Kosher Travel resource: YeahThatsKosher.com » China

Keeping Kosher in Taipei, Taiwan

Abe — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:02:54 +0000

Contributed by: Abe S. | Last Date of Travel: August 2008

Kosher Info:

When I visited Taipei for several weeks, I had an apartment with a kitchen which made things much easier. Finding kosher food in Taipei is a bit difficult but very possible.

Starbucks, 7-Eleven, and Haagen-Dazs are all very popular chains in Taipei (and other large East Asian cities), where it is usually possible to buy kosher snacks with a hechsher (coffee, ice cream, chips). Most supermarkets will carry a small number of Western goods, only some of which are made in the U.S. (and therefore carry a hechsher).

The easiest place to buy kosher groceries is at a supermarket chain called Jasons. There are a number of them in the greater Taipei metro area, most notably in Taipei 101, which was briefly the tallest building in the world. Jasons is probably most similar to Whole Foods in the U.S. and it carries a very wide selection of international goods including many familiar kosher brands from the U.S. (like Lenders Bagels, cereal, etc).

Additionally, strict vegan Buddhist restaurants are also extremely common and can be distinguished by a swastika on display. Swastikas here do not refer to Nazis at all.

Tourist Info:
Taipei is only a short one-hour flight from Hong Kong; there are also direct flights from the United States and from many other cities in East Asia.

The historically inclined should not miss the 2-28 Museum and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. The areas surrounding Taipei are filled with hiking including the Yangmingshan National Park, which has small mountains to climb and great hot springs. Other sites of interest in the city include Taipei 101, the Shilin Night Market, and many interesting neighborhoods to explore.

The city is relatively easy to navigate. A modern subway/light rail system covers the city and suburbs. Subways and buses have English announcements and signs.

Jewish Info:
There hasn’t been much of a Jewish community in Taiwan for many years. Rabbi Ephraim Einhorn is in his mid-90s and has run the small Jewish community in Taipei for decades. He currently holds services in a modified hotel room at the Sheraton in central Taipei.

Services are traditional but there is very rarely a minyan for Shabbat. The crowd usually consists of tourists and people in Taipei on business, several Taiwanese people (often staff at the Israeli trade office), as well as a few local Jews.

After each service, Rabbi Einhorn serves wine, challah and delicious local honey. His website indicates that you can order double-wrapped fish, smoked salmon, salad, and challah from the Sheraton Hotel, though I did not try this.

Focus on: CHINA

Dani Klein - Admin — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:23:56 +0000

China is becoming a global power in many industries, and many more kosher observant travelers and businessmen are heading over there each year.

Here are a few articles on keeping kosher in China that we felt appropriate to share on YeahThatsKosher.com:

Keeping Kosher while Traveling in China

WildChina.com | February 11, 2009

Keeping kosher can always be a bit tricky, especially while traveling. But like in every developing country, awareness towards other religions and cultures is increasing (slowly, but surely). We hope you find these Kosher tid-bits useful during your Chinese travels.

1. Kosher products are available at small western stores throughout Beijing, such as Jenny Lou’s.

2. Kosher chickens can be bought at the German Butchery. (8610) 6591 9370 First Floor, Binduyuan Building No 15 Zaoying Beili Maizidian, Chao Yang District, Beijing.

3. Chicken, beef, and lamb can be bought at Chabad Hashgacha. Catering and delivery of kosher meals can be arranged through Chabad for individuals (24 hours notice is required) or tour groups (two weeks notice is required. http://www.chabadbeijing.com

4. Dini’s is the first kosher restaurant to open in Beijing. They’ll also vacuum-pack meals for you to eat on your travels around China. (8610) 6461 6220 or visit www.kosherbeijing.com

5. Kosher Bagels under Chabad Hashgacha are available through Mrs Shanens Bagels. Ask for the Kosher Bagels and they are delivered free to your hotel/home/office (8610) 6435 9561.

