Variety of vegetarian feasts, customers actively book early
In the days leading up to the full moon of July, the demand for ordering vegetarian feasts in Hanoi increases significantly. Instead of preparing many dishes themselves, many families choose to order ready-made feasts to save time but still have a full offering tray.
Mr. Hoang Cong - owner of a vegetarian restaurant in Hanoi - said that the price of vegetarian feasts currently ranges from 500,000 - 600,000 VND, depending on the quantity and accompanying dishes.
The 500,000 VND feast includes 8 dishes such as cải cuốn, bánh khúc, herbal soup, stir-fried algae with lemongrass and chili, seaweed spring rolls, salad, giò lụa and vegetarian tré. The 600,000 VND feast includes 10 dishes, plus vegetarian sausage, boiled vegetables and pumpkin soup," Mr. Cong shared.
According to Mr. Cong, the feasts are combined with many groups of dishes, from vegetables, soup, stir-fried dishes to spring rolls, sausages, and cakes, meeting the needs of customers during the full moon of July.
Feast trays are often ordered a lot by customers on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month. Especially on the 15th of July, the number of customers ordering increased sharply, but most are still regular customers," Mr. Cong said.
Not only waiting until close to the full moon day, many families have actively ordered feasts early. Mr. Hoang Cong said that the number of orders started to increase from the 7th and 8th days of the Lunar New Year and became more crowded after the 10th day.
These feasts mainly serve families, especially parents and grandparents who buy them for worship. Pre-ordering also helps families be proactive in time, not having to go to the market, pre-process and then prepare many dishes and still have a full feast," Mr. Hoang Cong shared.
Not only paying attention to the number of dishes, the form of the feast is also a factor that customers pay attention to. The dishes are divided into portions, convenient for moving and displaying on the offering tray.
Setting up a vegetarian feast helps families save time
For many families, this is a suitable preparation when they want to maintain neatness on holidays but do not have much time to go to the kitchen.
Ms. Tran Nguyen Minh Chau (Cau Giay ward, Hanoi) chose to order a vegetarian feast for the full moon ceremony because of its convenience and variety of dishes.
This year's full moon of July is on a normal day, and work is busy, so preparing a feast yourself will be quite hard, especially since my family still has young children. Pre-ordering a feast is both less time-consuming and has a full and diverse feast," Ms. Chau shared.
Similarly, Ms. Pham Mai Anh (Tu Liem ward, Hanoi) has proactively booked in advance to avoid crowded customers on days close to the full moon.
I usually order in advance so that on the full moon day, I just need to go over and pick it up, without having to spend extra time going to the market or preparing each dish. The tray already has many dishes, the arrangement is also quite beautiful, so when brought home, the family only needs to rearrange it to be able to prepare for the worshiping ceremony," Ms. Mai Anh said.
Ordering ready-made vegetarian feasts has become the choice of a part of the family during traditional holidays. Buyers can choose the appropriate price and quantity of dishes, and proactively order in advance to avoid crowded numbers on peak days.
