Vegetarians Abroad

Whispered

I was just wondering which were the best and worst countries you have been to when it comes to vegetarianism, food choices and cultural norms.

I found the south of france very very difficult. Everything had some form of meat in it if it wasn't a side dish. If I asked about veggie options I was pointed to the seafood menu. I guess it's a cultural thing, or maybe I was just unlucky (in fairness we only ate out a couple of times, it was a budget hol!)

I found italy to be fantastic. Maybe because I know a bit more about italian food than french so I was more comfortable with the menus without translations.

I would imagine Greece and India would be good for veggie choices without a big deal being made of it?

I much prefer to relax over a nice meal and a few glasses of wine than I do over a load of drink, so food would be a big factor of where we go on holiday later in the year (thinking mauritius). Have you been anywhere that's a veggie haven?

DonnieScribbles

I found the south of Spain very good for food, there's some really nice places to eat in Granada and Malaga. There is also a proliferation of falafel

Also... Glasgow! Really great if you're vegan.

Crumble Froo

i found it so much easier to find tofu and falafal in new zealand than i did in ireland. just about everywhere here has some decent veggie options, though vegan is proving a little tougher when eating out. (granted, by eating out, i mean lunch in a café).

sushisushi

The south of Germany is pretty rough in that respect, unless you stick to Asian restaurants. Don't even try and eat in a beer hall if you're vegetarian - one place I went to had about 40 things on the menu, 37 of which were pork-related. The other three were two cheeseboards and mushroom soup. In my innocence, I ordered the mushroom soup, thinking it should be alright, but didn't reckon with the fist-size ball of lard that came sitting in the middle of it... :eek:

zeris

I found Valencia a bit fun. Eat a lot of omelet. Hungarian and German food is all a bit meat orientated.

I think the problem is that you don't know where to go.

Marques de Salade in Budapest has a nice selection of veggie food while keeping the meat eating friends happy.

planetX

I nearly starved as a vegetarian in Norway! Even the bread had fish in it. And fresh veggies were so expensive. I ate a lot of chips...

seamus

I found southern Spain to be crap. Most places don't understand that vegetarian doesn't mean that you eat fish, and they don't include any vegetarian options on the menu, meaning that you have to negotiate with a waiter in broken english/broken spanish and hope that whatever comes out is vegetarian.

As a result, we tend to go to chinese restaurants in Spain

The States are usually good, largely because you can talk to the waiters and they're willing to please. But they can still be very light on vegetarian options on the menu.

Italy was great, though you end up eating a lot of mushroom risotto and some form of pasta with tomato sauce!

I've been in Brussels a few times and they're pretty good, again because most places have good english. They're big into their seafood though, so I don't know how well a veggie would fare outside of the capital.

anothernight

Spain is a bit hit and miss. There's a lot of vegetarian restaurants in Madrid, and most decent restaurants in the capital do have a vegetarian option, but if you go to the very traditional places you won't be that lucky. Jamón and chorizo, fried fish, the usual. Don't expect them to know that vegetarians don't eat fish. I think that idea is simply too ingrained in their society.

I found Turkey to be brilliant as their cuisine is very heavily based on plant food anyway. I was there years ago before I was vegetarian and in 2 weeks I didn't actually have any meat at all. A lot of the Turkish people I met down the countryside would have mostly vegetarian meals, sometimes with the odd bit of meat thrown in.

planetX

In a restaurant in Spain I asked for a ham and mushroom omelette to be made without the ham - they refused!
In another I ordered a veggie pizza (from the menu). It came out with peas, green beans and carrot on top LOL

haven27

planetX wrote: »

I nearly starved as a vegetarian in Norway! Even the bread had fish in it. And fresh veggies were so expensive. I ate a lot of chips...

Not all the bread has fish in it, that said the Norwegians do love their fisk also the cheese is to be avoided as all local hard cheese will have rennet in it. I've managed through hunting to find Irish cheese and another brand I can eat. As for fresh veggies being expensive, they sure are but on balance so is everything else here.

