[Hazaer]

Hey all, so you intend to travel europe for a while, mainly second tier cities. But you are vegetarian and are from the anglosphere. Which countries would have the best options
in terms of their cuisine for those practicing vegetarianism or veganism? Also, in terms of purchase from the supermarkets, which country would be the most convenient to shop in?

To start off, in Western Europe, the UK seems to be the best to be a vegetarian from what I am hearing. Ethnic Chinese and Indian stores and restaurants everywhere, italian restaurants with more than one vegetarian/vegan option most times. Supermarkets well stocked with rice, vegetables, nuts, ready to eat meals like vegetarian lasagne, salads, sandwiches with no meat, veg/gluten free pasta.
Norway and Finland seem to be good too with lots of restaurants catering to vegans and vegetarians. But not sure about products from the store.

France seems to be the worst unfortunately, with fish not being considered as meat sometimes and ham found even in vegetables. Restaurant dishes are not usually altered to fit dietary needs etc.

Do you guys have any ideas about this situation Central Europe, places like Poland, Czech, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia and others further east? I am aware their cuisines are more heavily meat based but which would be the better option and have better awareness for people with such dietary needs or preferences?

Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions in the poll.

[jcardial]

(08-09-2018 09:33 AM)Hazaer Wrote:  

Hey all, so you intend to travel europe for a while, mainly second tier cities. But you are vegetarian and are from the anglosphere. Which countries would have the best options
in terms of their cuisine for those practicing vegetarianism or veganism? Also, in terms of purchase from the supermarkets, which country would be the most convenient to shop in?

To start off, in Western Europe, the UK seems to be the best to be a vegetarian from what I am hearing. Ethnic Chinese and Indian stores and restaurants everywhere, italian restaurants with more than one vegetarian/vegan option most times. Supermarkets well stocked with rice, vegetables, nuts, ready to eat meals like vegetarian lasagne, salads, sandwiches with no meat, veg/gluten free pasta.
Norway and Finland seem to be good too with lots of restaurants catering to vegans and vegetarians. But not sure about products from the store.

France seems to be the worst unfortunately, with fish not being considered as meat sometimes and ham found even in vegetables. Restaurant dishes are not usually altered to fit dietary needs etc.

Do you guys have any ideas about this situation Central Europe, places like Poland, Czech, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia and others further east? I am aware their cuisines are more heavily meat based but which would be the better option and have better awareness for people with such dietary needs or preferences?

Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions in the poll.

Just go to Happycow.net. You can look up any city in the world and it lists healthy restaurants and grocery stores on a map (it shows the places that have just some or exclusively vegan/vegetarian options). Poland is decent and Croatia is a lot more limited.

Even in Paris you can find stuff if you go to specialty stores and research the right cafes and restaurants. Obviously going to some random traditional French restaurant is going to be a shot in the dark but even some of those have an option or two these days.

[Hazaer]

(08-09-2018 10:04 AM)jcardial Wrote:  

(08-09-2018 09:33 AM)Hazaer Wrote:  

Hey all, so you intend to travel europe for a while, mainly second tier cities. But you are vegetarian and are from the anglosphere. Which countries would have the best options
in terms of their cuisine for those practicing vegetarianism or veganism? Also, in terms of purchase from the supermarkets, which country would be the most convenient to shop in?

To start off, in Western Europe, the UK seems to be the best to be a vegetarian from what I am hearing. Ethnic Chinese and Indian stores and restaurants everywhere, italian restaurants with more than one vegetarian/vegan option most times. Supermarkets well stocked with rice, vegetables, nuts, ready to eat meals like vegetarian lasagne, salads, sandwiches with no meat, veg/gluten free pasta.
Norway and Finland seem to be good too with lots of restaurants catering to vegans and vegetarians. But not sure about products from the store.

France seems to be the worst unfortunately, with fish not being considered as meat sometimes and ham found even in vegetables. Restaurant dishes are not usually altered to fit dietary needs etc.

Do you guys have any ideas about this situation Central Europe, places like Poland, Czech, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia and others further east? I am aware their cuisines are more heavily meat based but which would be the better option and have better awareness for people with such dietary needs or preferences?

Thank you for sharing your experiences and opinions in the poll.

Just go to Happycow.net. You can look up any city in the world and it lists healthy restaurants and grocery stores on a map (it shows the places that have just some or exclusively vegan/vegetarian options). Poland is decent and Croatia is a lot more limited.

Even in Paris you can find stuff if you go to specialty stores and research the right cafes and restaurants. Obviously going to some random traditional French restaurant is going to be a shot in the dark but even some of those have an option or two these days.

