BootsnAll Travel Community

Just wondering if there are many vegetarians out there and what your experiences have been like eating in foreign lands.

I've had everything from great food to what closely resembled dog food. England has been the easiest, Canada and the US are a close second. In Belgium, I lived off pastry and chocolate for the 5 days I was there and in Australia I couldn't get eggs on toast without chunks of bacon in them. It became a bit of a running joke with my mates.

I gave up my vegi ways when in Europe because, well, the food is so damn good I didn't want to miss out on those experiences like chorizo and wurst and bolognese. Paella without seafood is just not the same.

And I found I gained weight when I was living soley off bread, cheese and tomato (even though the cheeses over there, aaahhh [homer noise]).

Just another travel addict trying to get Out of dodge...

I'm vegetarian as well. Usually I made the experience that people are very flexible on the subject. With this I mean, you can go to a restaurant and if the menu is rice and chicken, they'll exchange the chicken with eggs (that only helps you, if you eat eggs, of course). This was especially the case in South America. People were always very happy to cook something that I would eat (I believe, South Americans have a much more costumer focused mind, than most industry countries).
The worst was probably Kenya and some places on the Philippines. But in these countries/areas one can usually go to markets and live off fruits and vegies. Of course there are always times when you exist on pizza and sandwiches. But hei...it ain't worse than eating chicken everyday...
Adrian

www.aresthetics.ch/trav
My personal travel website

Me a veggie too. For the 1st 2 yrs here in the states I survived on salad and ice cream...basically....then for a brief semester, since I was dying to eat some hot cooked food, I tried chicken and loved it! now I am back to being a veggie since I have more control over the food i eat.

in a way its hard cos everytime you go out to eat you have to explain to the resteraunt what you want to replace with what etc etc.

other the other hand its makes decision making real easy, as there are usually just 2/3 vegetarian things on the menu.

another thing i found was that fish is considered vegetarian here (and i guess in most parts of the world). so i specifically need to explain that sea food is a no-no as well.

when people ask, i have come up with a simple explaination/rule abt what i eat and dont eat. if the thing had eyes or moved (ever!) then i wont eat it.

being a veggie in California is pretty easy--there are [tasty] veggie options on almost all menus and fake meat products are sold everywhere. We're not veggie's persay, but we try and eat as little meat and poultry as possible (and we pretty much only eat fish if it's raw).

I've heard that being a veggie throughout Asia is pretty easy as well (and often recommended. A Vietnamese women I met advised me to become vegetarian in Vietnam or I risk getting some major buggers from the meat).

I had a hard time eating veggie in Germany and France and I got sick of cheese and bread, so I broke down and had meaty stuff, but I think that one can make do almost anywhere. Beans, I would buy canned beans and eat them alot.

I'm not a veggie, but I've traveled with some strict vegans before. In Southeast Asia it is easy to travel as a vegi, being a predominantly Buddhist region as well as a main destination of backpackers, a high percentage of whom are vegetarian. My vegan friends had no problems finding vegan food in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

Argentina is probably the most difficult place for a vegi. Its economy and way of life are is heavily centered on beef, beef and more beef. I've known more than one vegi who gave up their vegetarianism while traveling or living in Argentina.

Czech Republic was a bit rough for being a veggie. I'm a little interested to see what it will be like when I go through Eastern Europe.

Cattle Country USA is also very difficult, as are any fast food restaurants (on the rare occasion I need to eat there on a road trip!)

Court

NYC is GREAT for vegetarians. (if you want to know specifics, ask me!) there's a book called the vegetarian guide to new york city (i bought it at the brooklyn museum of art) and also i've seen a vegan guide to new york city...i work in the financial district and it's tough down here--a lot of the steak eaters and pricey restaurants--but most places in the city are pretty fine. be warned--if you go to a particular restaurant and order a seemingly vegetarian item, specify no meat. i live in a polish neighborhood (greenpoint, brooklyn!) and ordered mashed potatoes--they put gravy and bacon on them. ugh!

but overall, is europe okay (besides france and germany, from what i've read earlier)? are there any vegetarian guides to europe and whatnot?

Hello my name is E. and I'm a vegitarian. I was born that way can't do any thing about it. I can eat fish just no land flesh. Find food is no problem if you know how to look and what to ask for. But to tell you the truth I deal with more grief for it on this side of the pond than when I was traveling.

E.

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Originally posted by E.:
Hello my name is E. and I'm a vegitarian. I was born that way can't do any thing about it. I can eat fish just no land flesh.
E.

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I'm sorry E, but isn't a fish also a living creature ? ....not a vegetable...?

...it makes me laugh when I hear: 'I'm a vegetarian...but I eat fish.......oh, & sometimes chicken....oh, & sometimes a bacon sandwich, but only if its a tuesday....'

In South America anyone would generally cater to my dietary restrictions, but I did get the "vegetarian" soup with a big old chunk of meat in it, and the potatoes they'd cooked with the chicken. They really don't understand the concept of vegetarianism. At home I'd freak out if I was served veggie food with meat, but while travelling I just try to get over it and eat what I can without offending the people giving me my food. After 4 months though I was super tired of pizza and sandwiches or rice and a little salad.