That said eating out in Norway is an effort, in the big cities such as Oslo there will be options, any where else and you'll be stuck with very little choice and people who just don't get why you're vegetarian in the first place

planetX

haven27 wrote: »

Not all the bread has fish in it, that said the Norwegians do love their fisk also the cheese is to be avoided as all local hard cheese will have rennet in it. I've managed through hunting to find Irish cheese and another brand I can eat. As for fresh veggies being expensive, they sure are but on balance so is everything else here.

That said eating out in Norway is an effort, in the big cities such as Oslo there will be options, any where else and you'll be stuck with very little choice and people who just don't get why you're vegetarian in the first place

Yeah, I was in a smaller city. People I worked with were amazed I was alive, one of them actually said to me 'but you look healthy'
I used to buy veggies in a foreign food store, but they got raided by the police and closed for...... smuggled meat.

haven27

planetX wrote: »

Yeah, I was in a smaller city. People I worked with were amazed I was alive, one of them actually said to me 'but you look healthy'
I used to buy veggies in a foreign food store, but they got raided by the police and closed for...... smuggled meat.

Sounds about right, no meat and no fish is nearly unheard of here. We're very lucky where we are since there's a few asian stores near here along with a big supermarket. That said what Norway needs to do next is put a V symbol on vegetarian products to make things easier for everyone, I now get excited when I see them since is mainly on imported stuff that and for the snow to melt would make me happy.

taram

Agree with sushisushi, with the exception of the south the rest of Germany has never been a problem for me, even tiny towns, and of course big cities like Berlin and Frankfurt there's plenty of veggie resturants, snack stands and options.

Obvious, but I love the UK. Even Little Chef do quorn based breakfasts

Whispered

I was in a little B&B in the middle of nowhere in Kerry a few years ago. On the first morning I asked for a brekkie with no meat and I got a lovely plate of the usual beans, tomato, fried egg, toast etc.

On the second morning I was presented with a plate of all of the above and Quorn sausages! It was heaven! I was so touched that the cook/owner went out of her way to get them, especially since I was perfectly happy with what was on offer before hand.

MyManicandI

I'm living in Brussels at the moment and it's much harder to eat out as a vegetarian here than it is in Ireland. I think there are one or two veggie restaurants but seeing as all my friends here quite like their meat I wouldn't drag them along to one. Most restaurants I've been in have only had one or two veggie options (usually one). I've been in two that haven't had a veggie option at all, and I had to just get a side order. And most of the time, if you say you're a vegetarian, they think you eat fish.

On the plus side, Delhaize sell a nice selection of quorn and other veggie products (more than carrefour) so at least I've been getting my protein.

Tar.Aldarion

Best was probably England for me, but I travel quite rarely.

Most enjoyable restaurant I have been to was in Paris, and there was just something great about getting a nice green wine bottle of water with your aubergine steak thing.

Also they had fake seitan steak stuff in health food shops, me miss it

Thoushaltnot

helena.ryan wrote: »

I was in a little B&B in the middle of nowhere in Kerry a few years ago. On the first morning I asked for a brekkie with no meat and I got a lovely plate of the usual beans, tomato, fried egg, toast etc.

On the second morning I was presented with a plate of all of the above and Quorn sausages! It was heaven! I was so touched that the cook/owner went out of her way to get them, especially since I was perfectly happy with what was on offer before hand.

I don't suppose you still have the details of that place? Might be a good backup for the victims veg*ns going to Kerry in Smegmars Trip to Killarney. Or at least a nice recommendation/bit of publicity for anyone going that direction.

Whispered

I don't, I'm sorry! It was one of those "oh we have a few days off lets go to kerry" snap decisions.

