MooMoo Week? What’s that?

MooMoo Week is a challenge where you completely cut out meat from your diet for a week and go vegan or vegetarian. It is a new annual initiative that encourages the reduction of your carbon footprint through decreased meat intake. This year I participated in the challenge at my school and went vegetarian for a week. In fact, I tried tofu for the first time and absolutely loved it.

I chose to participate in the challenge this year to try something new, and because reducing my meat intake is one of the most efficient ways to reduce my carbon footprint. MooMoo week was rewarding, and it has pushed me to eat a minimum of one vegan/vegetarian meal a day.

Initially, cutting out meat from my diet took a toll on my body; I became tired quite easily and felt slightly weaker. I eventually realized that due to the lack of meat, I wasn’t getting any protein. Therefore, I began to eat larger servings of other protein-based foods like beans and tried out new ones such as tofu to regain my strength. Overall the change in diet was not very drastic. I didn’t crave meat nor felt as if I couldn’t survive without it. However, I will admit that I got jealous of those surrounding me eating meat, such as fried bacon and ham from time to time. In truth, the hardest part of the challenge was finding something to eat in my school canteen. I would often have to compromise and purchase a meal containing meat, and I’d set it aside for a friend.

 
Effects of cutting out meat from your diet

Vegetables vs. Meat

Reducing meat intake can have a significant impact on your health and the health of our planet. Eating less meat and more plant-based products helps solve livestock production issues, such as climate change, air pollution, and soil pollution. The land usage of meat and greenhouse gas emissions created from meat production has a detrimental effect on our environment. Globally, animal agriculture produces approximately 15% to 20% of greenhouse gases. One of the most efficient ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by reducing our meat and dairy consumption. Moreover, if just one person gave up their burgers, bacon, and nuggets, that single person would save 162,486 gallons of water annually. 

Cutting out meat does not only make our planet greener, but it also offers health benefits, and you save more money in the long run. Foods such as red meat are the largest source of saturated fats in a diet. Cutting down on meat or eliminating it reduces multiple health risks such as heart disease.

However, I strongly advise those with previous dietary and health conditions to take precautions or consult with their doctor before cutting out meat. Reducing or eliminating your meat intake is only healthy if you gain enough sustenance from other nutritious foods.

What do the organizers have to say about MooMoo Week?

The organizers of MooMoo Week 2020 are named Isaac Lim and Zoe Nai. The two sixteen-year-olds held the challenge for the first time last year with their peers and decided to do it again this year. I reached out to them and asked them about this year’s success.

What motivated you to create MooMoo Week?

Nai: MooMoo week started off as a small global perspectives project. We knew we wanted to do something related to sustainability and our carbon footprints, so we thought, what could WE do in our community. So we decided to focus on food waste, something we were able to try to make a difference in our community.

Lim: MooMoo Week was created, actually, for a small scale school project. Our idea was simple: how best could we help reduce the carbon footprint of the school? Our answer to this question was MooMoo week- a simple, seven – day challenge in which you attempt to go vegan or vegetarian.

What are some of the benefits to Moo Moo Week?

Nai: MooMoo Week is actually a very simple task, but it requires a lot of commitment. It helps others notice how much meat they consume, and could also lead to better awareness of what you eat.

Lim: MooMoo Week is about a lot more than this one week. After the week, our participants carry on taking the cost of environmental destruction into account not just when eating, but also in all of their purchases and decisions. We have to recognize our incredible economic privilege, the luxury we have of being able to pick and choose lower-carbon products. Not everyone can go vegan for a week, but we can, and maybe we should.

How successful was Moo Moo Week this year?

Nai: MooMooWeek was really successful this year, better than what we had expected. We got way more participants and way more people that made it to the end.

Lim: We were blown away by the support this movement gathered this year- we doubled our goals, with students and teachers from every grade at school pledging to go vegan or vegetarian. This action seems small, but when you consider the number of people who signed up and how they’re going to carry on thinking about carbon footprint, you see the huge impact.

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Photos: Pexels, Unsplash

Whenever people find out that I’ve been a vegan in Beijing for almost three years now, they are taken aback. “How do you manage to go vegan in China?” is a common question that’s always thrown my way. The way I see it is, no matter where you are, you will inevitably face some sort of complication as a vegan. However, on the bright side, the vegan community is constantly growing all over the world, and food companies are seeing the need to increase their production of vegan replacements.

There are so many environmental and health benefits to veganism. According to BBC, vegans scored a 32% lower risk of cardiovascular disease. This is because vegans generally have lower body mass index, lower blood pressure, and better cholesterol levels than non-vegans. On the other hand, just like any other long-term diet, increasing or lowering your risk of disease depends on how balanced your diet is, and what foods you eat. Luckily for us, Beijing is a diverse city that is capable of embracing everyone and their own special dietary needs. Here are a few of my favorite vegan hotspots in Beijing that I have discovered over the past few years, from luxury dining to affordable.

