Traveling While Vegetarian

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animal rights, animals, Around the World, dragon fruit, dragonfruit, food, foodies, photography, street market, street markets, Travel, Travel Blog, traveling around the world, traveling while vegetarian, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarian food, vegetarian-friendly, vegetarian-friendly restaurants, vegetarianism, world travel

So, I’ve got this idea for a new section on this travel blog for the foodies and the vegetarians out there (and for me when I’m lazy and only want to type up a short blog post).

Traveling often poses many challenges for many reasons for my husband and me. But, because we’re both vegetarians, one of the main challenges that we face is food.

(Just for the record, we’re vegetarians for health reasons. Animal rights and environmental benefits are great secondary effects, but neither of us are blood-throwing lunatics.)

Not everywhere in the world is vegetarian-friendly. But, here are some tips to make traveling while vegetarian a lot easier.

TIP #1: Where You Travel

There are certain countries, and even specific cities within countries that are much easier for vegetarians.

Growing up in Los Angeles and now living for the past five years in San Diego, I can say that for anyone interested in coming the U.S., the entire coastal, Southern California region is very, very easy for vegetarians. Nearly everywhere has at least one vegetarian dish, and most places have some sort of selection.

I’ve noticed in the past couple of years that nearly all, major American cities have followed suit. So, traveling in the U.S. is much easier now as a vegetarian.

Outside of the States, certain parts of the world are much easier than others. Vietnam, Thailand, and India in particular were fantastic countries to travel in as a vegetarian, as vegetarian food is quite the norm out there.

By contrast, the most difficult countries to travel in as vegetarians were South Africa and Turkey. Lots of meat-lovers in those countries! But, even in carnivorous countries, there are still plenty of ways to find a good, vegetarian meal.

TIP #2: Pre-plan

Sure, it takes some of the fun and spontaneity out of just walking into a restaurant and trying something on a whim.

But, honestly, are you really that curious to find out exact what balut tastes like?

(If you do, more power to you. Just be aware squat toilets are the norm around Asia for when you vomit your guts out.)

I HIGHLY recommend the website HappyCow.net if you are a vegetarian or a vegan who is traveling. This is the most extensive site of its kind (at least that I’ve found) in its listings of vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurants around the world.

A little pre-planning of where you can eat saves a lot of food trauma. (But, that’s another blog post for another day.)

TIP #3: Don’t be afraid to grocery shop & cook

Personally, I hate cooking.

Actually, it’s not so much that I hate cooking. I hate being a perfectionist, because when I cook it usually leads to a complete meltdown, broken kitchen appliances, and an exasperated husband trying to talk me out of a locked bathroom.

But, if you’re not an overly-sensitive, hot mess like I am, you may want to try grocery shopping & cooking for yourself. Most hostels have open cooking areas where you can prepare meals. And, it can be a great way to meet people and make friends.

Plus, I’ve found grocery areas to be highly colorful, and often some of the most interesting areas in different cities. And, it’s one of the best chances you can get for real interaction with the locals.

TIP #4:  When in doubt, ask the front desk.

Even if they don’t know of a specific restaurant in that area, they’ll know who to ask.

That being said, with vegetarianism and veganism being on the rise, particularly among the hippie travelers’ set, most hosts know of at least a couple of local options.

TIP #5: Just go!

One of the saddest things I ever heard came from my first set of bosses, a husband and wife team. Both of them were vegan, and we got on the subject of traveling to a trade show in Vegas. They said, “Oh, you’ll probably have to do that alone. We never get to travel because we don’t know what we’re going to eat.”

That still to this day breaks my heart! Don’t let dietary restrictions keep you from traveling! Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or diabetic, or on a gluten-free diet, you CAN make it work.

Yes, it may take a little more effort and planning. But, if you’re going to travel around the world, you’d better love planning anyway. You’re going to be doing a lot of it.

Just go! If all else fails, I’ve never found a place where you can’t buy rice… or Ramen noodles, for that matter. (Believe me, I WISH I could find a place to escape from the horrors of Ramen.)

In the meantime, back to the beginning of this post, I’m going to start a series called, “Break Me Off a Piece of THAT”. It’ll be about the different, yummy things we tried while we traveled around.

There’s plenty of good veggie eatin’ out there for the takin’! You just have to be prepared to make the effort to find it.

Cheers,
E

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The Ubiquitous Water Buffalo

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animals, Around the World, asian water buffalo, cambodia, cattle, domestic asian water buffalo, domestic water buffalo, exotic animals, farm life, India, nature, outdoors, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Travel, Travel Blog, travelling around the world, vacation, Vietnam, water buffalo, water buffaloes, world travel

I became obsessed with water buffalo on our trip around the world.

