Sustainable Eats Whilst Travelling
If you are an omnivore, travel diet food is a culinary delight! If you are a vegetarian you will get to experience the most incredible flavours but life may take a little adjusting... whilst veganism can be tough.
Here is a little guide for those who are wanting to maintain an ethical and environmentally conscious diet whilst traveling but without offending their local hosts or having an extremely awkward time!
Firstly, whether vegan, vegetarian or meat eating, always recommend eating locally grown & cooked food. Basically this is what the locals are eating.
If you eat at local restaurants not only are you eating what the locals eat and experiencing this authentically, but its also supporting local business.
Any seasoned traveller who lives as the locals do, will tell you that food is most of the journey.
So having a self imposed limited diet or special requirements whilst travelling can be a bit of a challenge and can lessen the experience.
So what can you do when you're eating for the environment when you're travelling?
My simple answer: Freeganism or Flexatarianism.
Choosing to reduce your meat and dairy consumption is an honourable pursuit.
By choosing locally produced vegetarian or vegan options on local restaurant menus is a great way to reduce your environmental impact.
And heres a big gripe that vegan travellers will learn very quickly. VEGAN is an often misinterpreted term in developing countries.
If you're vegan or vegetarian for the sake of the environment, and your veggie food order comes with dairy or meat, don't send it back! Eat the dish, do not let it get wasted (especially in areas where meat is a super super luxury!!) and go home and learn some local dialect so it doesn't happen again.
It is both incredibly offensive, when eating at local cafes, to send food back but it's so wasteful.
Same goes if you are offered local food by a host that contains meat or dairy. I would rather build a cultural respect and