Out came the goldenpages and off we went. I couldn't even remember the exact location. We spent a few nights camping, 2 nights in that B&B and then 2 nights in another B&B. I'm sorry I really should have taken note.

dermothickey

The worse for me would have to be northern Spain. Small (true story) On my 3rd day of the camino de santiago from France to santiago de compostela in Spain I went in to a restaurant with a group of nice fellow walkers, pissing rain didnt feel like cooking for myself. Carbonara was on the menu. I asked could he cook me up a meal with no carne(meat) Sure no problem he says. Everyones meal comes out in a massive dish everyone tucks in, everyone asking me about being a veggie...o.k normal as far as things go. Waiter comes over everything alright? Everyone nods. I smile and say I'm waiting. he nods smiles and says. 2 minutes we are cooking you up something very special. 20 mins later comes along picks up the dish(still with lots of food in it)smiles and says. it will be with you in 2 mins. Comes back with the leftovers of the pasta with the meat taken out of it.I mean you could see it was butchered and every bit of meat painstakingly scooped out. I had to laugh, and got 3 ice creams for the dessert. Every night in a different town looked at the menus..no joy. So just ate bread and tomatoes and cheese every day for a month. One day found an avacado and was over the moon

anothernight

I was thinking of doing the Camino de Santiago after my Leaving Cert (if I don't go inter-railing instead). Hmmm, I guess I'll have to plan what I'm going to eat as well.... :rolleyes:

dermothickey

If doing the camino I'd suggest september or so when there isnt thousands fighting for the spare beds. There are berries and nuts too that you pick wild along the route. Chestnuts i think..either way they are lovely and a vital source of protein straight from mother nature

jam_mac_jam

India is by far the best place for a vege, I remember seeing on menus that the non veg would be a small section at the bottom kinda like the exact opposite. Loads of veg only restuarants, I hardly ever ate meat there and never missed it. I am not a vege by the way, used to be but not any more. The other thing it completely changed my boyfriends ideas, complete meat person before and learned to love lentils.

mateo

Yes I remember Northern Spain being quite a nightmare!

I am currently in Taiwan for a year and it's really great for vegetarian food, thanks to the Buddhist influence. Countless vegetarian restaurants and buffets and most 'normal' restaurants also have pretty good vegetarian options. Then there are Buddhist temples where you can get food too. Also lots of creative and interesting things you can get in the supermarkets (vegetarian intestines for instance!) A lot of the food is vegan too. Even in the local convenience stores you can find vegetarian and vegan meals in the freezer and they heat them there and then in a microwave for you. Oh the convenience, how I'll miss it! Also there are so many different cuisines available here, so there is a great choice available. If you have to ask for something vegetarian in a restaurant the chef/waiter will usually be very aware and even ask if you eat onion or garlic. I definitely recommend Taiwan to any vegetarians who are traveling or planning to travel in Asia.

A bad place for vegetarians, however, is Hong Kong. Was there for about 6 days and didn't eat much apart from McCafe sandwiches and bread. Absolutely everything, even simple green veg, had meat or fish in it. Quite annoying. I expected I'd find great veggie food all over Asia after my experiences in Taiwan but I discovered that wasn't the case. I should've researched some vegetarian restaurants I suppose.

sweet-rasmus

Fantastic insight into life in Taiwan there mateo. I guess the onion/garlic thing was to check you weren't a hare krishna. Thanks for sharing

fillefatale

I found it difficult in Paris, any veggie restaurants that I found were closed because of odd opening hours. Nantes was the same, I could only eat plain omlettes really and some lettuce leaves! My friend was a coeliac-vegetarian that they couldn't comprehend at all, but she carried a scrap of paper detailing what she could and couldn't eat in french, which i found to be a great idea.

Berlin was good, loads of Turkish food stalls that sold falafel, pizza places, vegetarian lasagnes, indian & asian restaurants. In the malls though, you tend to have to settle for noodles which gets boring after a while.

UK is great!

Italy was amazing, there is a lot of fish and seafood, but their pizzas and pastas are unlike the poor imitations you get here. I had no problems. Mediterranean food quickly became my favourite afterward.