6. China is known for its wide array of fruits and vegetables! This is a chance to become familiar with all these different choices and indulge in plenty of vitamins.

FACT: Did you know China is now the world’s fastest-growing producer of kosher-certified food, with more than 500 Chinese factories producing the approved products??!!

The Challenge of Keeping China Kosher

The country is a fast-growing producer of kosher-certified food. But inspection and approval require a cultural balancing act — how do you explain the Book of Leviticus in an atheist nation?
By Ching-Ching Ni, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 5, 2008

It isn’t easy being a kosher food inspector in the land of moo shu pork. No matter how hard you try.

“Once, they got me into a restaurant and they ordered a whole plate of food and put it in front of me,” recalls Rabbi Martin Grunberg, who has the unusual task of ensuring that Chinese factories that make food for export comply with ancient Jewish dietary laws. “They were putting me to the test because they really don’t understand why I can’t eat Chinese cuisine.”

Keeping kosher is a breeze back home in Jerusalem, but it’s a daily challenge here in China, where food is practically a religion and people say they’ll eat anything with four legs — except for the table. It means Grunberg can’t travel light on his monthly trips through China: He carries two or three suitcases packed with dry goods, canned meats and vacuum-sealed packets, so he can feed himself breakfast, lunch and dinner. That way, he never has to step into a Chinese restaurant where about the only thing he can order is a fruit plate and can of Coke.

Although many here have never heard the word “kosher,” China is now the world’s fastest-growing producer of kosher-certified food, with more than 500 Chinese factories producing the approved products. That number is expected to soar, not because this country that is still officially atheist has embraced Judaism, but because it’s good for business.

“I used to get this puzzled look, ‘What is kosher?’ ” said Grunberg, 54, a field inspector for the New York-based Orthodox Union, which is responsible for certifying more than 300 plants in China. “Now a lot of people know it as a marketing tool to increase their market share, especially in the United States.”

The largest kosher market in the world is the U.S., where a growing number of the consumers are non-Jews who see kosher-certified food as generally safer and healthier.

That’s important in China, which is trying to recover from the recent spate of tainted-food scandals. Eager to regain consumer trust, the “Made in China” label has found an unexpected ally in the once-obscure kosher symbol.

“People have been looking for some other measure of security for products coming out of China,” said Rabbi Shimon Freundlich, one of a handful of Beijing-based independent kosher field inspectors. “They want to see quality control, and kosher is a standard people know.”

As China in recent years has become a factory for the world, practically anything can be made here at a bargain. The unlikely kosher business flourished simply because of supply and demand: The global appetite for kosher products exploded and China is happy to feed the frenzy.

But even after the Chinese learned basic kosher rules — no pork, no shellfish, no fish without fins or scales — misunderstandings remain.

As the calls poured in from Chinese companies looking for kosher approval, Freundlich recalls explaining why he couldn’t certify a toy maker that produced plastic food.

“They sent me samples of fake apples, fake vegetables,” Freundlich said. “They were right about the food aspect. They didn’t know we don’t do wooden toys or plastic toys.”

Then there was the guy who makes dining room tables.

“Since food goes on the table he thought we needed a kosher table,” Freundlich said. “Of course, every table is kosher.”

It’s even hard for many Chinese to grasp the meaning of “rabbi.”

“Sometimes they call me ‘rabbit,’ ” Grunberg said. “I start hopping. They don’t get it. I let it pass. It doesn’t pay to explain.”

In the frigid Chinese winter, Grunberg, a grandfather of five, keeps his white beard relatively short and covers his head with a wool hat. He keeps his yarmulke in his pocket and puts it on only when the room is warm enough. The Israeli resident has long given up on wearing his wide-brimmed black hat when traveling across China. “They get squashed,” he said, during the extended transits by plane, bus and train.

It’s harder for Freundlich, 34, to blend in. His black beard is much longer and bushier, and some Chinese he meets can’t resist tugging at it with their fingers.

