Over the past few years, there has been an increase in the number of people who practice vegetarianism in Indonesia. This has been followed by an increasing number of restaurants that offer more menu choices, including vegetarian dishes.

Della Terinathe, 41, a vegetarian since childhood, said she was happy about the increasing number of restaurants serving vegetarian menus. Now, she could bring her whole family to savor vegetarian food at a restaurant.

“I think it is easier now to find vegetarian restaurant compared to conditions in 1970s,” she said.
Introduced to vegetarianism by her parents, Della has introduced a meat-less diet to her children, who are just as healthy as other children, she said. “People worry about children’s development if they are vegetarian from early childhood.

“As long as we keep a nutritional balance, [vegetarian] children can grow normal just like other kids,” she said, adding that she often brings her family members to Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant in Kemang, South Jakarta.

Loving Hut is not the only vegan restaurant in town. There many other restaurants offering vegan diets. One of them is Teratai 99, which was started by Liana in 2007.

Liana originally named her restaurant Harumsari. However another restaurant had the same name, so Liana renamed the restaurant Teratai 99.

“Teratai [lotus] is the flower on which [Chinese goddess of mercy] Kwan Im sits. Buddhists who are vegetarian fully understand the meaning of the restaurant’s name. They enter the restaurant without any hesitation,” she said.

She added that she usually gives fliers to people in Buddhist temples and to members of the vegetarian organizations in Jakarta. Liana, who runs her restaurant from Jl. Jatinegara Barat, East Jakarta, said business had been good.

“Customers usually come to our restaurant on the first and the 15th days of the month. During the Chinese New Year celebration, our restaurant is full,” she told The Jakarta Post on the sideline of the 39th International Vegetarian Union’s World Vegetarian Congress, which was held on Jakarta International Expo in Kemayoran, North Jakarta.

Another vegetarian restaurant, House of Peace, also known as HoPe, also offers a menu for the soul, including meditation, yoga, motivation, relaxation as well as member gatherings.

Restaurant public relations manager Razif Rifai said that HoPe was designed to give patrons both healthy bodies and souls. Established in 2003, HoPe also provides delivery service and caters vegetarian food for weddings and other events.

“For a healthy body, we have vegetarian meals. For a healthy soul, we provide classes. Hectic urban lifestyles have driven people to look for a perfect balance between body and soul. There are classes for one or two hours only, so customers can come, eat vegetarian meals and then try menu for the soul all at once,” he said.

Razif said that since his restaurant was located in Kebayoran Baru, a place not known as neighborhood with a large number of vegetarians, his team had to work hard to promote the importance of being vegan.

While other vegetarian restaurants open their business in a more accessible location, on the side of main roads, vegetarian restaurant Vegetus chose a cozy space of the Seasons City shopping mall. Cory Chen said that she decided give vegetarians an option of places to eat when they go to the mall.

“When vegetarians go to a mall, they find it difficult to find a place to eat. I know that there are many vegetarians living in Grogol. That is one of the reasons why I choose to open a restaurant here,” said Cory who turned vegan five years ago.

With the restaurant, Cory also wanted to campaign on vegetarianism to the public. In 2008, she opened her second restaurant, a restaurant serving Chinese food and other dishes, such as chicken steak and sweet sour fish.

“Since we are in a mall, the number of customers usually peaks over the weekend. We also provide catering services for nearby offices. We usually join the promotions held by the mall, like giving out discounts. We haven’t done advertising yet though,” she said.

Chang Sow, another vegetarian restaurant, took advantage of high demand and opened two more outlets in the city and another in Thailand. Chang Sow opened its first restaurant in Jl. K.H. Mas Mansyur about 20 years ago.

Chang Sow owner Jap Shun Hin has a Buddhist temple in Thailand and he usually goes there once every two months.

In Jakarta, Chang Sow opened a branch on Jl. Sunter Danau Agung in 2002. The latest branch is in Jl. Kelapa Gading Boulevard and was opened three years ago.

The rising number of vegetarian restaurants is definitely related to the rising number of vegetarians in
Indonesia. Either for religious or health reasons, more and more people have embraced vegetarianism in Indonesia. The Indonesian Vegetarian Society said that its member numbers have grown from 5,000 in 1998 to 60,000 in 2007.

The growing number of vegetarians and restaurants offering vegetarian diet will eventually become a good promotion for this healthy lifestyle.

Nur Husna Mutiara, a teacher at state public high school SMA Al Chasanah in Petamburan, West Jakarta, said that her school took the students to any events promoting vegetarians because the school wanted to educate students on healthy eating and lifestyles.

“If they are aware of their health, they can also start having awareness on their environment,” she said.

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