Yeah, most major countries are going to have such restaurants but mostly in the capitals. Paris probably has more than a few but in places like toulouse or nantes, one would be hard pressed. I think its also dependent on the type of cuisine found in the native country. If its more meatbased, then the smaller cities are not going to have much for people with such requirements.

It looks like the Balkan countries might be the most meatbased of the lot. What about other places in the list like the Czech Republic or Austria, outside of Prague and Vienna?

[Sidney Crosby]

Probably best off going to the countries on that list with the highest gay populations.

[DaveR]

I don't know what it's like in other Slavonic languages, but if you tell someone that a man is a "vegetarian" in Russian, it sounds like you're describing one of those guys who smells, has those big wooden pucks in his earlobes and probably gets himself off by shoving carrots up his ass.

You're better off just saying "no meat".

[Hazaer]

(08-09-2018 10:25 PM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Probably best off going to the countries on that list with the highest gay populations.

Please contribute to the forum in a more meaningful manner.

[Cr33pin]

(08-10-2018 08:43 AM)Hazaer Wrote:  

(08-09-2018 10:25 PM)Sidney Crosby Wrote:  

Probably best off going to the countries on that list with the highest gay populations.

Please contribute to the forum in a more meaningful manner.

You can't come to a forum thats supposed to be for men... and expect not to get your balls busted on occasion. If you want to be vegan or vape or wear skinny jeans thats absolutely fine. However you have to be able to deal with some subtle jabs from other men.

If I asked some of my close male friends about the best vegan taco stand in town... I would absolutely expect to get a bit roasted, an I would absolutely be ok with it... its what men do.

[Hazaer]

Its worth remembering that there are other guys in the forum who are trying out specific dietary regimes for health reasons or just to feel better and improve themselves and its not an easy process. And there is always a chance they want to stick with it when travelling. One thing I learnt from the forum and in real life is being respectful of people's choices can never backfire even in interactions with girls which this forum also deals with. Coincidentally, those guys I meet who are curious and interested in others' choices regardless of guys or girls are often the most successful in their social life but that's for another thread.

Anyway,let's get back to food! Feel free to mention any dishes you have had in Europe that blows away those hearty meat dishes.

[roberto]

You might have a less hostile response if you stopped labelling it as dietary 'needs' or 'requirements' and simply said 'choices' throughout.

[Hazaer]

(08-11-2018 04:09 AM)roberto Wrote:  

You might have a less hostile response if you stopped labelling it as dietary 'needs' or 'requirements' and simply said 'choices' throughout.

Yeah, 'choices' would be a better word. There seems to be a 60 min limit on changing the thread title.

[marcusdivincenzo]

You can get veg food anywhere. The best veg food anywhere on or near the Mediterranean. Especially countries that are Orthodox christian and practice fasting (e.g. Greece, Bulgaria, Romania). Also agree with sentiment above that vegetarians are complete fags.

[roberto]

(08-11-2018 07:54 AM)marcusdivincenzo Wrote:  

You can get veg food anywhere. The best veg food anywhere on or near the Mediterranean. Especially countries that are Orthodox christian and practice fasting (e.g. Greece, Bulgaria, Romania). Also agree with sentiment above that vegetarians are complete fags.

Mediterreanean veggie food is indeed fantastic. I've also had some fantastic veggie options out of choice in many restaraunts in the UK, in particular Indians.

[Buddydowrongright2]

Veganism seems to be increasingly popular in Poland. I am not vegan or vegetarian because I love eating birds and their potential offspring. But I met a vegan chick here who told me all about how it is much easier to have a plant-based or mostly plant-based diet in Poland now than a few years ago. Also, she had great tits somehow, despite the lack of milk protein in her diet...

[Trent W.]

I've had a good experience trying out vegan restaurants in Madrid and Lisbon. Northern countries definitely have many options. I'd suspect EE and Balkan countries to be the most difficult ones to have options in but there should be a few at least.

[Sidney Crosby]

(08-11-2018 03:58 AM)Hazaer Wrote:  

Its worth remembering that there are other guys in the forum who are trying out specific dietary regimes for health reasons or just to feel better and improve themselves and its not an easy process. And there is always a chance they want to stick with it when travelling. One thing I learnt from the forum and in real life is being respectful of people's choices can never backfire even in interactions with girls which this forum also deals with. Coincidentally, those guys I meet who are curious and interested in others' choices regardless of guys or girls are often the most successful in their social life but that's for another thread.

Anyway,let's get back to food! Feel free to mention any dishes you have had in Europe that blows away those hearty meat dishes.

