Every year for Mid-Autumn Festival, people in Taiwan gather outside to barbecue. Meat is usually at the top of the menu, but vegans and vegetarians have been adjusting traditional holiday customs to suit their diets.
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00:00Fire up the grill. It's mid-autumn festival in Taiwan.
00:03Families across the country celebrate the holiday by gathering with loved ones around outdoor barbecues.
00:08It's usually a meat-centered holiday, but vegans and vegetarians take part, too.
00:18The barbecuing custom started nearly three decades ago when two competing condiment companies started marketing their sauces
00:24for mid-autumn festival barbecues.
00:27During the holiday, many vegetarians celebrate alongside non-vegetarians and just wait for their turn at the grill.
00:39In recent years, fewer people in Taiwan have been celebrating with outdoor barbecues, instead opting for restaurants.
00:45But some vegetarians say barbecue restaurants have not done enough to offer menu options for them.
00:56Mooncakes are another traditional delicacy during mid-autumn festival.
01:14They often contain eggs, making them non-vegan.
01:16But some companies have been adjusting their recipes to cater to more people.
01:20I think the biggest thing that has changed recently is the availability of like mooncakes that are vegan friendly.
01:27So in the past, you know, vegetarian is always a much easier thing to do with pastries.
01:32But vegan is very difficult. When you take away the butter, the milk, the eggs, then it's like how do you
01:38make an egg yolk pastry vegan, right?
01:41And actually a lot of the bakeries have come up with really genius fillings like sweet potato.
01:47Although mid-autumn festival is often associated with grilled meat and egg-based desserts,
01:51vegans and vegetarians continue to put their own twist on holiday foods.
01:55And since the overarching theme of the holiday is community,
01:58it makes the small adjustments to long-standing customs seem all the more worthwhile.
02:03John Hsu, Kama Hsu, and Wesley Lewis for Taiwan Plus.