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| Tofu Herbal Spring Roll and Kaeng Liang Nop Gao served at Suan Bua, Centara Grand at Central Plaza Ladprao. |
The streets of Phuket glowed yellow for nine days in October 2025, marking the Vegetarian Festival, a pulse of centuries-old devotion. Amid white-robed participants observing strict plant-based diets, the city filled with the smells of jay cuisine, incense, and street stalls offering dishes tied to ritual purity. Centara’s Suan Bua restaurant interpreted these flavors through a “Food as Medicine” approach, blending herbs, broths, and plant-forward desserts for modern travelers.
Food at the festival carries meaning beyond taste. The red and yellow flags of **Jay cuisine signal abstinence from garlic, onions, fish sauce, and stimulants - a rhythm of self-discipline and reflection. A visitor on Reddit noted that street offerings, while simple, held purpose, emphasizing ritual over aesthetics. Tourists seeking gourmet vegetarian reinterpretations were often surprised by the understated yet deliberate flavors.
** In Thailand, “Jay” (斋, Teochew dialect) refers to vegetarian/vegan food eaten during the festival, often tied to the Vegetarian Festival (Tesagan Gin Je). It’s widely used in Thailand in both spoken and written contexts, especially on street signs and flags.
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| Chef Nim, the visionary behind the culinary innovations of Suan Bua |
Centara contrasted tradition subtly. Chef Pairin “Nim” Hahingsa’s dishes drew on Thai herbs, slow-cooked broths, and plant-based desserts, reimagined for wellness-oriented travelers. Niche posts on Instagram and TikTok captured diners’ reactions: pauses to taste herbal soups, photos of pandan desserts labeled “healing food”, and comments linking flavors to traditional remedies. These micro-moments reveal engagement often invisible in mainstream coverage.
The festival’s duality - ceremonial versus curated culinary, reflects an ongoing conversation in Thailand’s food culture. Street vendors preserve jay dishes rooted in spiritual observance, while hotels and wellness kitchens reinterpret them for modern palates. Small trade blogs and Reddit threads highlight this contrast without explicit commentary: some visitors savor herbal complexity, others notice ritual abstinence, and many reflect on how culture, wellness, and tourism intersect. The lack of broad reporting suggests early experimentation and niche adoption rather than irrelevance.
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| Vegan Yakisoba with Mushroom Hamburg – Centara Ras Fushi Maldives |
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| Matsutake Dashi Risotto, a refined East-meets-West dish from Kunsei Restaurant at Centara Grand Hotel Osaka Japan |
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| Autumn Pumpkin Kibbeh – Centara Mirage Dubai |
Phuket 2025 shows that mindful eating, appreciation for ritual, and engagement with plant-based cuisine are living experiences. Watching participants savor herbed soups, observe dietary discipline, or linger over ceremonial meals, it becomes clear that food mediates curiosity, reflection, and cultural connection.
In the end, the Vegetarian Festival matters not only for spectacle but for quiet intersections: the smell of incense, the taste of medicinal herbs, and how centuries-old practices adapt to modern wellness sensibilities. Through its careful reinterpretation, Centara demonstrates how heritage and wellness can coexist — not as instruction, but as sensory experience.
Source: Centara Hotels Resorts
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