“Wokipedia” is a regular magazine column in which we introduce aspects of Chinese gastronomy, one letter at a time.

… vegetarian 素食
Arguably, being vegetarian in China is actually quite easy. With an established religion (Buddhism) paving the way for traditional vegetarian temple cooking and the prevalence of tofu, there are quite a number of options for the meat-averse. If you’re looking to eat out, try places like the Veggie Table, Pure Lotus, Vegan Hut and Cai An Xin.

It's just about time for lunch now, isn't it? If you're close to Dawanglu today, consider a visit to CRU Steakhouse. Their new business lunch is three courses for RMB 168+15%, admittedly on the higher end of things. If you're the kind of person willing to splash out a little bit on lunch, I recommend it unreservedly. Business lunches are kind of the Enomatic machine of the spendy restaurant world: low risk, comparatively low prices. There are some establishments at which I would have never dined, had I not lunched there first. If you're not the type to pay that much, I have another lunchtime recommendation for you. Keep reading for that, and other dining news.

So you've gone to all the Temple fairs and made enough lopsided dumplings to last you for a year, what next? Well, if you've got Chinese friends in town, consider paying them a visit – after all, that's technically what the holiday's for! The custom of visiting loved ones during Chunjie is a long and well-established one, known as 拜年 (bainian). If you'd like to do some of your own doorhopping, read on for a few simple guidelines. 

Chinese New Year is great! (Chinese New Year is boring.) There's family to see and warmth to share! (I just got back from Christmas overseas and all my friends are heading out of town.) Hey, maybe I'll get a few hongbao! (Damnit, more of this giving-money-away business?!) We're all gonna make dumplings and eat sweets! (I've blocked out my last solo jiaozi-making venture, it was too traumatizing!) Check out this massive pile of fireworks my uncle bought for us! (How am I going to sleep this week?!)

The only annoying part is that my favorite restaurant is closed ... boo! (I can't even get a decent meal.)

Love Chinese New Year or hate it, we can all agree – restaurant closings are a massive downer during the holiday period. For your edible convenience, we've compiled a list of restaurants that will still serve you up a feast during the upcoming vacation.

For those who want to introduce some more organic options into their lives, the Beijing Organic Farmers’ Market is held weekly around Beijing (see their microblog at weibo.com/farmersmarketbj). Arrive early to get the best produce. Expect to pay more than you would at a supermarket – prices can be anywhere between 20 to 200 percent higher. A cheaper option is subscribing to a farm (see image) who will deliver weekly boxes of vegetables to your door. This is cheaper, and RMB 100 will generally buy weekly vegetables for two or three people.

Many articles have been written about the dinner organized by Alice Waters at the recent US-China Forum on the Arts & Culture, organized by the Asia Society. Some journalists gushed about her organic, locally sourced menu, but others are wondering how far her influence will go in China.

Waters, of Chez Panisse fame, has made a living advocating for locavorism, the Slow Food movement and organic eating. Her Edible Schoolyard project is at the forefront of the growing movement urging people, children in particular, to become more knowledgeable about what they’re eating.

I've been reading a lot about noodles this week. Mostly due to an initial bout of Googling the question "Who made noodles first", which I've discovered via the Beebs that yes, they're from China. Wonderful! My Italian friend now owes me a fiver. Not that noodles really have much to do with today's post, unless you're liking the look of the above – as tasty as it was pretty. Read on to find out where it's from, and other less noodly dining news.

There are lots of things that Chinese people are good at doing. These things include, but are not restricted to: hand-pulling noodles, bargaining and cracking sunflower seeds. 'Queuing' usually has no place on that list. However, in the case of Zhejiang-style Green Tea Restaurant, this is not the case. On every single visit to Shimao Department Store, be it Tuesday evening or Saturday morning,  we've seen a long line of patient, puffy-jacketed queuers snake down the length of the mall. Naturally, we had to investigate.

Picture this: Tuesday evening, 7.30pm. A mounting sense of dread. A refusal to accept our booking ("We're booked out for the next week. Why don't you come wait?") And upon arrival, a ticket that estimates our waiting time at two hours. Thirty-five tables ahead of us. Assuming nobody dining alone is that silly, there were at least 70 people waiting for a table on Tuesday night. Gosh.

First broken resolution of 2012: "get up earlier". First food regret of 2012: overcooked beef tenderloin. First nutty food discovery of 2012: BEIJING DUCK FLAVORED PRETZ. I found these in a jumbo pack at Qingdao duty-free, of all places, for RMB 200-ish. Other interesting "Chinese" flavors include Shanghai Hairy Crab, Guangdong Shark Fin Soup, Sichuan Mala, Oolong Tea, Lychee and Chestnut. Please, please, please keep an eye out at your convenience store, your supermarket, your xiaomaibu - and let me know if you find these little gems. Or if you happen to pass through Qingdao Duty-Free and have a spare RMB 200. There is a reward: I will buy you a sandwich.*

Now, onto eating news of a bit more import. 

There is a certain softness of speech amongst the Bai women of Yunnan that elides the vowels and tapers off each word. Shanghai women have it too, in smaller measure. The Chinese describe it as dia (嗲), a dissonant adjective for an uncommonly sweet result.