A Vegetarian's Dining Guide by; Dakota Smith
A list of some of the world's easiest destinations in which to be a
vegetarian, as well as some of the worst, along with a lot of the in-between
locations. As a vegetarian there's nothing I appreciate more than a destination
which accommodates my wish to not consume my fellow species, and I do speak from first-hand experience in writing
this article.
Note; When compiling
this list it's assumed that a vegetarian is defined as a person who does not eat
meat, fish, or eggs.
Locations where it's; Easy - Moderate -
Difficult; to be a vegetarian!
Easy
The following destinations are some of the world's easiest places to be a
vegetarian. Locations where not only do restaurants have entire sections on their
menus devoted to the cause, but where there's even are entire restaurants!
Belgium
In Belgium it's quite easy to be a vegetarian, especially in the larger
cities such as Brussels, or Brugge. Belgium is, after all, the land of a
thousand different waffles. You name it and they have a waffle of it, that & they eat a lot of pancakes as well as crepes,
etc. Brussels also has that
whole sprout thing going on. So, not a bad place to eat if you don't like the
taste of blood
Cape Town,
South Africa
International in all aspects, Cape Town defies Africa & dares to be
different. It can safely be assumed that Africa's largest vegetarian population
resides within this multi-cultured city.
Denmark
In all of the Northern Europe, outside the countries with large fishing industries, Denmark is a
great place to be a vegetarian, especially Copenhagen.
France
The French are the "children of the revolution", inventors of the bohemian
lifestyle, lovers of all things that scream culture, if anyplace could wrap
itself around the idea of vegetarianism it's France. Not as if their diet ever
had too much meat in it,,, bread, cheese, crackers, & croissants aren't exactly
carnivorous.
Hong Kong
When many people think of China the thoughts that come to mind aren't
exactly the animal friendly kind. However, Hong Kong is not China. Irrespective of
the mainland's takeover of the former British Colony, Hong Kong remains & always
will be first & foremost a first-world city-state. One which is incredibly
friendly to vegetarians. Besides the multitude of vegetarian-only restaurants,
most normal restaurants will strive to adapt to your needs.
Italy
Italy is quite an easy place to be a vegetarian with all of their pastas &
vegetarian lasagnas. In fact Italian food actually made in Italy has a lot less meat in it
than Italian food prepared in other countries, especially America that feels the
need to put some cow or pig into most everything.
Los Angeles,
California
Los Angeles is and has always been quite different in style and culture than
the other states of the United States and makes my list as setting the trend for
vegan dining. L.A. must have been where not killing and devouring meat for meals was
invented, as being a vegan is more popular here than any place I've ever been in
the world. In every
neighbourhood you'll find vegan restaurants as well as vegetarian restaurants.
Every place, every restaurant is quick to explain exactly what on their menu
is vegetarian and defining the items that are vegan or not.
Luxembourg
Just like Holland & Belgium, in the vegetarian respects, it seems the below
sea level countries stick together in their love for veggies.
Mexico
This may surprise some of you that this south of the border country is in
this category, but hey'
this is Mexico...land of the cheese quesadilla, & the bean burrito! If there's
anything I love about Mexico it's the food,,, Viva La Mexico! Save a life and
eat some beans!!!
Montreal,
Quebec
Montreal is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world, all types of
dining is as easy as it comes here. Vegetarian, vegan, anything you want is here.
This city is also an amazing place to live or visit.
Netherlands
Holland, particularly Amsterdam, is a vegetarians dream, with almost every
restaurant having several vegetarian items on their menus. The food while tasty,
isn't cheap, however the wine is quite reasonable, so that offsets some of the cost of your meal.
New York City,
New York
When I say New York I mean Manhattan & of course Manhattan has vegetarian
food galore, well, actually they have every kind of food galore. The city may be
known as a financially conservative center, but it's a culinary
paradise, as well.
Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
Eating vegetarian is easy as finding a beauty woman in Rio, as the city has something to suit
everyone's taste. The best type of restaurants in the city are the buffets where
one pays by the kilo, these places usually offer huge salad and fruit sections, as well as
a lot of vegetable based dishes, & an endless desert section.
