restaurant, or ordering delivery?

Eating at the HNC cafeteria is always a solid option because I know there will always be something I can eat (I like the vegetable dumplings and the eggplant), and I can easily meet up with classmates for conversation. My most exciting meals, however, have definitely been at nearby restaurants, and I’ve been aiming to try a new location at least once each week.

Allergies – Holley Fellows

1. How is adjusting to the food scene in China?

I’ve had to adjust to many things since moving to China, but managing my food allergies has been the biggest challenge. I am anaphylactic to all nuts, seeds, shellfish, eggs, and beef. Because I have a life-threatening allergy to these foods, I cannot tolerate cross-contamination. I am also gluten-intolerant. All of these foods are common in Chinese cuisine. In China, allergies are not very common to begin with, and the concept of cross-contamination is even less widely understood. As a result, I really cannot eat out at most places. Living in the dorms was not a viable option without the ability to cook for myself or to store much food, so I moved off campus to an apartment with a small but functional kitchen. During my first month and a half in China, I found it challenging. While it still isn’t easy to procure safe food, life has gotten significantly better since gaining access to a kitchen and a full-sized refrigerator.

2. Do you have experience living in a country with less/different food allergies before?

I have been dealing with these allergies since birth, so none of this is new to me; however, I have found that some places are more difficult for navigating my allergies than others. (It is worth noting that even in the US, navigating my allergies while eating out can be difficult, but I am able to avoid allergic reactions most of the time). Although challenging, I have been (mostly) successful in managing my allergies in Central America, the Middle East, and Europe. My first experience navigating my food allergies in Asia was in Taiwan. I would communicate my allergies clearly, but would frequently still receive food that contained my allergens. One of the most common examples of this was receiving meals that had sesame seeds sprinkled on top after communicating that I was deathly allergic to sesame. When I explained again that I was unable to eat sesame seeds, a typical response was that I could simply pick them off. This highlighted to me that it wasn’t my Chinese that wasn’t understood, but the concept of an anaphylactic allergy was misunderstood.

3. What do you usually cook at your apartment?

I am still getting my kitchen up to speed, so I haven’t cooked anything fancy yet, but soups, chicken, vegetables, rice, and fruit are big staples in my diet! Fortunately, there are well-stocked grocery stores and markets close to my apartment, so I have access to a wide selection of produce and goods.

4. Have you had any successes eating out or ordering delivery?

I have not tried ordering delivery, but I have eaten out when I've been able to thoroughly communicate with the staff/chef and can confirm we have a mutual understanding. So far, I have mostly eaten at restaurants that serve international cuisine. I have found that these restaurants have more experience with international clientele and allergies, and they typically serve cuisines that are more compatible with my allergies. A very kind Chinese chef I met gave me a small, laminated, handwritten card that lists my allergies with corresponding images. I now use this whenever I eat out to help me explain my situation, and it has been very helpful and is one of the kindest gifts I have ever received! I plan to explore more restaurants, but each time I eat out, I take a risk, so I have kept the risk exposure to a minimum so far.

Halal – Lailah Mozaffar

1. How is adjusting to the food scene in China? 

As someone who had never been to China before, nor have I ever lived abroad, coming here and scoping out the food scene took a bit more effort than I expected! While I’m not too particular about whether the meat I’m eating is explicitly labeled as halal, I still sometimes run into issues where the only protein options at a restaurant include pork. That being said, China has a robust Muslim population, and there are a handful of restaurants near the HNC campus that do explicitly serve halal 清真 (qīng zhēn) meat, including both Chinese and international cuisines. Chinese law also requires universities to have cafeterias with designated halal options. While HNC does not have halal options, there is a halal cafeteria on the third floor of the main Nanjing University Campus Cafeteria, not far from HNC.

2. What are your go-tos so far? (dishes, restaurants, etc.) 

I’ve found any type of beef noodle soup 牛肉面 (niú ròu miàn) to be pretty reliable and filling! I prefer having a filling portion of protein over carbohydrates, so having the beef cubes rather than just a veggie noodle dish is more to my taste. When meat isn’t an option, however, I have had some success with vegetable dumplings, seafood (mostly shrimp and fish), and tofu dishes. Turkish and Central Asian restaurants are also easily accessible and are almost always labeled halal, but they can be a bit more expensive. Muslim-Chinese cuisines like Xinjiang and Lanzhou are more affordable on average. For those seeking non-pork options, other international cuisines are viable, especially when ordering delivery. 

3. What are some things to look out for/ask about when ordering out? 

One thing I learned early on is that just because a dish is mostly tofu, it does not necessarily mean it is only tofu. Dishes such as mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐 (má pó dòu fu) often contain pork. The same applies for seafood. Specifically, seafood dumplings are often a combination of shrimp and pork. Some dishes will also not specify if they have meat in them at all, like black bean noodles 炸酱面 (zhá jiàng miàn). Asking whether a dish contains meat is often insufficient; I recommend asking whether there is pork 猪肉 (zhū ròu) at all. It’s also good to know that if a dish contains an unspecified “meat” 肉 (ròu), it is definitely going to be pork. Keep an eye out for things cooked with lard 猪油 (zhū yóu), as well. This is common regardless of whether the dish is vegetarian. Even if you’re unsure of your language abilities, never hesitate to ask if a dish has pork in it. If it turns out that there’s nothing at a restaurant that you can eat, don’t feel obligated to still order something. What’s most important is ensuring what you put in your body is on your own terms! And if you accidentally order food with pork in it, there will always be someone on campus who wouldn’t turn down a free meal. 

4. Do you prefer eating on campus, at the Nanjing University campus, going to a restaurant, or ordering delivery? 

When I first got to China, I was much more reliant on getting food delivered, which really relieved me of the stress of trying to figure out what I could and could not eat. Apps like Meituan even have a feature where you can text a staff member at the restaurant (find the 联系商店 button, often in the top-right corner dropdown) to clarify whether a dish contains pork. This has been extremely useful and saved me a few inedible meals. While I haven’t yet tried the Nanjing University main cafeteria, the HNC cafeteria often has English/Mandarin labels indicating the meat in each dish. The options themselves can be quite a gamble, and I’ve had to order out a few times. At the same time, I definitely prefer going out for food, so I just take it as an opportunity to find something new in the neighborhood!

A big Xinjiang chicken dish 新疆大盘鸡 (xīn jiāng dà pán jī) from 老马牛肉拉面 (lǎo mǎ niú ròu lā miàn), the closest halal restaurant to the HNC!