Vegetarian Festival not so lively at Yaowarat

BANGKOK, Oct 20 (TNA) -- The Vegetarian Festival started not so lively at the old market of Yaowarat or Chinatown area as vendors said their customers dropped in number while vegetarian food prices are close to those last year. The festival that was set to continue until Oct 28 began with a fewer number of customers buying vegetarian foods and raw materials to prepare them. Vendors said that previously the old Yaowarat market had been so congested that people had rarely seen the ground but this year’s atmosphere was much different. Most customers were buying less vegetarian food although prices were not raised, vendors said. A survey found that vegetarian food prices were close to those last year. A vendor said that a handful of vendors from other provinces such as Suphan Buri and Nakhon Sawan arrived to buy raw materials because some areas were flooded and the economy had not recovered significantly. (TNA)