The Vegan Thread

Not vegan, but whilst traveling in Vietnam it was easier to explain myself as a buddhist to get what food I wanted.
A number of times the people I was with would explain it to a waiter/ress with the caviat 'but he does eat eggs', to be met with guffaws or general derision.
I tried this trick in SE Asia, China and Japan but still ended up with fish sauce in lots of dishes. Maybe the fish used are so small they don't count as animal? A bit like the way meat stock, anchovies or bacon doesn't seem to count in various European countries.

It didn't help that I was travelling with an unsympathetic meat-eater who rolled his eyes or had a pop at me every time it happened.