Veggie in South America

FX Meister

Heading to South America for a month in July. Just wondering what other veg heads did while they were there and what the standard of food is like for us? Is there any supplements or foods I should bring along?

embraer170

What countries?

I found Mexico to be real hard (I'm a real picky vegetarian but sometimes in Mexico there were questions I really couldn't start asking), Argentina and Brazil to be pretty hard.

Nature Boy

I'm suprised that Mexico isn't veggie friendly, a lot of their food is easily made veggie...

FX Meister

I'm going to Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. I don't really like eggs that much but think I might start trying to enjoy them a bit more before I go.

Nature Boy

Some veggie restaurants in S. America:

http://www.vegdining.com/GetRestList.cfm?rgk=SA&CFID=7804&CFTOKEN=40258659

pickarooney

-Have you got any vegetable soup?
-Sure, this one here
-But there's meat in it
-That's not meat, it's chicken

was pretty typical of the understanding of vegetarianism in Bolivia. Not that I'm a veggie, just got bored of picking sheep jaws, complete with teeth, out of my bowl and gnawing gristle for two hours between meals.
Most meals are pure carbohydrates in Bolivia and Peru - it's not uncommon to get a plate of spuds, pasta and rice with a lump of bread to accompany the fat and bone.
The fruit's the business though, you could just live on that.
Argentina's sound - lots of quality grub, mostly Italian, good veggie fare if you go to the trouble of finding it, but it's the last place I'd want to go if I'd givn up meat... mmmmmmmmm, steak

rockbeer

Don't want to worry you - but a vegan friend of mine went trekking in the Andes a few years back and at one point the only food they could get hold of was a live goat.

Flexibility is probably a virtue in that part of the world

Mentalmiss

Shortcut to: http://www.happycow.net/south_america/index.html

embraer170

The problem with Argentina is that they seem to throw a beef derivative into everything, even quite a lot the bread. :rolleyes:

I do recall some good Italian food though. Very cheap at the time too though the currency might have changed that?

flikflak

I seemed to get on fine in Argentina - pizza, pasta and empanadas mmmm

Didnt really have too much of a problem but I did stick to BA so might be a different story in the sticks.

Also went to Uruguay for the day and found that to be no problem either. We ate in a converted windmill that was an arts centre and there were a few things that were veggie on the menu.

FX Meister

pickarooney wrote:

-Have you got any vegetable soup?
-Sure, this one here
-But there's meat in it
-That's not meat, it's chicken

That's what I'm afraid of. It's hard enough here in Ireland to tell people that vegetarians do not eat fish.

Cheers for the feedback dudes. I'll print out a list from that happy cow place.

dereko1969

i was in peru and if you're in lima or cuzco and you go to the touristy places you're grand, apart from that it was tough and even when you did get something without meat in it it wasn't the tastiest. good luck.