Gung Ho! (¥)

Located in Sanlitun, Gung Ho! is only a 5-minute walk to Taikooli. They are famous for their vegan pizzas created by their home-made vegan cheese. What I love about this restaurant is that they really focus on serving sustainable and healthy delicious meals, such as probiotic cocktails, sustainable wines and organic teas and coffee.

Gung Ho! is a place I often go to before I hit the shops in Sanlitun, and all my friends enjoy eating there because everyone is able to eat freely based on their own diet. The Grilled ‘Tricken’ Burger (RMB 45) with caramelized onions with veggies tastes so real that I even had to ask the waiter to make sure the patties were vegan. The buns were soft and fluffy, and it’s mess-free to eat. The Black Truffle Vegan pizza (RMB 109) does not disappoint. The truffle sauce elevates the palate and the pizza and for the first time I didn’t mind the mushrooms on the pizza. Although the vegan cheese doesn’t stretch the same way traditional cheese does, I could’ve easily asked for seconds. I also decided to try one of their vegan dessert options, which was the Apple Crumble (RMB 35). The mango sorbet paired well with the crunch of the granola; however, the apples were slightly on the sour side.

This restaurant is perfect to bring your non-vegan friends, for there are meat and vegetarian options on the menu as well. Look for the ♡ sign on the menu for any vegan options.

Cuisine: North American/European
Dresscode: Casual
Address: Sanlitun, 2 Gongti East Road Unit 101, Building 3, China View Building, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体东路中国红街3号楼(Chao酒店对面)
Ph: 8587 1663

Moka Bros (¥¥)

Tucked away on the ground floor of Nali Patio, between Taikooli North and the 3.3 Mall, Moka Bros is a hip restaurant that is always somehow filled with the prettiest people in Beijing. This chain restaurant can also be found in other various locations scattered in Beijing.

Moka Bros is a perfect place to bring any of your friends, for they will definitely be satisfied. Despite being a person that usually dislikes eating eggplant and zucchini, I was keen to try their Moroccan Power Bowl (RMB 75) which contains both. For the first time, I enjoyed eating eggplants and zucchini. The curry and tahini sauce coated everything including the tofu, and the crunch of the cashews added a lovely touch to the brown rice power bowl alongside the added element of kale. With the Hummus (RMB 35) dish, you will get a generous amount with corn chips, celery and carrot sticks. The hummus is topped with olives, peppers, and jalapeños to add some spice into the mix.

Just like Gung Ho!, this is a perfect place where you and your non-vegan friends can meet. Many vegetarian or meat containing dishes can easily be ‘veganfied’. Make sure to order at the cashier, and the food usually comes extremely fast. However, if you go here in the summer, I suggest you eat the food as quickly as possible since their air conditioning can be intense! The food portions are huge and happy hour is from 4-8pm. Enjoy!

Cuisine: International
Dress code: Casual
Address: Nali Patio D108 South building, NO.81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang District 三里屯北街81号那里花园1楼
Ph: 5208 6079

King’s Joy (¥¥¥)

Located next to Wudaoying hutong and the Lama Temple, King’s Joy is a 2-star Michelin restaurant serving strictly vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Just like any other Michelin restaurant, you’re also paying for the atmosphere.

At King’s Joy, with every dish that is served, your server will always give you a short explanation of the dish. With the RMB 699 set menu, we were given at least six courses. We started with an appetizer with three different components. They were able to combine the Asian palate of dragon fruit dyed lotus root with the European palate of crunchy garlic bread. The finely sliced tofu and vegetables were cooked in a way that preserved their natural flavors, and the faux meat was made of marinated mushrooms which tasted very similar to traditional Chinese marinated pork. A dish that particularly stood out to me consisted of peach sap jellies, which contrasted well with the crunch of sliced celery and Chinese lily bulbs. The unconventional reconstructed ‘Peking duck’ wrap was very creative and was paired with a fried dough twist, and dessert was an assortment of traditional Beijing snacks. The whole lunch service lasted around two hours.

Although King’s Joy definitely isn’t an everyday casual dining experience, it’s nice to dress up and enjoy Michelin level vegan food with your friends and family once in a while.

Notes: Although the dishes are all vegetarian based, just inform the server you’re vegan and they will easily find replacements for you. Lunch is the only time when the restaurant offers both à la carte and table d’hôte (multi-course meal menus charged at fix price). Afternoon tea and dinner only offers table d’hôte starting from RMB 699. Regardless of what you order, you will also be charged with the additional 10% service fee. Make sure to reserve your time a few days in advance as it’s very popular.

Cuisine: Asian
Dress code: Business casual. Don’t show up in sweatpants!
Address: 2 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区雍和宫五道营胡同2号
Ph: 8404 9191

¥: RMB 50 and under per person
¥¥: RMB 100-300 per person
¥¥¥: RMB 400-1,000 per person

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Photos: Courtesy of Ashley L

This article appeared in the beijingkids 2020 August issue