From palatinate.org.uk
By Cara Burdon
I ’ve been vegan for over 5 years now. Although at first, I did encounter some problems finding vegan-friendly options at restaurants in the UK and when travelling abroad, now, I am pretty well versed in being vegan almost anywhere. I have learned to navigate ordering off the menu, restaurant researching and generally becoming adaptable. I would like to dispel the myth that being vegan is restrictive and difficult, especially when it comes to travelling and eating out abroad.
When friends and family members give me a concerned look and ask ‘Is there anything here for you Cara?’ when choosing a restaurant, whereas I used to scour the menu and quite often find something vegetarian but nothing vegan and subsequently panic, after years of experience, I now know that pretty much anywhere is vegan friendly, even if it doesn’t specify this directly. In other words, every menu is adaptable to a plant-based diet in some way. Although its nice to eat at a vegan or vegetarian restaurant or restaurants where options are abundant, eating somewhere which doesn’t offer vegan options is not a crisis, as many people do believe.
I can guarantee that almost anywhere you go, whether in England or in Europe, or to be honest, anywhere in the world, there will be bread or some sort of plant-based carb, such as pasta or rice available, whether on the menu or not. If worse comes to worst, this is your best bet. The common thread: most carbs are adaptable. In most European countries, you’ll find pages of pizza or pasta dishes on the menu. I usually go for a roasted veg pizza and ask for it without the cheese (if no dairy-free option is available). As for pasta, most menus offer a tomato or arabiatta sauce, both of which are vegan. If not, I have a 100% success rate in asking a restaurant if they can do a pasta with garlic and olive oil for me, which although simple, is always effective. As I’ve found, especially in Italy or in the French alps, the basic ingredients (pizza dough, olive oil, tomato sauce) are usually such good quality, having basic dishes such as a marinara pizza or tomato pasta are still leaps and bounds better than anything you’d find at home.
After banging about all these basic worst-case-scenario, off the menu meals, I’ve made it seem as though eating out as a vegan in 2023 is still a sad affair, but this couldn’t be more wrong. Now, the awareness of the rise in plant-based eating means that restaurants are becoming more and more accommodating. I would say that especially in Europe, it is more uncommon to not find any vegan or vegetarian options at a restaurant than there be none at all. Veganism has become so huge that it is now in a restaurant’s best interest really to add at least one vegan option to their repertoire. Apps such as ‘Happy cow’ as well as a plethora of others allow you to check whether a restaurant has plant based meals available in order to avoid the delicious yet slightly awkward adapted-carb option. Moreover, there are now so many amazing totally vegan restaurants and chains all over the world, even in places you’d never expect, for example, the vegan Shawarma restaurant I stumbled across in downtown Amman! The bottom line: never rule out a restaurant or a place because it looks as though it won’t cater for vegans. It’s 2023, you’d be surprised.
In terms of top-destinations for vegans, I would definitely say that anywhere in the Middle East is great. Generally, I’ve found that although its rarer to be Vegan or Vegetarian in this geographical region compared to in Europe, Middle-eastern or Arab food is unintentionally very well suited to a plant based diet. So many mezze dishes are accidentally vegan or veggie. Hummus and falafel are almost guaranteed to be at any restaurant and you’ll often find a zaatar manakish, a vegetable tagine, stuffed-vine leaves, so many more dips such as muhammara, baba ganoush and my personal favourite, moutabal, on the menu. And the best thing: the bread almost anywhere in middle-eastern countries is to die for. At restaurants, its almost always freshly baked and, get this, free of charge.
I found during my time spent in Jordan and Egypt that just the whole concept of ‘mezze’ itself is a vegan saviour. Sharing lots of little dishes, (well I say ‘little’ but actually the portion sizes are huge in the Middle East), is a great way to cater for everyone’s dietary requirements, especially when there are so many plant-based mezze dishes available.
Although inevitably as a vegan you will encounter some problems whilst travelling and still not everywhere has plant-based options, it is usually possible to adapt something on the menu or just be adaptable. With the development of veganism globally and the rise of plant-based cooking, travelling shouldn’t be something that deters you to go vegan or eat more plant-based this Veganuary.
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