Eugreenia: Hong Kong's Vegan Food Blogger
Interviewers: Amy Shin and Illeana Li
Interviewee: Eugenia Chow
Editor: Alysha Lai
Veganism, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “a strict vegetarian who consumes no food (such as meat, eggs, or dairy products) that comes from animals”. However, when it comes to sustainable eating, there is often a misconception that it is only limited to veganism, as stated by Eugenia Chow, known on Instagram as @eugreenia (with 8k followers+ as of September 2020), who Project Eden recently had the privilege to speak with.
We spoke with Eugenia Chow to learn about her journey running her vegan food blog and instagram page.
Could you briefly introduce yourself? (Age, name, school, interests...etc.)
My name is Eugenia Chow. I’m currently 19-years-old, and I was in the class of 2019 in Chinese International School. I run a blog and an Instagram account that explores the concept of veganism and essentially everything in regards to sustainability, including food related issues in both Hong Kong and abroad. I also just recently started a podcast called ‘The Everyday Activist’ where I interview people from around the world about the different actions that they have taken to alleviating the climate crisis and to demonstrate to people that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to activism. With everything I do, I try to make it as inclusive as possible to show that while sustainability is important, it can also be something that is enjoyable.
@eugreenia on Instagram, September 2020.
When did you start growing an interest in sustainability and what made you foster your passion for it?
In Hong Kong, I would have to take a ferry everytime I go to school or meet with my friends, and ultimately being on the water has helped me develop an affinity for nature and all about wanting to get outside and explore. I think that Hong Kong is such a unique place because we’re able to have both the city and nature, so it was this balance that has always made me want to get more involved and deepen my appreciation for nature.
But I think that the main transitional point for me was when I first went diving in the Philippines. After seeing with my own eyes how beautiful marine life and habitats are, my diving instructor gave a presentation about how plastic straws end up in our oceans and how these seemingly insignificant objects can create such a long lasting negative impact on marine habitat. While that was a simple presentation, it really made me realize the impact of our every day actions. Though I originally wanted to take more action on single-use plastics in Hong Kong, I gradually expanded the topic as I began to realize climate issues and sustainability are a lot more complex than just that.
What is the origin and purpose Instagram-blog centred around sustainable eating and veganism? What issues do you aim to address through this platform?
I remember having a conversation with one of my vegan friends about how it’s often such a misconception that you can’t go vegan in Hong Kong. In order to prove to people that it is, in fact, possible to reduce meat consumption, I decided to create this platform, especially because it’s so important for us to be conscious of what we’re consuming. My primary purpose was to show all the affordable vegan restaurants in Hong Kong. But as I learned more about sustainability, I realized that there’s actually a lot more to what we eat than reducing meat consumption when it comes to eating for the climate. That’s why I’m now trying to raise more awareness about how we can be more sustainable in every aspect of our lives while still maintaining the focus on food.
Vegan Cha Siu Fan: @eugreenia on Instagram, June 30th, 2020.
How long have you been going vegan? Any tips for those interested in being a vegan themselves?
I’ve been vegan for three years. Some helpful tips I have is to:
Follow vegan Instagram accounts in Hong Kong. This is because the special features on Instagram, such as specific hashtags like #veganhk give vegans a really efficient way to receive information and a myriad of options.
On a local scale, I would recommend Greenqueen as a great resource. It’s a news media platform that has a ton of information from where to eat, to insights on green living in Hong Kong.
On a global standard, Happy Cow is also a very good platform where you can learn about all the vegan or vegetarian foods nearby given your location.
Finally, cooking your own food is also a good method because you won’t be as much of a burden for people who may be cooking for you at home or others around you. You’ll also get to experiment with different flavours and ingredients, which would enhance your understanding even more.
How did you manage to find good vegan restaurants in Hong Kong? Any recommendations?
I think my starting point was actually GreenQueen. It’s interesting how once you start following these resources, you fall into a rabbit hole where you begin discovering all these new sources of information. In terms of Hong Kong, there is a Facebook group called ‘HK vegans’ gathering a group of local vegans who post various vegan recipes and recommendations. Although that’s only one example, I think it’s a great way to gain exposure to the whole community. There would be people hosting potlucks every now and then, which is also a great way to meet like-minded individuals, who perhaps can share advice and go on this journey together.
Home-cooked picnic: @eugreenia on Instagram, February 22nd, 2020.
Why did you choose Instagram as your platform to reach out to your community?
I think Instagram is such a powerful platform. It can be very negative in some ways, but if used well it is a very powerful tool. Especially since everyone is on it right now, at least all the teenagers and even some adults, it’s great for reaching different people from various ages and backgrounds. Because people are constantly scrolling through Instagram, it's an effective way to seamlessly plant this idea into people’s heads just because of its part of their ‘daily scrolling’. Personally, creating my account had initiated a lot of conversations around, which had influenced people who weren’t as interested and involved in sustainability.
