In this diary entry I took my first trip as a vegan. I had only been vegan for 1 week at this stage, and the trip was like a crash-course in vegan dining. Bring away from home meant that I had to eat a lot of meals out which resulted in a few non-vegan mistakes, but it also helped me to learn a lot of valuable lessons.
Weekend in Boston (written July 19, 2010)
I went to Boston over the weekend and for the most part, eating vegan was actually very easy! Why? I was staying directly opposite a Whole Foods Market, and they have a big salad bar with all sorts of dishes, from salads and fruit to vegan curries. Every dish is labeled with the ingredients, and at the bottom of the label it lists any ingredients that people may need to avoid, such as fish, tree nuts, wheat, dairy, eggs, etc. Excellent!
I have been reading my ‘idiot book’ and it has been very interesting. I’ve learned a lot more than I had already learned online. There are still some things I’d love to learn about which I thought the book would cover- e.g., how to deal with bad reactions from your family, and how to deal with holidays and special occasions- but really, it’s very difficult to cover every aspect of being a vegan, especially when your reasons for doing it are primarily health-related instead of ethical. The book mostly covered the ethical side of things. It did emphasize the importance of being armed with facts to back up what you tell people, so I will make sure I memorize everything about why the vegan lifestyle is good for your body and how you can still get all of your protein and calcium, etc., from non-animal sources.
My only problem in Boston was when I was eating out (not at Whole Foods). This happened 3 times. Twice I chose sushi, but I was surprised to find honey on my rolls. I had sweet potato sushi which was actually deep-fried and coated in honey, and I also had tofu in another roll that had honey on it. These things were not on the menu, but I will know to either ask next time or simply order my favorite which just so happens to be cucumber and avocado. I also ate at a diner-style restaurant and the only thing I could order was a grilled vegetable pita pocket, which would have come with cheese had I not specified that I didn’t want cheese– even though cheese was not listed on the menu. I had a side of rice which looked plain white in the tray, but was actually flavored with something very salty, possibly meat broth. So, again, it is very difficult to know what does and does not have animal products! In general I have learned to go with what you know, and if you’re unsure, simply ask.
I did notice that there were many occasions where I was eating out and if I weren’t a vegan I would have ordered something very unhealthy, but ended up ordering something very healthy instead. My typical meal at that diner would have been a open turkey sandwich with mashed potato and gravy. Not terribly nutritious! But having grilled veggies was far more healthy. I never would have considered this dish had I not been forced to order it through lack of an alternative. Also, at Whole Foods, I would have definitely had bacon and eggs at the breakfast bar, but instead I had salad, cous-cous, fruits and vegetables. Yum!
I am organizing a small picnic tomorrow after work so I am trying to think of picnic meals that I can bring… It’s actually quite difficult! Usually I would bring cheese and crackers, maybe some sandwiches and dessert. I will look around the Whole Foods near my work tomorrow, but I will need to come up with a plan before I go in! Time to do some more research!