“They used to call me Santa Claus,” said Freundlich, who moved to Beijing with his family in 2001 to start a Jewish community center. Then came the Sept. 11 attacks. “They started calling me Bin Laden, which is unfortunate.”

But they don’t mean any harm by it, he said. For the most part, rabbis are treated with respect, even if the Chinese know very little about the Jewish people and their religion.

“In China, we have very little contact with the Jewish people,” said Lucy Qian, the general manager at Ningbo Gooddays Food, a factory that makes mostly novelty candies here in one of China’s manufacturing hubs. “We are doing this purely because of market demand.”

Since the factory went kosher a few years ago, sales have soared 40%, she said. Her primary customers are Israelis and Americans who want such things as kosher lipstick-shaped Barbie candy, some of which ends up on the shelves of places like Wal-Mart.

The tainted-food scandals, she said, had no impact on her business last year. In fact, sales grew.

“I’m sure the kosher certification helped,” Qian said.

For now, finished products such as candy, fish and some dehydrated vegetables are a small component of the Chinese-made kosher market. The bulk of the business is in raw materials and food additives, but that is likely to change very soon, according to the Orthodox Union, which expects huge growth in the demand for kosher snacks, soft drinks and even beef.

Jewish dietary rules originate in the Hebrew Bible, particularly the Book of Leviticus. But rabbis working in China try to sidestep serious discussions on religion to avoid political minefields in a country where anything other than state-sanctioned church activities are strictly forbidden.

Once, Grunberg said, an official asked him during a public function to explain what religious law kosher is based on. Caught off guard, the rabbi quickly emphasized the common ground between the Chinese and Jewish people, who share long histories of pride and persecution.

“I didn’t bring religion or God into the equation,” Grunberg said.

That’s just fine to pragmatic Communist Party officials, who see little contradiction in describing their brand of unbridled capitalism as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.” Tolerating unfamiliar foreign ideas seems a small price to keep the export-driven economy humming.

“The biggest benefit of going kosher is that it introduces more accountability,” said Ray Cheung, a Chinese broker who acts as a bridge between Chinese companies seeking kosher approval and Jewish agencies that certify them. “The rabbi inspectors need to know where each ingredient is made and be able to trace it back to the factory that made it. If you don’t provide that information, we don’t give you the certification.”

Certification can be labor-intensive for the rabbis.

During a recent trip to the Gooddays candy factory, which requires four annual inspections, Grunberg checked long lists of raw materials and poked around every warehouse and factory floor, picking up bottles of sweetener and food coloring, asking if there had been any changes in the suppliers and if the buckets on the floor were used to store anything other than kosher products.

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, he has to turn the applicant down.

Once, he said, he traveled to far western China to watch Tibetan herders using a primitive method to turn yak milk into casein, a dairy protein used as a food additive.

“It was like a million Tibetans all privately cooking this on their stoves — every home is a little factory,” Grunberg said. “It would be an impossible type of supervision.”

Then the Chinese government stepped in to form a company that supplied the Tibetans with cows and a place to milk them by machine. Grunberg went back and certified the liquid milk that will be used for the casein.

The rabbi’s requirements don’t always go over well with productivity-crazed Chinese plant owners.

“Somebody once called me and asked me to come bless the fish,” said Freundlich, referring to a company that processes Alaskan fish for the American market.

“I told him that’s not the way it works.”

But even Freundlich wasn’t prepared for what he faced when he got to the fish plant.

Jewish law says fish must have fins and scales to be kosher. But with frozen fish, it is difficult to tell which ones do. So even though the plant had processed thousands of fish, Freundlich says he rolled up his sleeves to check them by hand. He and a partner worked three days straight, scratching each one of the 37,000 fish with their gloved fingers.

So many fish in the sea look the same,” said Freundlich. “If I can’t find the scale or the fin, it can’t be eaten.”

