Travel notes: Taiwan is truly a vegetarian and vegan paradise -- from all-you-can-eat smorgasbords with hundreds of different dishes, to "small eats" at stands in the night markets, Taiwan features its own unique, varied cuisine as well as a full spectrum of international vegetarian delights.  There is also a growing public awareness regarding the benefits of organic produce, and natural foods restaurants featuring organic, wholesome vegetarian fare are springing up all over -- this movement has also led to a decrease in the use of additives such as MSG.  Taipei city alone has over 750 active vegetarian restaurants, according to the Taiwanese vegetarian resource site vegeworld.com.tw (Chinese only, unfortunately).  Vegetarian food in Taiwan is also predominantly vegan, as eggs are not considered vegetarian by Taiwanese Buddhists, and milk does not play a large role in most Taiwanese cooking.
Jamie Alexandre, May 2006