How do I ask for vegetarian food without egg — hoppers and roti keep arriving with egg anyway?
I eat dairy and ghee sometimes, but not egg. In town places the egg hopper or egg roti still shows up after I say vegetarian. Not asking for full vegan like the Polonnaruwa threads — just a clear no-egg script that cooks actually hear. Sinhala or Tamil phrases welcome if short.
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3 Answers from travellers
Say it in two beats: vegetarian, no egg — and point at the egg hopper while shaking your head. In Sinhala a short "biththara epa" (no egg) after "elavalu" / vegetable helps. Repeat once with a smile when the order is repeated back. Dairy is fine to mention separately if you want curd or milk tea. Egg is its own habit in hopper shops, so "vegetarian" alone is not enough. Plain string hoppers, vegetable curry, dal, and roti without egg are normal once they hear the second half.
Script that worked for me: "no egg, milk okay." Pointing at the egg board sealed it. Got plain hoppers and pumpkin curry.
Trying "biththara epa" plus pointing tonight. Will update if the egg still sneaks in.
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