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When I moved to Chiang Mai in 2000, I found the Vegetarian Restaurant Guide to Chiang Mai, Thailand map by David Freyer (15 March 2000). This map showed 39 vegetarian restaurants and 8 veggie-friendly restaurants, giving a total of 47 restaurants.

Vegetarian Restaurant Guide to Chiang Mai
by David Freyer Front Click to enlarge

Chiang Mai Municipal city’s area is 40.216 square kilometer, so in 2000 the average was almost 1 restaurant per square kilometer.

I was born and grew up in Bangkok. Which even though it’s the capital does not have as many vegetarian restaurants as Chiang Mai. Other provinces that I’ve visited are also similarly lacking in vegetarian eateries.

It makes me believe that Chiang Mai has the most vegetarian restaurants in Thailand.

Surveying in September 2007 by myself, there were more than 28 vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai City Municipality area. Less than 2000 because of closure or change from vegetarian to vegetarian-friendly (also meat) restaurant.

However the Chiang Mai vegetarian scene is still vibrant, with more than 18 new vegetarian restaurants opening since 2000 (half the restaurants currently open) and the average is 1 restaurant per 1.43 km2, which is still high.

Chiang Mai's broad cultural mix also plays a large role with Thai, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indian, Muslim and western influences evident in Chiang Mai’s vegetarian restaurants.

Most restaurants are for health, use brown rice, organic vegetable and no MSG.

Khun Churn restaurant opened in 1997 and expanded its branch to Bangkok.

Chiang Mai local cuisine is not all vegetarian. So it is interesting that why there are many vegetarian restaurants.

Local culture seems to be less of an influence with some notable exceptions. The famous Northern Thai monk Khruba Sriwichai became a vegetarian in 1903. However this seems to have had only a limited effect on local people.

I interviewed 40 vegetarian restaurants (included closed and changed to be vegetarian-friendly restaurants). The oldest is Whole Earth in 1979 (now become vegetarian-friendly).

Click to enlarge

The main reason of opening a vegetarian restaurant is:

1. Religion

1.1 Buddhism

1.1.1 Theravada school Santi Asoke is the leader.

1.1.2 Mahayana school
1.1.2.1 From China, which is the origin of Chinese vegetarian festival.
1.1.2.2 From Taiwan, I-Kuan Tao (or Tian Tao or Anutaratham in Thai) movement opened many vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai.

1.2 Other religions
1.2.1 Sikh (Indian Restaurant but now closed)
1.2.2 Christianity (Korean Food, vegetarian-friendly)

And also Dev Mandir, Hindu temple. It is not a restaurant but give away free Indian and Thai vegetarian food every Tuesday, 8.30 – 9.30 pm.

2. Health
Influenced by Cheewajit (applied macrobiotic) 1998 – 2002.

Even though there are more vegetarian restaurants in Chiang Mai than other Thai cities. There is still only 1 vegetarian restaurant for every 5,356 people in the municipal area (population of 149,959, March 2006).When you consider the social, ethical and environmental factors, this is still very few.

Besides this, the government still doesn’t pay attention.

For the people, in 1996 Prof. Dr. Maitree Suttajit and friends founded Chiang Mai Vegetarian Society to promote vegetarianism by journal, food fair, seminar and meeting. They are the host of 33rd World Vegetarian Conference in 4 – 10 January 1999. Now the president is Dr. Kanya Kamsiripiman from the Faculty of Education, Chiang Mai University.

In April 2006 I, my wife (Chantra Kitchawet) and my friend Steve (Stephen Anthony Edward Potter) founded Chiang Mai Vegetarian Project. I made Chiang Mai vegetarian restaurants maps which were updates of David Freyer’s map and also KMZ file for Google Earth. There are 2 web sites: www.geocities.com/chiangmaivegetarian and www.chiangmaivegetarian.com.

With love, we’d like to help people to have good health, have compassion for animals, protect the environment, mitigate pollution and global warming that are the result of meat consumption.

Chiang Mai vegetarian restaurants map by the author

Here is some advice for eating vegetarian for health: eating brown rice, beans or nuts, sesame, fresh vegetables and fruit.

Chiang Mai is ready to be a vegetarian city. The city where people care for health and environment, have love, compassion, and consciousness for living things. This is the basics of good society.

Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat, and sometimes no animal products such as milk or eggs.
In Thai vegetarianism is Mangsawirat (มังสวิรัติ) that come from the word Mangsa (meat) and Wirat (to omit), so Mansawirat means to omit meat.

The most famous kind of vegetarianism in Thailand is Che (เจ) or Chinese vegetarianism, sometimes called Buddhist cuisine. Many Thais don't know what Mangsawirat means, and they misunderstand that Jay food is equal to Mangsawirat or vegetarian food but actually, there are some small differences.

Besides no meat, Che also avoid eating strong-smelling plants such as garlic, onion, chives, and tobacco. It is belived that these will disturb the peace of mind.

Anyway, you can use the word Che instead of Mangsawirat in everyday use.

You can see the letter Che in red color on yellow background. Red is the color of good fortune, and yellow signifies holiness.

There is a Chinese vegetarian festival every year from in the ninth month of Chinese calendar which usually falls in October. For example: 22 - 30 October 2006, 11 – 19 October 2007.

There is another word Cheewajit (ชีวจิต) that is applied macrobiotic food. It is not actually vegetarian food because it can use some meat.