San Francisco,
California
Again, like most of California, this city is separate from the United States,
well, this is by far one of the most forward thinking and liberal cities in the
USA, and so definitely makes my list. A true liberal Mecca on the left coast of a conservative nation
vegetarian dining rules supreme here. There are tonnes of vegetarian restaurants
here and most restaurants have a lot of meat-free items on their menu.
Seattle,
Washington
Maybe one of the most trendy cities on earth, the people of Seattle are naturally
enjoying a more considerate alternative lifestyle and in this regard their restaurants accommodate vegetarians quite well.
This beautiful west coast city boasts a very large number of
vegetarians which fits into their easy going demeanor and their love of their
planet.
Singapore
Singapore is first-world in every sense of the world. One of the only
locations in the world outside of North America where the delicious taste of an
ice cold "Root Beer" is widely
available and in that matter it's only fitting that it's also a great place to be a vegetarian. What
root beer has to do with being a vegetarian 'I'm not quite sure, but who doesn't love root
beer? Oh, and don't throw your trash on the streets, or your gum, and especially
don't spit...they have laws about being disgusting.
Sweden
This is Sweden, it's easy to do everything here, boasting one of Europe's
highest vegetarianism rate, that and absolutely stunning women makes Sweden just awesome.
As it's in the cold north...you won't have to worry about packing your
sunscreen, but Sweden is a must see destination. It's just a pretty country...the
scenery is pretty, the girls are pretty, the
cars are pretty, even the food is pretty.
Toronto,
Ontario
The second largest city in North America, Toronto has everything including over 5,000
restaurants, which assure you of being able to dine to your culinary delight.
And unlike Montreal...they speak English.
Vancouver,
British Columbia
Much like its Seattle counterpart, Vancouver is liberal, trendy, & it's
a great place for
vegetarians. After all it is classified as the "Hollywood of The North"
and that says it all.
Moderate Places
for Vegan Diners
This is a compilation of some of the more moderate destinations. Place where
vegetarian dining may not be in the foremost...but it's still it's not too
difficult to be a vegetarian.
Argentina
Argentina is heavy into steaks, which apparently are fabulous, however they
contain a little thing called beef, which does mean it comes from a once proud
and living creature. With this in mind...beside having a salad and a baked
potato it's not the easiest city to be a vegetarian, but don't give up...there
are some cafes where you can pick a variety of non-meat entries. However,
whatever you choose to eat, things are cheap here and there's always a cheese
and mushroom pizza. A great thing about this stunning and stylish city is the people,
which are so awesome and accommodating and with that in mind I'm sure you'll be
able to work something out with the chef, or waitress.
Brazil
Like most of S. America, Brazil's not the easiest place in the world to be a vegetarian,
as outside of Rio de Janeiro
this country is all about the beef. Cattle ranching is after all one of their
largest economic sectors. Ranching was established in the 18th century by
wandering Texans looking for cheap pasture. So much for the rain forest. I mean,
after all, 2 of America's favorite slogans are "slash and burn and shock and
awe."
Bulgaria
Bulgaria avoids the difficult category, unlike many of its Eastern European
counterparts, if only because everything is so cheap. That is until they are
engulfed in the European Union. But, for now you could
easily have most every restaurant make you special dishes and if not...there are always lots
of salads on their menus.
Canada
While in its larger cities, such as the aforementioned Montreal, Toronto, &
Vancouver, eating vegetarian is easy, but in Canada's more remote and less
traveled areas it's not easy being a vegetarian, especially in places like Alberta, or Manitoba.
Let's face it, Canada is a lot like the United States in the fact
that it's main inland regions are rural with a conservative society. Only the
coastal cities are eco-conservative and liberal. However unlike the
United States, Canada is quite fortunate in that they are more politically dominated by their
large coastal regions in that they don't have that little thing we call the Electoral College.
Hurrah for Canada
Czech
Republic
Most food items in the Czech Republic do revolve around meat, but it's still
possible to find vegetarian food in some of the restaurants, more so in Prague.