Mind you, I’ve got more than a slight case of “OCD” to begin with. I only eat candies (or anything that comes in multiples) in sets of even numbers; I have to hit the crosswalk button four times; if I scratch something on one side of my body, I have to scratch the exact same spot on the other side of my body. (You know, the typical crazies displayed by nervous wrecks.)

But, my obsession with water buffalo really came out of nowhere. It was as if the minute I stepped off the plane in Hanoi, I had water buffalo on the brain.

My first foray into water buffalo mania took place on our way out to Halong Bay. Yes, the limestone mountains and the bay were all very impressive. But, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the lumbering beasts of burden, like little chocolate flecks in the lime green shimmer of the rice paddies.

The following day, we went to the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre back in Hanoi. While there were many amusing and even dramatic vignettes during the performance, the water buffalo puppets, and their much chagrined owners, definitely stole the show.

Little by little, as we traveled through Southeast Asia and India, I started to put the pieces together as to why I had fallen in love with the ubiquitous water buffalo.

EXOTIC COUSINS

Coming from the U.S., particularly from two extended families that live in or very close to large agricultural communities, I’ve always been very familiar with cattle.

When kids grow up in America, one of the first animals they learn of is “cow”. Not only is it because it’s an easy word without any funky, English spelling tricks, but it’s because it’s so prevalent in our society.

Beef, leather, cowboys, and just plain fevers with the only prescription being more cowbell, cattle are as American as Mom’s hot dog apple pie recipe. (Hey, Mom tried her best, folks.)

The water buffalo then seems so exotic, yet so recognizable at the same time. It’s like the cow, but not a cow. Watching them invoked both feelings of familiarity and foreignness. It made me feel far away from home, and yet comforted me in that it really wasn’t so different from what we’d see driving up the 5 North through the San Joaquin Valley.

But, unlike in the States where agriculture is far outside the norms of city life, there is no escaping the presence of water buffaloes in this part of the world.

THEY’RE EVERYWHERE!!!

No, seriously, they’re EVERYWHERE.

They’re in the fields. They’re in the houses. They’re in the streets. They’re in the temples. They’re in the rivers, the garbage heaps, the schools, and the restaurants.

Occasionally, they’re right beside you on your current form of transportation. (No sudden movements, people!)

Water buffaloes are as common to everyday life in Southeast Asia and India as dogs, cats, and parakeets are in America. It’s amazing how something so huge can just be hanging around with the rest of the family. But, water buffaloes do, and they’ve been doing so for the last 5,000 years of their domestication.

After spending several weeks around water buffaloes, I must say I wouldn’t mind having a few of them close to me… well, other than that pesky “stepping in buffalo poo on the way to the kitchen” problem.

PERSONALITY PLUS

I don’t know why water buffalo are so much cheekier than their American and African cousins, but man they are! Maybe hanging out with humans for thousands of years has caused them to adopt some of our mannerisms – or visa versa.

I know what some of you are thinking: “Oh, poor, simple-minded Elizabeth. She’s falling into the old trap of anthropomorphism.”

I assure you I am NOT! These water buffaloes are full-on sassy britches, and they don’t give a fudge who knows it! *sashays with a flick of its tail out of the room*

Take, for example, this photo I took of a water buffalo at the Ganges River in Varanasi. Anyone who has ever traveled to Varanasi recognizes this look. Why? Because it’s the exact look that every person has on their face traveling through Varanasi: a combination of, “Ewwwwww…” and, “Hmmm… I sense something suspicious going on here.”

Honey badger don’t care, and water buffalo don’t fall for your shady Varanasi scams. Oh, and stop dumping your dead goats in the river. Water buffalo is not amused.

Yes, the water buffalo is not afraid to show its displeasure, its disdain, or its bum. But, this personality plus is a big part of its charm. You never have to guess what a water buffalo is feeling.

ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME

Now, I’m back home, in a house bereft of water buffaloes. They don’t greet me on my drives around town any more. I don’t see them swimming around the local San Diego River, or scaring away the dogs at the beach with a low bellow and a charge.

All I have are my memories of their deep lowing, their spirited ways, and the days when I’d walk among the ubiquitous water buffaloes like I would any other human neighbor.

But, I did manage to buy these groovy coasters in Vietnam to bring a little of the spirit of the water buffalo home with me. (Thanks in advance for not judging my jacked up coffee table. Traveling doesn’t leave a lot of time – or budget – for outstanding home design.)

Cheers,
E