For those who love Chinese vegetarian dishes, Bangkok's Yaowarat - Chinatown - would be the place to go. Not only do you get to enjoy the yummy dishes available, you'll also see people wearing white, the traditional colour of the festival. There's also veggie treats freely available in other areas of the city with a sizeable Chinese population, like Samyan, Suan Luang and Bang Rak. Just keep an eye out for those triangular yellow flags - they show that the food stall or restaurant sells vegetarian food.

There are several shopping malls also worth checking out during the next week. The Gourmet Market and food halls at the Emporium and Siam Paragon have lots to offer and some of Chinatown's famous restaurants have also set up stalls and are giving cookery demonstrations.

BTS commuters will find Italian vegetarian snacks at stations that have Spicchio kiosks. If you've missed breakfast, you can grab a mushroom pie or take vegetarian pasta in tomato sauce to work.

But, for those who prefer the full dining-out experience, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from.

The Landmark hotel, with its four restaurants, is a great option: The hotel's Atrium Restaurant offers a selection of vegetarian dishes from East and West, at the Nipa Thai restaurant and the Greenhouse, there's meat-free Thai food, while the Sui Sian Chinese restaurant serves authentic Chinese cuisine.

At the Grand China Princess Hotel's Siang Ping Loh restaurant in Yaowarat, which joins the festival every year, chef Kamchai Chitmaneemongkol is creating delicious vegetarian versions of staples like dim sum, fried noodles and pizza.

The Peninsula's Mei Jiang Cantonese restaurant is run by Chef Kwok Fung Tam whose speciality is customising dishes to his clientele's tastes. Just tell him what you desire, and your own personalised vegetarian dishes will be on the table a few minutes later.

At the Good Earth restaurant in the Arnoma Hotel, you can sample chef Ngun's special creations - green seaweed with Shanghai sauce, braised tofu Hong Kong style, fried yellow noodles and gingko nuts and Chinese dates in hot syrup, among other delights.

The "Veg-teppan-able menu" at the Benihana restaurant in the Bangkok Marriott features teppanyaki and tempura dishes with garden-fresh vegetables, mushrooms and tofu, giving diners plenty of tastes to choose from.

Executive chef Lam Gok Weng of Pan Pacific hotel's Hai Tien Lo restaurant has created a menu of more than 30 tempting dishes for the duration of the festival. Savour delicacies made with local and imported vegetables in different cooking styles, such as deep-fried taro stuffed with assorted vegetables or stewed vegetables with glass noodles Hai Tien Lo style.

There are still plenty of restaurants that haven't been mentioned, and, of course, you could cook your own vegetarian dishes and celebrate the festival at home.

But, in case you've forgotten, there's more to the month of October than healthy eating.

For many this is an important religious rite, a time for mindfulness, purification and merit-making.

Compiled by Juthamas Cholthavornpong

The editor can be contacted at focusfood@nationgroup.com.