Vegetarian Festival

Veggie Fest Begins at Sawang Boriboon Foundation
Over recent weeks you may have noticed the giant yellow signs across the main
roads, advertising ‘The Pattaya Vegetarian Festival’ at Sawang Boriboon. Well, the
festivities got underway on Monday afternoon with the official opening of the ten
day event. On arrival it was soon apparent how big this occasion was, as having
proceeded through the immediate entrance, the long thoroughfare was completely
lined with yellow stalls selling all manner of appetising vegetarian foods. On closer
examination these stalls sold some temptingly delicious produce including all manner
of fruits, curries, some amazing creations in batters and vine leaves to soya ‘meat’
making a brave attempt to taste like ‘the real thing’. For anyone that is a permanent
vegetarian this festival is ‘a must’ as ideas for meat substitution were in abundance.
However, this annual festival is in essence about the cleansing and purification of the
body, and is traditionally linked to the Chinese communities not only in Pattaya but
around the whole country at this time of year. Most of the stallholders were more
than happy to try and explain what ingredients went into their ‘creations’ and were
very precise about how it should be eaten and what with. Further down the road of
gourmet delights, saw the entrance to a large square, which an hour later would be
filled by a ‘sea of white’.