Understand Diets and Vegetarianism/Veganism When Traveling

Today was a very interesting day for me. I spoke with my friend who is studying with me in London. She is just so amazing and a sweet person to know. We were speaking about our travels over our Spring. I went to Barcelona (pictures and information soon) and she went off to Madrid and Valencia Spain. She was explaining to me how hard it was to be veg.

I'm blogging about this because I just feel it can be hard to travel with people who are not veg because they usually feel that they have to have the local cuisine to gain the full experience. This is not true for all non-vegans and vegetarians. But we need to understand that veganism and vegetarianism is not just a choice all diets are a choice.

When you eat animal products and feel that it's not a choice you might want to sit back and examine your life choices. Why do people choose to be veg ? People choose to be veg because of health, environmental, and other positive reasons. Instead of feeling like it's hard to be veg you should test it out yourself. Your health is more important then a steak from Argentina and lard based beans from Mexico.

Travel is suppose to be fun and it drives me insane when people think the food is the thing that we should focus on. When I travel yes I think about food and at the same time I overall value the experience of being in a new place and continue to think what else I can do to learn more about the place I'm in at the moment. I don't need to eat meat to prove that I have gained a "real" life cultural experience.

I have to say that when I was in Barcelona I was the one picking the places we would eat and my dear non veg friend Rebecca enjoy it. She liked the vegetarian food that we got experience together. She was very respective to my diet as was I.

We need to stop thinking of veg people as problematic when it comes to eating. You should value the reason behind the choice in diet and I hope that can be respect.

Reasons to go Vegan

Many people always wonder why does a person need or choose to go vegan. People go vegan because they no longer want to have animals suffering for meat, milk, and other animal products that are not necessary for human survival. Many people are seeing the health benefits of a vegan diet. Some people just want change and it all starts with ourselves. Like I always tell people how can we love someone when we don't know how to love ourselves.

Environment:

People need to know that meat is not "green".
http://www.goveg.com/environment.asp ( This is a great link to show you how resources are used to produce meat and the negative affects).

I hope that people will think hard when it comes to having steak or a veggie burger.

Here's a great piece on going green from food to clothing.

Green Scene: Going green from clothes to meat - http://www.insidebayarea.com/green/ci_11463165

Favorite Vegan Spots to Eat

Well I love answer this question because there are so many good places to eat. But here's my list of places I love to go in New York:

Atlas Café & Bakery
73 2nd Avenue
New York NY 10003

- This place is amazing because they have the largest selection of Vegan Treats located in Bethlehem, PA. They also have a great selection of vegan sandwiches and it's just amazing. I advise people who are on a budget and fine there self near Atlas go in a get a panini and a slice of cake for $12 or a cupcake and that will cut the piece a little.

Curly's Vegetarian Lunch
328 East 14th Street
New York NY 10003

- Curly's has the most amazing veggie burger with curly fries vegan everything of course and the cheese actually melts. They have everything that a new vegan would want to have after transition to veganism. They cost would not keep you from getting back on the train because you have no more money. A good meal from Curly's will cost you under $10.00 and they are really nice people.

Madras Café
79 2nd Avenue
New York NY 10003

- This place may look empty but the food is no joke. Everything here at Madras is vegetarian and they are so nice when you want something vegan. I have been here plenty of times and they treat me like family and the service is great. If you are in the area and really don't want to eat something from Atlas come to Madras which are right next to each other and they will show you how amazing Indian food can really be to the soul.

Red Bamboo Brooklyn
271 Adelphi Street
Brooklyn NY 11205

- This place is amazing. I remember my first time walking in and I was so freaked out that they had fake meat and when I got the "beef" taco trio it was just amazing. They know how to make the palate happy and put a smile on your face with their all vegan desserts.... (yummy). This is the hotspot for young black veg folk and believe me will will be so many people of color you will put a even bigger smile on your face.

Vegetarian Palate
258 Flatbush Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11217

- I love this place.... I can't believe I didn't try this place earlier. When I went here I was so happy they know how to cook the food and keep you coming back for more. The steamed veggie dumplings are so yummy I can taste them right now. This is a place you will see tons of black folk grubbing on some veg food. I love support this veg restaurant because they make the best dumplings that I have ever had in my life.... No lie.

---- I use black folk because I like it better than any other and I hope no one is offended. If there are any issues place let me know and I will not use the word if anyone has issues with it.

Enjoy exploring the veg listing.....