I remember when I first started posting on my Vegan Instagram account, my classmates would comment: “the food looks so good you’re making me want to go vegan!”, which really is an effective method to spreading these ideas. Sometimes I would post about the impossible burger, and my friends would want to try the impossible burger. So instead of going to a regular restaurant, we would go to a vegan restaurant. It's a good way to change people's mindsets and opens people's minds to the possibility of vegan food while simultaneously building community. Even some of my very good friends I actually met through Instagram. Nowadays, we make vegan food together all the time, all due to the fact that we had shared the same interest to begin with.
How do you see the future of your blog? Where do you plan to head with it?
With my blog, I want to keep raising awareness about food systems, sustainability with regards to food. As a step further, I also want to make my advocacy more intersectional. I think recently since the Black Lives Matter started peeking up on social media again, it was clear to me that environmentalism couldn’t just be like a ‘siloed’ concept that people talked about; it has to include social justice issues, such as by relating the discussions to relate to feminism, and more. So my goal is to make the link [between fighting for sustainability and social justice issues more clear. I plan on making this information more accessible to all people as well. One example of how I’ve been trying to do this recently is a post I did on ‘How to Convince Your Asian Aunties to go Green’. What I realise right now is that lots of the approaches to sustainability and sustainable eating is that they are tailored to a western demographic. I think it's important to include everyone into our sustainability efforts, hence, I plan on exploring this approach with my blog as well.
'How to Convince Your Asian Aunties to go Green': @eugreenia on Instagram, June 8th, 2020.
What kind of impact do you aspire to make in your community- both in the long and short run?
In the short term, I would want to peak people’s interest and get them caring about these issues in the first place. I think the awareness of climate issues is prevalent, but there is just not enough action being taken towards it. While the information I’m posting about is very centred around the individual, it's not the solution for sustainability. Instead, I want it to be the starting point for people to grow an interest in these matters. For me, learning about something as simple as a plastic straw was what made me so passionate about climate change, so I think it's important to have that initial spark to begin with.
In the long term, I eventually want to get more involved with the larger so-called activism, which is not really possible with the pandemic, but I hope to also raise awareness about the issues in a local context in HK, especially with different governmental changes and generally raising more awareness about issues in the global context.
What are your thoughts on youth advocacy and involvement in this change for sustainability?
I think it’s really inspiring to see how involved the movement is. In terms of advice I would give to people who would want to learn more about sustainability or get more involved, I think a really important thing to consider is that you don’t have to be perfect in your approach. Whether it would be about veganism or zero-waste, people often shy away from the idea of even testing out these practices because they are afraid of not being perfect or being judged. It’s interesting how especially with veganism, if you’re not 100% vegan, people call you a ‘fake vegan’ or you don’t feel like you deserve to be a part of the movement. So I think that it’s really important to change the mindset that everyone has to start somewhere, and that you don’t have to be perfect on the first try.
Another thing is that you can’t buy your way into sustainability. This is something I didn’t think about when I first started to get more involved in sustainability. I used to buy many stasher bags and reusable containers thinking that that was how I would fit in with the whole sustainable aesthetic. When in reality, sustainability is about making the most of what you already have and not buying new. It’s about repurposing, reusing, and ultimately learning to make do with the resources you are given. Your change can be on a small or large scale. I think that is the essence of sustainability and definitely something to keep in mind when wanting to get involved.
What do you think about youth’s role in advocating for sustainability? Any thoughts on how the power of student voice and taking action has impacted the climate movement?
A quote that has really resonated with me was said from the founders of ByeByePlasticBags, and it’s that “youth only make up 25% of the population but they are 100% of the future.” I feel like that’s a great way to frame the climate movement, especially because so much of it is driven by youth and the power that comes from youth taking action. Their movements really make an impact, even on their parents when they see their children caring so much about an issue, they are more likely to act upon it and take interest. That is not to say all the efforts should be shouldered by the youth as it's just as important for governments to take action and the people of power should ultimately be the ones making the change. But I think it's so inspiring that youths are taking the lead because it is our future and what we do with it is all up to us. I feel really inspired when young people send emails demanding change because you know that it’s something that matters a lot to them and it is something they are willing to sacrifice school and time spent on homework, with friends. That’s when you know someone is really committed to the cause.
Any lasting message/advice that you want to leave?
A message I want to reinforce is that:
you can’t buy your way into sustainability.
Some general mindsets to live by is you should strive for sufficiency, over efficiency, collaboration/community over competition, and maximising the things you already have. I want to leave the readers with this: before you do anything to do with sustainability, it's important to have these mindset shifts. It is key that your actions start from your entire behaviour and attitudes towards the world changing.