✈ Keeping Kosher in Shenzhen, China

Gavi Lewy-Neuman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:44:12 +0000

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

Essentially, the only kosher food available in Shenzhen is at the Chabad house. They provide both Friday night and Shabbat day meals free of charge (donations are welcomed). You may also order meals from them to take away. Because of its close proximity to Hong Kong (Shenzhen is the border city with Hong Kong) you can easily travel back and forth there to replenish food stocks (but you will need a multiple entry visa to get back into Shenzhen, whereas the Hong Kong Visa is given on arrival).

Tourist Info:

Not the most interesting place, but you can find what to keep you busy with. There are 2 subway lines to get around, and they cost anywhere from 2-5 Yuan per ride, depending on from/where you are going. Windows of the World is a popular “theme park” which is similar in idea to Israel’s Mini Israel, only on a much larger scale here. It does not have a cheap entrance fee. This is located basically down the block from where the Chabad center currently is – and across the street from WOTW is a big shopping mall of high end stores and other American and European stores.

Shenzhen is the world’s capital for knock-off designer bags. The LoWu shopping center, located at the beginning of the main subway line, is the first thing you encounter once you have crossed the border form Hong Kong. There you will find 5 heavily saturated floors with people forcing themselves on you to buy something (they sometimes get physical and grab your arm – so BEWARE! But no one will hurt you – I’d still recommended the place for the experience). There you can also get massages and manicures at very discounted prices. Make sure to bargain for everything! Don’t pay more than 65% of the original asked price, but you can absolutely go lower than 35% even. About 15 minutes walking from the Chabad Center is a nice lake that is quiet and serene at night, while lit up with lights, and is a good place to go and relax with a beer.

Jewish Info:

Again, Chabad is the only Jewish thing you will find in Shenzhen, and they do have minyanim (almost always) on Shabbat, but not always during the week. No Mikvah here… must travel to the mikvah in Hong Kong. To get to the Chabad, go to www.chabadshenzhen.org and print out their address to show to a taxi driver in Chinese. Most people here won’t speak any English. The building, while I was there, didn’t have any signage that it held Chabad inside, so my advice would be to contact the Chabad beforehand and ask for help.

✈ Keeping Kosher in Beijing, China

Gavi Lewy-Neuman — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:20:26 +0000

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

There are 2 Chabad centers in Beijing. The main Chabad house is located in the Chaoyang District, in the northern area, whereas the smaller Chabad center is further south from there (both in the east of Beijing). I only visited the larger of the 2 centers. There is a kosher restaurant in the same vicinity, called Dini’s Restaurant. (Note: there is an Israeli restaurant almost next door to Dini’s, and even though it has Hebrew writing on the sign, it is NOT kosher). The restaurant is meat and delicious and fairly priced. You may order food “to-go” there. The Shabbat meals, both Friday night and Shabbat day are eaten in the restaurant as well (not at the Chabad house!). Go to www.kosherbeijing.com for Restaurant info.

There is a supermarket “chain” (there are at least 2 of them) in Beijing called Jenny Lou’s, and they sell a ton of American products, many of which are kosher. They even have kosher soy milk there. I believe there is another supermarket called “Super Center” that also sells a lot of American products. Exact information can be received from contacts at Chabad.

Suggestion: Bring your own packaged soups that just require added hot water. A main part of the Chinese culture is soup, and on-the-go most Chinese people will have “cup-of-soup” equivalents, and to cater to that, hot water is available everywhere, even on long distance trains. This goes for everywhere in China. Traditions soups (and its equivalents) will be very helpful in China.

Tourist Info:

Beijing has extensive subway system great for getting around, and any trip, no matter destination costs only 2 Yuan. The subway is preferable to on road travel due to lots of constant road congestion.

There is plenty to see in Beijing and its surrounding areas. I would suggest not to miss the Great Wall of China (any part will do – Badaling is the most touristy, and easiest to get to by public transport), The Forbidden City/Tienanmen’s Square (a private guide of the audio guide is well worth the investment – both can be picked up right outside the entrance), and the Olympic village. Having just hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing exhibits great pride in that fact, and the Olympic village, home to the National Stadium (or “Bird’s Nest”) and the Water Cube… all well deserving of a visit. Get there before 3pm to ensure the ability to buy an entrance ticket to the Water Cube, and before 5pm for the Bird’s Nest. There is lots more to choose from – read up about it and choose for yourself! Lonely Planet has been a very useful guidebook to lead me around Beijing.