I have two friends living in different parts of America atm, one in Philadelphia, the other Minnesota. The cost of fresh veg is very expensive apparently whilst fast food is very cheap, but not very veggie friendly.

duffarama

dermothickey wrote: »

If doing the camino I'd suggest september or so when there isnt thousands fighting for the spare beds. There are berries and nuts too that you pick wild along the route. Chestnuts i think..either way they are lovely and a vital source of protein straight from mother nature

Oh bugger.

I'm doing the Camino starting on Sunday and am planning to bring a big tub of peanut butter and buying bread as I go along. No hope of a decent meal in the villages I assume

dermothickey

duffarama wrote: »

Oh bugger.

I'm doing the Camino starting on Sunday and am planning to bring a big tub of peanut butter and buying bread as I go along. No hope of a decent meal in the villages I assume

I wouldn't put too much hope in it..though when you come across a large town stock up for at least 2 days...In most villages you will find rolls...theyre handmade usually and quite nice too!! Bring 2 pants 2 pairs of socks 2 pairs of jocks and 2 jumpers 2 t-shirts and a big bar of soap ..so you can wash your clothes every night before you sleep leave them out to dry and wear your fresh pair the next day, also so you can shave and wash yourself...trust me everyone does it!!A sleeping bag and a raincoat and youre laughing!!!Travel light so you wont damage your back but really its not too strenous!! Are you doing Jacobs way? anyway get used to people saying BUEN CAMINO!!!

Censorsh!t

Just came back from Bansko in Bulgaria. Luckily it's a touristy enough area, so a few restaurants werent strictly traditional, but still, in some places there would only be one or two things vegetarian on the menu...most being salads.

Kevin JM

Hi helena.ryan, I am from Mauritius. If you are planning to go there I would totally encourage you. A lot of Mauritians are Vegetarians and we have a lot of vegetarian options in both hotels and local restaurants as well as the small traditional street vendors. I know the street vendors one sounds a bit weird and scary but since they are regulated by the government and regularly inspected, the majority of them are always making sure that the food they are selling are clean and safe for consumption and also prepared properly. They are probably the friendliest people you will meet.

Most of the people speak english and french fluently and will understand what you are saying. I would encourage the north of the island as most of the main activities are concentrated over there. It can cost a ridiculous sum of money if you go through a travel agency and stays in the 5 star hotels. I would rather recommend that you get in contact with a bungalow owner directly and do your own bookings. I can recommend a few if you are interested.

Living there as a vegan was not hard for me and what I like the most about my island is that you get a lot of respect as a vegetarian or vegan.

Let me know in case you need any advice before going there.

duffarama

dermothickey wrote: »

I wouldn't put too much hope in it..though when you come across a large town stock up for at least 2 days...In most villages you will find rolls...theyre handmade usually and quite nice too!! Bring 2 pants 2 pairs of socks 2 pairs of jocks and 2 jumpers 2 t-shirts and a big bar of soap ..so you can wash your clothes every night before you sleep leave them out to dry and wear your fresh pair the next day, also so you can shave and wash yourself...trust me everyone does it!!A sleeping bag and a raincoat and youre laughing!!!Travel light so you wont damage your back but really its not too strenous!! Are you doing Jacobs way? anyway get used to people saying BUEN CAMINO!!!

Hiya,

I'm starting at St Jean Port de Pied (I'm unsure of the name) and then taking the Camino Frances. I'm only going to hike for 10 days though. I will get to Santiago de Compostela so may carry a bit more than the basic kit you describe. I'm also taking a camera and a book.

Good to hear I'll be able to get fresh bread most mornings

dermothickey

I started there too!!! make sure you get your passport there and stamped along the way in every refugio, It's a long hike for the first day, but if you feel like resting there is a refugio near the summit about 2- 1.1/2 hr walk from the top. Its probably the most expensive you will come across. But from there its as cheap as chips!! have a great time...

duffarama

How long is long?
How expensive is expensive?!

Also, I don't have a map yet, will I be able to pick something up in Bayonne or should I get something in Dublin or Paris beforehand?

Thanks for the tips so far