This Is What It’s Like When an Entire Country Celebrates Vegan Food

The Je Festival in Thailand is a glimpse of what a vegan world would look like.

A vendor prepares a plate of amazing vegan food during the Je Festival at BluPort. All photos are by the author.

Imagine every convenience store in your area carrying a large selection of vegan food from burgers to gyoza to chocolate bread for only around 20–40 baht! ($0.61-$1.22)

The supermarket not only has an entire table filled with various, delicious, vegan baked goods and large displays of vegan food right at the entrance, but also has a special vegan menu in their eatery with made-to-order food.

A large display of vegan baked goods at the bakery section of Tops Supermarket.

The malls in your city are loaded with restaurants prominently displaying their special vegan menus on large standees in front of their establishments.

A standee in front of Fuji, a popular Japanese chain restaurant, promotes their je menu.

In the food court there’s a vegan section that is clearly marked with bright yellow and red flags and selling an assortment of cheap and delicious Thai food like yellow noodles, pink noodles, various curries, stir fries, sausages and more. All made with love by an older Thai woman who’s been running that vegan stall for many years.

Some of the food available at the BluPort food court.

And the vegetarian restaurants are constantly packed with customers and selling out of certain menu items by noon.

This is what my life was like for the nine days of the Je Festival. I ran around the city, stuffing myself with food every day.

Every evening, even though I was still stuffed, I was already planning where I was going to the next day. There were so many options.

Since this festival only lasts nine days, I made sure to appreciate every second of it.

If you have no idea what the Je Festival is, check out “Je Festival: Thailand’s 9-Day Spiritual Vegan Celebration.”

[embed]Je Festival: Thailand’s 9-Day Spiritual Vegan Celebration This is the best time of year to be in the Kingdom!medium.com

MK, a hot pot chain restaurant, prominently promotes their vegan hot pot menu in front.

Day 1 — Bombarded With Giant Vegan Menus!

The first day of the festival, I hit up the malls since they always have Je Festival areas in the food courts. There are two malls here in Hua Hin: BluPort and Market Village.

I took a 15-baht songthaew to BluPort first since it’s farther away. Last year, the older Thai lady who cooks amazing je food every year wasn’t there, and the food was cold and mediocre.

I was delighted to see her back this year with freshly cooked food that tasted more delicious than ever. I decided to buy some yellow noodles, spicy bamboo curry, stir-fried tofu, and another unknown vegetable dish (could be shredded bamboo) with jasmine rice. The total for everything was 115 baht. ($3.52.)

The lighting at the mall sucks, but the food was delicious.

I also bought avocado maki from a Japanese restaurant called Zen that always has a delicious Japanese vegan menu every Je Fest. I’ve been dreaming of that maki ever since and will be going back for more.

There were a lot of restaurants at the mall with large standees showcasing their vegan menus in front. I was very surprised to see Sizzler advertising a je menu. I don’t remember seeing that before. They had the best deal out of all the restaurants.

Even Sizzler had a je menu!

For 259 baht ($7.92,) you get spaghetti with basil sauce, Japanese-style tofu, steamed leafy greens, mushroom soup, and an all-you-can-eat salad bar. Their salad bar is available all year and has a good selection for vegans.

I was also surprised that every Japanese restaurant I came across had a vegan menu, but only a few Thai restaurants did. I love Japanese food, so I’m not complaining.

Big C Hua Hin Marché and Tesco Lotus (two large supermarket chains) had a good selection of frozen meals, ramen, and plant-based meat, but no baked goods. I’m very happy with everything I tried today and am definitely going back for more avocado maki at Zen!

Market Village has a bigger Je Festival area at the food court with a soup section that I need to try.

Customers buy food at the je section of the food court in Market Village.

I was too full from the Market Village stall, so I just bought fried sausages, taro, spring rolls, and corn fritters with sweet and spicy sauce for 75 baht. You choose what you want, and the vendor cuts it up and puts it in a bag for you to eat with a bamboo skewer.

I also had to stop by my favorite restaurant, Ruen Tong Vegetarian. I was happy to see it packed. The restaurant has been super busy every single day since the food is really good and cheap. I bought more bamboo curry and a pumpkin and mushroom dish with brown jasmine rice.

A long line of customers wait to order food at Ruen Tong Vegetarian restaurant.

Everything was amazing, and I only spent 440 baht ($13.47) for the whole day!

My second Je Fest feast for the first day of the festival.

And that’s just day one. The past nine days were a whirlwind of vegan delights everywhere I turned.

But every je fest shows me a glimpse of what the world would be like if most people were vegan or plant-based.

Seeing vegan food not only normalized but also celebrated by restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores, and food stalls is incredible. I really wish it were like this all year, but I’m glad I enjoyed Vegan Heaven while it lasted.

If you enjoy my writing, consider buying me a cup of tea. Your support helps me keep writing and means a lot!

(This article was originally posted on Substack.)