Jewish Info:

Visit www.chabadbeijing.com for full details. The main chabad has minyanim on shabbat (most of the time) and sometimes during the week. There is a Mikvah located by the Jewish School about 30 minutes from town (get details from the Chabad family). Get directions in Chinese and English on the website, and print it out to show to a taxi driver. The website will also show places to stay within walking distance nearby. No youth hostels are really within walking distance under an hour, but there is a budgeted hotel called the Home Inn closer by. The whole Chabad family, including the children really add to the atmosphere and they are very welcoming. The re are currently 3 Chabadnik girls brought in from France to help with the Shlichut and they too are very much a part of the community. Chabad Beijing = a really wonderful experience!

✈ Keeping Kosher in Shanghai, China

Gavi Lewy-Neuman — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:19:22 +0000

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | October 2008

Kosher Info:

There are 2 chabad centers in Shanghai – one in Pudong, and one in the main part of Shanghai on Hong Qiao Road in the south-eastern part of town. I haven’t visited the one in Pudong, but info can be accessed at www.jewishpudong.com. From personal experience, I can say that the Chabad Jewish Center offers free of charge, delicious meals on Friday night and Shabbbat day. They also order kosher, Israeli products online, and you can order as well through the Chabad center. Their website (www.chinajewish.org) advises that fruits and vegetables can be purchased locally but to wash them very carefully with disinfectant soap and water. Buy from street vendors at your own risk. Food and challah can be purchased from Chabad, as well. Some of the local supermarkets do sell American products, so look for a kosher hechsher.

Suggestion: Bring your own Traditions soup or packaged soups that just require added hot water. A main part of the Chinese culture is soup, and on-the-go most Chinese people will have “cup-of-soup” equivalents, and to cater to that, hot water is available everywhere, even on long distance trains. This goes for everywhere in China.

Tourist Info:

Shanghai is a terrific city with a ton to do. There are a number of historic sites and other fun places to go.

I would suggest using The Lonely Planet (either for all China, or specifically for Shanghai) to help you get around and to give a good, detailed overview of what to do. Shanghai’s the chosen location for the upcoming 2010 World Expo, and so the city is doing its best to prepare for being impressive and giving a good experience to all its visitors. I enjoyed The 88th floor Observatory at the Jin Mao tower in Pudong area for an amazing view of the whole city. There is a lot of pollution though, so visibility quality may vary…. it is still an amazing experience, as the tower was the tallest building in China until 2007. The elevator is ridiculously fast, getting you up to the observatory (where you get a complimentary pearl, which they try and coax you into turning into a not complimentary necklace, or set of earrings) in under 45 seconds.

The BUND is quite historic, and definitely worth a visit. It is the area next to the Huangpu River on the main side – there are lots of buildings with beautiful architectural designs. The Lonely Planet walking tour is suggested as it gives info on what you are seeing and where is worth your time. There is lots of construction in the area though, which does take away from the overall experience.

Renmin Square, or People’s Square is a great place to visit, and lots to see in the area. I would recommend visiting the Shanghai Art Museum, which has amazing modern art and interesting exhibits. The Jade Buddha Temple is certainly worth a visit, and the acrobatics show is a no-miss. I would also recommend stopping by and seeing a show at the Shanghai Grande Central Theater. It is a small venue, so even the cheapest seats give you a great view of the incredible program.

Jewish info:

Both Chabad Centers are great Jewish outlets. In the Hong Qiao area, they have minyanim on Shabbat, and I believe during the week as well. The Rabbi and Rebbetzin are very welcoming. On Friday night dinner, all the new and visiting people are required to get up and introduce themselves to everyone. There are mainly French-speaking people there (although not the Chabad family). In the Pudong area, there are some old, not-in-use synagogues that are now tourist attractions, and have lots of history to them.