It was a joke

[cascadecombo]

[Suits]

I laugh at vegetarians who try to survive in China. Between their uselessness with the language, their lack of cultural awareness and hilarious dietary choices, there's not much you can do other than laugh.

[DaveR]

(08-12-2018 12:36 PM)cascadecombo Wrote:  

"Following a woman's advice got me laid"... said no man ever.

[Mikestar]

If you want to know then Poland has an obsession with vegan, vegeterianism and gluten free - what used to be a trend in the UK and US 5 years ago is still at large in Poland. In any big city it is fashionable to be one of the three and there are plenty of restaurants to accomodate. In Wroclaw there were more vegan joints than I ever saw in London for example.

[Hazaer]

(08-12-2018 04:01 PM)Mikestar Wrote:  

If you want to know then Poland has an obsession with vegan, vegeterianism and gluten free - what used to be a trend in the UK and US 5 years ago is still at large in Poland. In any big city it is fashionable to be one of the three and there are plenty of restaurants to accomodate. In Wroclaw there were more vegan joints than I ever saw in London for example.

Yeah Poland, based on a number of responses above seems to be more into alternative diets. But the rest of the central european countries do not seem to have followed suit. Another reason for that maybe is quite a few indian students go to Poland for uni so their brand of vegetarianism might be picking up. Did you see more asian style vegetarian food or was it more of a Mediterranean fare?

As mentioned, meditearanean cuisine would probably be the most interesting for a more non-meat diet. Italy and Spain (but probably nor France) seem to be good because I think their main dishes tend not be meat itself, so they can do some substitution.

I am surprised that Austria has been polled. Would have thought it would have a lot of german influence in its cuisine.

[MongolianAbroad]

I've heard Ukraine has lots of open plains for you to graze on.

[Longshanks]

Krakow and Wroclaw both have vegan restaurants indeed.

[Handsome Creepy Eel]

I think you need to be a bit more specific regarding your own diet. Veganism is massively more restrictive than vegetarianism, and piling gluten-free and similar requirements on top of that makes it even worse. So what are your dietary preferences exactly, do you eat eggs, cheese, honey, etc.? What about rice and potatoes?

If you're merely vegetarian, you'll get by fine in Croatia as there is always a nice selection of vegetables (including excellent indigenous ones like Raštika and Blitva (Swiss Chard) at both supermarkets and open-air bazaars, as well as great cheeses; we also have plenty of health food stores both at malls and at random locations, and finally there are plenty of nice bakeries with many vegetarian-friendly snacks. Vegetarian restaurants are rare, but they exist and normal restaurants usually have a few vegetarian menu choices.

Gluten-free veganism sounds like a major pain in the ass though, so I can't advise on that.

p.s. unless you're in Zagreb which has Indian restaurants, foreign cuisine is nonexistent. You'll find a Chinese place here and there, but that's it.

[Hazaer]

(08-14-2018 11:09 PM)Spaniard88 Wrote:  

I've heard Ukraine has lots of open plains for you to graze on.

with lots more sheep for you to hangout with.

[Hazaer]

(08-15-2018 11:00 AM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  

I think you need to be a bit more specific regarding your own diet. Veganism is massively more restrictive than vegetarianism, and piling gluten-free and similar requirements on top of that makes it even worse. So what are your dietary preferences exactly, do you eat eggs, cheese, honey, etc.? What about rice and potatoes?

If you're merely vegetarian, you'll get by fine in Croatia as there is always a nice selection of vegetables (including excellent indigenous ones like Raštika and Blitva (Swiss Chard) at both supermarkets and open-air bazaars, as well as great cheeses; we also have plenty of health food stores both at malls and at random locations, and finally there are plenty of nice bakeries with many vegetarian-friendly snacks. Vegetarian restaurants are rare, but they exist and normal restaurants usually have a few vegetarian menu choices.

Gluten-free veganism sounds like a major pain in the ass though, so I can't advise on that.

p.s. unless you're in Zagreb which has Indian restaurants, foreign cuisine is nonexistent. You'll find a Chinese place here and there, but that's it.

Yeah veganism would be tougher anywhere outside of the West. Let's start with vegetarianism. I would assume rice and potatoes or pasta would form the base of most meals without meat. Does croatian cuisine in its nature have vegetarian main dishes for lunch or dinner or can be easily modified into a non-meat version in a typical diner?

Obviously just having vegetables or bread/pastry beyond breakfast would not consitute a proper/balanced meal. As an example, in italy, you can go to a restaurant and order a vegetarian lasagne or pasta bake with the meat substituted by mushrooms, olives etc. So, that is still a main meal. How is it in Croatia? Is there an awareness of this outside of Zagreb?