Vegetarian Food Gone Wrong

In light of my upcoming move back to the US, I have been digging through old photos from the past year that have not made it on to the blog. Not surprisingly, almost all are still food related.

Like this burger. We found it at a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant last summer in Beijing, near the Lama Temple. On the menu it was called a “Taiwan burger”. None of us, including my globetrotting vegan friend Seb, had ever heard of such a thing. We figured there would be some sort of tofu or seitan involved. Even if you can’t use meat, garlic, or onions, an edible burger is still possible.

Not here. True, there are worse things in life than a mouthful of Cool Whip and lettuce. I just can’t think of any at the moment.

Lotus in Moonlight
Building 12, Liufang Nanli Community, Liufang Street
Chaoyang District, Beijing

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30 Responses to Vegetarian Food Gone Wrong

  1. Nate July 29, 2009 at 2:39 pm #

    Geez, they could at least put some avocado or something in it.

    What’s this I hear about you returning to the US? Just when we’re about to leave to Malaysia! Oh well.

  2. Hillary July 29, 2009 at 3:03 pm #

    Cool Whip on a burger?!

  3. Eat. Travel. Eat! July 29, 2009 at 9:28 pm #

    This is just astounding. How do people eat cool whip and lettuce on a burger bun? And why do I see red on the cool whip is interesting too. Wonder why the restaurant sold it to you in the first place.

  4. Phoebe July 29, 2009 at 10:22 pm #

    out to shock people. It would certainly stop me in my tracks if it was displayed in a shop window.

  5. dianakuan July 29, 2009 at 11:14 pm #

    Phoebe – Yet they kept it hidden in the recesses of the menu. Since the restaurant’s other dishes were good, it seemed like a horrible experiment-gone-wrong from a well-intentioned chef.

  6. dianakuan July 29, 2009 at 11:17 pm #

    Nate – You’re going to Malaysia for vacation or to live?

  7. Laura Paseosporespana July 30, 2009 at 5:27 am #

    I cook so yummi burgers with tofu mmmmm.
    I can´t understand those ideas which mix vegetarian food with just eating lettuce.

  8. Robyn July 30, 2009 at 9:07 am #

    I remember a fascination with whipped fluff (cakes etc)from my China days, even in the 80s (when I think the fluff may have been made entirely from synthetics). But this is something new. And frightening.

  9. Chinamatt July 31, 2009 at 6:05 pm #

    I think I understand why it’s called a Taiwan Burger…it’s not really a burger at all. Or food for that matter.

  10. Twitter Fail July 31, 2009 at 8:02 pm #

    It’s a dessert topping…
    It’s a floor wax…
    It’s a burger!

    Wrong in so many ways.

  11. justine August 1, 2009 at 9:43 pm #

    Well this is an interesting”burger.” I think I would have to pass on it!

  12. Deb August 2, 2009 at 6:42 pm #

    ROFLMAO That’s the funniest thing I’ve seen in days!

    Far funnier on the web than it would be on my plate, though. . .

  13. jellykaren August 3, 2009 at 5:27 am #

    sorry to see that.

  14. caitlin August 3, 2009 at 6:45 pm #

    the is the most misleading food I’ve ever seen.
    the real Taiwan burger should be the steamed bun filled with pork belly, peanut powder and cilantro, which is super yummy.
    http://tinyurl.com/n9otxo

  15. Kay August 3, 2009 at 9:17 pm #

    remind me to serve this at my next vegetarian-friendly bbq…

  16. Abi August 5, 2009 at 9:44 am #

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  17. Chad August 6, 2009 at 10:17 am #

    Why would something being classified as ‘Taiwan’ not be real food? Is that a jab at Taiwanese cuisine, Chinamatt?
    Let’s not forget that the greatest Chinese chefs migrated to Taiwan during the communist takeover and brought the truly great cuisine with them. This is true of art as well. That and the influx of a Japanese influence counts for some incredible dishes unique to the worlds around them.

  18. Windy Lynn Harris August 9, 2009 at 5:43 pm #

    Okay, that’s funny!

  19. Andrew Mal August 10, 2009 at 2:56 pm #

    Lolsss that can be a diet burger may be but not a real burger but then again burger can never be a diet food,I know how disappointed you feel when you are hungry like a hell and you expect something and get something it seems like all your bulbs will fuse now and you will explode into bits of tiny pieces.But its really funny and funniest of all A burger with lettuce and cool whip lols….

  20. joy August 12, 2009 at 4:00 am #

    It is a shock to see it. I’m from Taiwan and I have never ever saw any buger like that here. I don’t see any connection between the buger and Taiwan.
    Besids doesn’t cool whips are used on desserts and sweets?
    if they are running out of tofu and indegrents for their buger, they should just told the customers they don’t serve Vegettarian buger today.

    Shame on them!!!

  21. Asianmommy August 13, 2009 at 10:03 pm #

    Cool whip is so not Taiwanese.

  22. dianakuan August 14, 2009 at 1:53 am #

    I’ll try to play peace-keeper. I *think* ChinaMatt was sarcastic, referring to the fact that since Beijing doesn’t recognize Taiwan as a real country, it named a fake burger the Taiwan burger. It seems to be more of a jab at the mainland than at Taiwan.

  23. Ted August 14, 2009 at 2:18 am #

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  24. Chinamatt August 15, 2009 at 9:11 pm #

    Thanks Diana, that’s exactly what I was going for. (I should’ve paid more attention to reply sooner.)

  25. Stephanie August 18, 2009 at 1:25 am #

    China’s renditions of western food are always priceless…priceless meaning GROSS in the vast majority of instances! Why, China? Whyyyyy?!!

  26. justcooknyc August 18, 2009 at 7:12 pm #

    that is so funny, and totally gross

  27. dianakuan August 18, 2009 at 9:12 pm #
    Joy – My sentiments exactly.
  28. Nate August 19, 2009 at 4:39 am #

    at least.

  29. mina August 22, 2009 at 10:59 am #

    this looks sick.

  30. kristina October 23, 2010 at 5:02 pm #

    Oh my, that would construe as diet food, wouldn’t it?! LOL! Thank you for sharing this, I’ll remember this next time I order a surprise item off of a menu.

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