✈ Keeping Kosher in Hong Kong / Kowloon, China

Gavi Lewy-Neuman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:14:57 +0000

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

Hong Kong has a number of different kosher facilities. There are 2 Chabad centers – one in Kowloon and one on Hong Kong Island. Both offer Friday night and Shabbat day meals. There is an established community as well at t he JCC located at 70 Robinson rd. on Hong Kong island. They too offer a Shabbat meal for everyone on Saturday. Also in Kowloon is a Sfaradi Shul called Kehilat Zion at the Hechal Ezra Synagogue which is located at 62 Mody Rd 1/F – the local Jewish community often calls this “Meoded” for the Rabbi Meoded who leads it. They too have meals on Friday night and Shabbat day. During the week, Hechal Ezra has a meat restaurant. The JCC has 2 restaurants – one meat, one dairy.

The JCC also has a kosher supermarket which has different products available at different times based on availability. There you can find a whole slew of Israeli products as well as frozen chicken and baked goods. Prices are somewhat inflated.

Hong Kong has a whole bunch of supermarkets, many of which sell varying numbers of American products, many of which bear an OU. The only kosher milk available in Hong Kong is called PURA – imported from Australia (not Cholav Yisrael – but is pure cows milk). Hong Kong Island is laden with supermarkets, while Kowloon is very sparse of them.

Note: Products that you know of from other parts of the world, like Pringles for example, are not kosher unless it has the sign on it. There will be Pringles with English writing on them as well as Chinese, and those aren’t kosher. There are cans though that are imported and won’t have any Chinese on them (less an added Chinese sticker) and that will have an OU on it. So look for the sign. No sign – not kosher.

The Chabad puts out a kosher guidebook for Hong Kong which is very helpful. It is very comprehensive and is updated yearly, i believe. From what I understood, in Hong Kong, plain rice and noodles can be bought from local stores without a hechsher.

Tourist Info:

All of Hong Kong can be done in about 5 days. As a backpacker, you might get bored staying longer than that. Some popular activities are as follows:

“The Peak” is the top of Hong Kong Island which offers a beautiful panoramic view. The Peak Tram is a popular way of accessing it.
Kowloon has many famous markets, such as the Jade Market and the Night Market – both which are great for inexpensive shopping and souvenirs. Bargain!
Everyone visits the Big Buddha on Lantau Island which is nice, but not awesome.
Victoria Harbour has one of the world’s most famous skylines, and is beautiful at night (catch the nightly 13 minute Light Show at 8pm every day from the Kowloon side, from the pier next to the cultural center, where you can see all the lights and hear the accompanying music). Crossing the river by the Star Ferry is a historical experience (and only costs about 2 Hong Kong dollars). On the Kowloon side by the water are a few museums (free on Wednesdays) and Avenue of the Stars which is nice to walk along at night after the Light Show.

To get around, Hong Kong has a great subway system that is clean, efficient and really easy to use. For extended stays in Hong Kong, get an Octopus Card – similar equivalent to a MetroCard (in NYC), but can also be used to pay for other things around town.

Jewish Info:
Both Chabad centers offer Minyanim on Shabbat for sure, but can be iffy during the week. The JCC shul called “Ohel Leah” also has Shabbat Minyanim as well as during the week. Hechal Ezra has the same. Ohel Leah is one of the wealthiest synagogues in the world, but its crowd brings in people of all economic levels and varying degrees of observance (even though it is an Orthodox shul). The Chabad in Kowloon is most appropriate for backpackers as it is close to many budgeted guesthouses. The Hechal Ezra community is mainly sfaradi expat businessmen, but was nice to go to as it felt to me most like a community (even though only 10% of the well over 100 people were regulars). Hechal Ezra also offers the best food on Shabbat in my opinion.