If you shop at the markets here you'll find everything you've ever wanted and
more, but nothing's cheap or even sanely priced...so be aware! Some street
vendor tried to charge me 4 Euros for a small bottle of water!!!
Estonia
Estonia is just like the other Baltic States, not an easy place to be a
vegetarian, but not an extremely difficult place either. It's firmly in the
middle. One thing I can say for sure...it's a wild party city with gorgeous
ladies. Yes, I know that is not prevalent, but just had to get it out!
Germany
Not exactly the most inspiring of destinations for the culinary inclined.
Germany is a moderate place to be a vegetarian, but then again it's a moderate
place to eat anything at all unless you're into eating cabbage and sausages. But
the beer is good!
Iceland
Maybe the world's fish capital. Iceland is very seafood orientated, I mean
they even hunt whales for goodness sake. Most every item at rural restaurants in
this nation revolve around fish. However the people here are very friendly, &
most all chefs will whip you up something special. And that's what keeps Iceland
from falling into the difficult category. It is to it's merit, one of the most
stunning countries with the most awesome people. They are also extremely eco
friendly and burn no fossil fuels, as everything is heated and powered by
geothermal.
Ireland
In Dublin eating vegetarian is easier than in a lot of other places in
Ireland, however it's never as easy as it should be. Veggie burgers can sometimes be found,
and thankfully, there are a lot of Subway restaurants, which have provided my
selective nourishment around the world. But, hey at least the Irish do love
their beer and it is, after all, made from veggies.
Lithuania
It's not impossible to eat vegetarian here, it's just somewhat difficult. Most
restaurants have nothing on their menus for vegetarians except on their
desert menus. Sadly, even most of their salads have some sort of meat in them.
Be consistent in your search and you can find a few restaurants with a some vegetarian items.
Malta
Malta is not the best place to be a vegetarian and even though pizza makes up the
majority of the citizenry's diet it is about as tasty as eating cardboard and as
about as chewy. So, bring your own food when in Malta or shop at the local
stores for veggies and have a cookout on one of their awesome deserted beaches
or mountain conclaves, but keep an eye out for hunters, as they do shoot
everything that moves or flies. Damn barbarians!
Monaco
Monte Carlo is a modestly alright place to be a vegetarian, but is more
famous for the rich and famous, where you will definitely spend a ton of cash
for a whole lot of nothing...other than some bragging rights, which means little
more than you are either very wealthy and foolish or just foolish!!.
Montenegro
While nowhere near as difficult as its Serbian neighbor, it's still not easy to be
a veggie lover here. Southern Montenegro is less accommodating,
where as the north is more. Religious & cultural differences dictate the
extreme variances in their diet, so I must say that anywhere in this
country...it's not easy being an animal lover.
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has a lot of fish products, as would seem fitting as it is an island,
which in all does make it quite problematic to be completely vegetarian here, but not
impossible, as there are Pizza Huts everywhere! Three cheers for that bit of American
fast food culture.
Thailand
In Thailand, while I love the country and it's people, I would have to say
with clarity that there dietary choices boil down to "Hello would you like some fried rice with seafood? What about some fried
rice with chicken or pig? Can I drown that in peanut oil for you?" Okay so maybe that's
not what a waiter in Thailand actually says, but they may as well, as in this
region of the world it's better for us vegetarians to just order some boiled
rice with veggies and then inspect it closely for small pieces of meat. For us,
I would suggest sticking to the foreign owned cafes...where they do speak
English and other languages.
Turkey
Let us talk about the sophisticated palette of Turkey... beef kebab, chicken
kebab, mystery meat kebab. However this country does have the best bread in THE
WORLD, & their tomatoes are the world's premium...they must have been the
tomatoes used in the filming of the movie..."killer tomatoes" because they are
awesome!.
United
Kingdom
The U.K. is much like Ireland, with it being easier to be a vegetarian in
the larger cities, & in England & Scotland in general, while it's harder in
rural areas & places such as Wales, & Northern Ireland. I found myself eating
mainly veggie burgers and raw veggies while in the kingdom, & unless your
related to Bugs Bunny...that gets old quick..
