Being a vegetarian abroad can be challenging. You’ll not only face practical concerns, like how to find good vegetarian meal options in some places, but also daunting cultural challenges. People may not understand why you don’t eat meat, or be insulted that you won’t sample local delicacies, or find your special dietary needs difficult to accommodate. So how can you stay true to your values without disrespecting local culture or alienating yourself?
Here are five solutions to five common problems that vegetarians encounter abroad:
1. Communicate early
The problem: You’ve just landed in Spain after an exhausting 10-hour flight, and you’re absolutely starving. Your new host mother promptly sits you down at the kitchen table and sets a mountain of steaming hamburguesas in front of you. “Um, no thanks,” you stammer. “I’m a vegetarian. No como carne.”
The solution: You can prevent awkward situations like this with clear, early communication. If you’re planning a home stay, be sure to communicate your dietary restrictions to your program provider very clearly, and when you meet your host family, go out of your way to thank them for accommodating your needs. If friends invite you to their home for dinner, let them know you’re a vegetarian before you accept their offer.
There are no comments.