Expats find and create vegan dining options in China

At first, mostly expats attended the Vegan Outreach Dinners, but more locals have started attending after hearing about it. Shaw says the group is working to create connections with the local vegan community.

"We want everybody to be able to take advantage of the opportunities for exploration that the dinner events provide and awareness of the vegan-friendly dining options that get created because of the events," Shaw says.

Brandon Trowbridge, an American expat and chef in Beijing, says though there isn't a super-high demand for vegan food in Beijing, more and more people are interested in adding more vegetables to their diets, even if they're not vegan.

"Even if there might not be a lot of vegan restaurants, there's a lot of vegan options for food," he says.

Simple dishes like noodles can easily be made into vegan dishes by using a different oil or making another adjustment, he says. When he prepares vegan food, he often modifies dishes for vegans by removing the sauces, such as fish-sauce commonly used in Korean dishes, and making the sauces from scratch. By using strategies like this, he makes dishes that vegans couldn't normally eat at other places into dishes they can eat.

He says if people know what to look for, there are many vegan options at restaurants. He suggests making a list of vegan foods for each cuisine before going to a restaurant. That way, vegans know what kind of food they can eat before they go.

A large majority of vegan options in Beijing are Chinese food, he says. He thinks the interest in vegan food is pretty equal between locals and expats, adding that interest will continue to grow as awareness and education of the health and environmental benefits of eating less meat increases.