United States
You may have noticed some American cities on the easy list in the above section
are mostly on the coasts and
rightly so, but however the country itself is not the easiest place to be a
vegetarian. If you find yourself in a small town, or a city, say like St Louis or
somewhere in never-never land, you'll often find that the only vegetarian food you can find is
at the
trusty Taco Bell, where you can substitute all meat for beans. But then again, eating Taco
Bell over, & over, & over, well it gets old and even adding a Veggie Lovers pizza
from Pizza Hut into the mix every once in a while just isn't enough to satisfy.
So, my suggestion for all you animal lovers...stay out of the redneck regions,
especially if you detest those morons driving pickups packed with guns and the
belief that their God gave them the right to kill anything and everything in the
name of sport.
Difficult
The difficult places to be a vegetarian is those places where you literally have to
spend your vacation time looking for something to eat. Places where you actually
starve and wish you'd stayed at home. Yeah, we all know such places. For those of you who
truly desire to explore these, most often, unique and stunning places...I
encourage you to do so and just stick to eating at places that will at least try
and whip up something acceptable.
Albania
I think Albania would be a given under the difficult category, seeing as
it's kind of hard to do about anything in Albania. Ringing especially true
for vegetarians in their quest for nourishment, with most all food items in the country revolving
around creatures that moo, baaa or oink.
Australia
What can I say...they eat kangaroos in Australia! Am I the only one who sees a kangaroo &
thinks, I want to hug that? I mean apparently other people see it & think I want
to eat it. That's a concept that I, personally, will never understand. But yes,
in
Australia strange meats, they call exotic, are found on every menu, such as
Frog, Emu, Kangaroo and crocodile, etc. and I am quite surprised they don't eat koala bears.
Beautiful country, amazing beaches and a thousands things to see and
do....but!!!
Bosnia & Herzegovina
As in most poor countries, eating vegetarian in Bosnia is a difficult task.
Also difficult to obtain un-carbonated bottled water. I just simply don't understand
why it's so difficult to get regular water> Who in the hell drinks club soda just casually?
Maybe I'm missing something, but to me it makes no sense! Personally, I don't
like feeling bloated and walking around all day passing gas...oh, well...to each
their own!!!
Croatia
It's strange, I spent a good deal of time in Croatia, & I can't actually
remember eating that much food. It's definitely quite hard to find a vegetarian
meal in a restaurant, but you should be able to cope though if you eat store bought
food and lots of sugary snacks, so don't panic if you're planning a Croatian holiday. Besides
it is an amazingly beautiful country, and as in most places, there's always a
veggie pizza.
Hungary
Most items on any Hungarian menu, including one of their national dishes, involves goose liver...well'
enough said!!
Greece
An unacceptable phrase in Greece would be..."hello I'd like to have
something that umm isn't a gyro" Sadly, everything editable in Greece revolves around gyros &
unlike Turkey's obsession with the kebab, Greece doesn't even have good bread &
tomatoes to make it the least bit edible.
Latvia
The most expensive of the Baltic States, Latvia however isn't as hard to be
a vegetarian as it is in the other two Baltic states. But then again, it's not exactly the
easiest thing in the world to be either. The food in the country is generally
meat orientated with a few exceptions.
Macedonia
The truth hurts, as
there's not a single Balkan country that is vegetarian friendly, &
Macedonia is definitely not an exception. In fact it may be one of the least
accommodating Balkan nations for people not wishing to consume a once living
animal.
Malaysia
Malaysia is Malaysia, well lets just say that they go out of their way to not be accommodating to
other lifestyles, much less the vegetarian lifestyle, but at least you don't have
to worry about accidentally ingesting pork, I think it's banned, either that or
I'm confusing pork with Sex & most every other enjoyable commodities and
activities that might be witnessed on watching Sex & The City.
Mongolia
Well, as anyone who has ever seen a Discovery Channel TV show about Mongolia
can testify, everything here is about one particular animal that looks like a sheep.
Yes, meat is in everything, besides they're in the Gobi Desert, where I assume it's not
exactly easy to grow anything editable anyway.