I've also eaten fish a few times thinking that'd help, but have found that to be generally unappealling and unnecessary. Shopping at markets and staying in places with kitchens makes life a whole lot easier. In major cities throughout the world the Hare Krishnas have cheap veggie restaraunts. A welcome relief at times and so far no preaching.

The American heartland is a nightmare and I stick to buying my food in supermarkets. I've been to diners in Texas where the only thing I could order without meat was coffee. No joke. And in Europe it can be rough outside of cities. But they will generally prepare anything they can in a restaraunt for you, even if it's not on the menu (definitely more accomodating than American restaraunts). In Central America and the Caribbean it's relatively easy too. Lots of rice and beans and veggies and spices.

Thank god booze is always vegetarian.

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Originally posted by Kdees:
I'm not a veggie, but I've traveled with some strict vegans before. In Southeast Asia it is easy to travel as a vegi, being a predominantly Buddhist region as well as a main destination of backpackers, a high percentage of whom are vegetarian. My vegan friends had no problems finding vegan food in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

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Hey Kdees -

Vegan food was no problem to find in Laos and Cambodia? I find that hard to believe - they are Buddhist, true, but Buddhists in Cambodia eat everything - including meat. My gilfriend and I have been in Cambodia for 2 years and find even simple vegetarian food hard to come by, thank god she's not a vegan or she'd starve to death.

If you really know of some places, please let me know.

Thanks.

I am a vegan and have to agree that France (at least Paris and Rouen) were horrible for me. I ended up eating a lot of bread and falafels. Germany was actually not that bad because the servers were so willing to provide alternatives (spätzle and potato pancakes...mmm). I think in the Czech Republic I ended up eating a lot of Italian oddly enough. In Italy the food is fantastic but I did eat a lot of carbs: bread, marinara pizza and marinara pasta. There are usually a lot of vegan appetizer choices.

I live in Central Florida and most restaurants don't have vegan options but I mostly cook at at home and the grocery stores have an impressive selection of Green/Organic/Veg, especially Publix.

Here is a list of websites that list global veg restaurants: www.vegeats.com/restaurants/

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Originally posted by crackerjillian:
Thank god booze is always vegetarian.

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No Sh*t!!! I'm with you on that one

See stiv that's the problem, this is why i get grief. It's a weird allergy type thing. I can eat plants and sea food. I can do most forms of dairy. just can't eat mammal, reptile, bird. Trust me it's not any type of moral compunction. Nobody I've talked to about it can tell me why I'm this way. Nor do I have any inclanation of persuing a reason why. Though I'll accept any insight on it.

E.

hey E, if its a weird allergy type thing ...thats just you (BTW what reptiles do you eat...?)

Ive just met so many people in my life on my travels who say theyre a veggie cos it sounds like theyre a cool hippie dude, but then they eat flesh & make excuses then still say theyre a veggie, when theyre not.

Just eat what makes you feel good mate...

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Originally posted by Court:
Czech Republic was a bit rough for being a veggie. I'm a little interested to see what it will be like when I go through Eastern Europe.

Court

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yes me too, I will be there this summer. I am not vegetarian since I eat some seafood and dairy but I'm not really into seafood from landlocked post-soviet industrialized nations either.

potato anyone?

Like another poster, I also gained weight in Belgium; beer, crepes, cheese and bread... and chocolate... and yes I would do it again ! lol...

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Originally posted by stiv:

Ive just met so many people in my life on my travels who say theyre a veggie cos it sounds like theyre a cool hippie dude, but then they eat flesh & make excuses then still say theyre a veggie, when theyre not.

Just eat what makes you feel good mate...

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there is one of you in every online post about vegetarianism, you know that right? If it makes me feel good to be MOSTLY veg, what is yer gripe?

I've been vegan for about 8 years, and traveled the world for 5, remaining vegan all the time and loving it. True, some places are easier, some are harder, but I haven't been to a place where there would be only meat (or animal products) - true I haven't been to Mongolia for example, but in all the places I've been to it was rarely a problem.

In Laos - loved the sticky rice and green papaya salad!

In Mexico - tortillas & Guacamole

In South America - rice and beans (yes, I love simple food)

In Taiwan - eating out in all the Buddhist restaurants (they're all vegetarian) - especially the delicious all-you-can-eat buffes

In China - rice and sitir fried goodies (green leaves, tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, been sprouts, whatever)

I could go on and on...

And most of all - all those colorful, juicy, aromatic fruit that I had no idea that existed before!

All of that a much more appealing than the alternative of local delights of fried chicken feet, some unidentified creature intestine soup, etc...

i've traveled in costa rica as a vegetarian and ecuador as a vegan. i've found that being in rural areas helps a HUGE amount. but there was definately a hazy concept of vegetarianism/veganism in ecuador... i went through what all i didn't eat and then what all *would* be on the plate many times, at least to end up with a big hunk of chicken in the middle of the rice, even after all that. in any event, i was able to find something everywhere i went.