New Zealand
Lamb, veal, & venison is the primary choices on most every menu. Oh my,
it's like Australia, as this country is obsessed with
meat, and fish. But hey, at least they don't eat kangaroos, although if they had
kangaroos they'd probably eat them. They have more sheep than people and even
raise deer on large blots of land...and well, let's just say they don't raise
them for pets! But, all in all it is one the world's most phenomenally beautiful
countries and left me breathless at every turn in the road...definitely a great
place to film the "Lost World, Jurassic Park and The lord of the Rings"...enough
said...check it out.
Norway
Another one of those countries where they kill whales & are obsessed with
killing and/or harvesting pretty much everything in the sea. However unlike Iceland, the people in Norway aren't exactly the
friendliest bunch of people, & I can't really envision a chef going too far out
of his way to accommodate your non-fish diet. But regardless, take a train ride
and ferry to the Northern most region of the unforgettable Lofoten Islands...a
more beautiful region of earth would be most difficult to find. The land of a
million water falls, jagged peaks, glaciers, and so much more. The Northern
Lights and killer whale watching are also mind boggling experiences, but I would
suggest packing in your own food if you don't eat fish!
Paraguay
I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that there's not a single vegetarian in
Paraguay. And yes I am aware that saying I'm not sure and then following it with
the words I'm pretty sure,,, makes absolutely no sense, but I will say for sure
that if they're are a few vegetarians...it's very few. I am aware that they're
somewhat lovers of animals, especially Llamas...they love riding them, wearing
their wool, but unfortunately...they also love eating them as well!
Romania
It's actually hard to find any place to eat in Romania period. Restaurants are hard to come
by and even in Bucharest, their capital, you have to look quite hard to find a decent place to
eat, let alone a vegetarian place. You may very well find yourself eating biscuits at
one of the many KFC's, & yes that does sound pathetic, but after 4 hours of
walking and starving searching for food through the center of the city...I
actually thought the biscuits were pretty damn good.
Russia
Not exactly one of those places where saving the animals has caught on.
Russia's never exactly been known as a culinary country and is definitely a very hard
place to be a vegetarian. While not impossible it is definitely difficult, but
hey' when in Russian...do as the Russians... drown your hunger with a bottle of
vodka!
Serbia
Eating vegetarian in Serbia is a joke. I mean it's hard to explain to
these people that it's not right to kill their neighbours in a homicidal
genocide, let alone trying to explain that whole "I don't eat things that were
previously alive concept."
South Africa
Everything in South Africa has meat in it, & not just normal meat like beef
or chicken, here it's all about Ostrich or Gazelle meat and pretty much anything
that walks, crawls or flies. It's a very
strange country in culinary regards. Also on the downside South Africa has a
unique situation of having a very wealthy ruling class, eliminating the dietary
needs of a few million people, including me, as no one, but the wealthy can
afford to eat out. The few restaurants that aren't priced in the stratosphere
are so poorly stocked & maintained that it brings to mind
about dying in the gutter of gastronomical convulsions. The gorgeous city of the
south, Cape Town, however, is the exception, but is still expensive.
Swaziland
Swaziland is...well it's Swaziland, a small country in Southern Africa almost
completely encompassed by South Africa. The nation is extremely poor, &
preserving the lives of animals is probably not too high on their to do list, so
it definitely makes this a difficult place to be a vegetarian. Thankfully the
country is really small, so you want starve driving through it, but don't expect
too much pretty much anywhere in the region, as pork is their main diet...well'
that and consuming large qualities of chicken at KFC.
Ukraine
Okay so this country could very well in fact be the worst place in the world
to be a vegetarian and for anyone not speaking the local language. I literally didn't find a single restaurant that had
vegetarian meals the whole time I was in the country. And when you ask people
about places with vegetarian food, they simply reply, "uhhh' and then point
to one of the hundred or so McDonalds...mmmm!
Vatican City
There's actually nothing to eat in this self proclaimed martyrdom of the
Church, but a few holy, but overly salted crackers, so that sucks...
*Article written in whole by; Dakota Smith.
These articles are written with a sense of humor,
so retain your compulsions in emailing me your hate mail, especially if you eat
your fellow creatures.
