5 of the best travel destinations for lovers of vegan food

So many of us long for the joy of travel - the excitement of experiencing a new culture, trying new food, meeting new people, and relaxing far, far away from the daily grind. It's wonderful to have the privilege to enjoy cuisine from half-way around the world, taking in the refreshing atmosphere and enjoying the new sights, smells and flavours.

Unfortunately, not all parts of the world will cater for vegans. For some, the vegan movement is completely unheard of, and meals will generally be filled with a wide variety of animal products. That's why it's important for vegans to do a little research before travelling to avoid any problems when dining abroad.

This list is in no particular order.

1. The USA

At first, this may seem like a ridiculous suggestion - why would the fast-food capital of the world be a great place to vegans to visit? Well, the reason is kind of related. The USA has such a huge variety of places to eat that you're bound to find many vegan cafes and restaurants. It also depends where you go. States such as New York, California and Washington are great places to go for vegan eating - although, as far as I know, all of the other states have options too. Of all the states, if I had to pick one, it seems that California is the place to be. With 103 vegan/vegetarian restaurant and cafe options listed on HappyCow in a small section of Los Angeles alone, you'd be kicking yourself if you didn't visit! New York city has 163 listings, Washington D.C. has 93 - even Austin, Texas (a state known for its love of steakhouses) has 66 listings! With all of this taken into consideration, its clear that the USA is heaven for lovers of vegan food.

2. India

With a population made up of approximately 40% vegetarians and vegans, India is an obvious choice for lovers of vegan food. Because of the large population of vegetarians in India, many restaurants offer exclusively vegetarian meals, and the majority of vegetarian food is clearly labelled.

"With a population made up of approximately 40% vegetarians and vegans, India is an obvious choice for lovers of vegan food."

When eating vegetarian meals in India, you should watch out for ghee, which is a popular ingredient in Indian cooking. It it a type of 'clarified' butter, and it is not vegan. Egg is not commonly used in Indian dishes, but keep your eye out for it anyway. Common vegan Indian dishes include dal, vegetable korma, alu gobhi and mushroom masala.

Many Indian dishes are traditionally vegetarian

3. Israel

Israel has one of the largest vegan populations in the world, and the prevalence of the movement is growing rapidly. The Israeli army even offers vegan meal options for soldiers. Israel is also home to the Vegan Fest, where over 15,000 guests gather annually to celebrate the vegan lifestyle. Domino's Pizza in Israel offers dairy-free, vegan cheese. There are over 400 certified 'vegan-friendly' food establishments. This country-wide vegan trend has come only recently, with the percentage of Israeli vegetarians and vegans jumping from 2.5% in 2010 to over 8% in 2015. When surveyed, a further 13% of Israelis said they were considering vegetarianism or veganism. Most vegan action in Israel is centralised in Tel Aviv, so definitely consider making the beautiful, ancient city your next travel destination.

4. The UK

Long before 'vegan' and 'vegetarian' food labelling was mainstream in Australia, I saw it used in the UK. On my first visit to England as a vegetarian (in 2004, when I was 10), I had no trouble finding food to eat because everything in the local supermarket was clearly labelled with a green 'V'. This kind of thing is widely seen in Australia now, but England is definitely a forerunner.

"The Vegan Society, the oldest registered vegan organisation in the world, is based in the UK."

Under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, food manufacturers in the UK are not permitted to falsely label their products as 'vegetarian' or 'vegan'. The Vegan Society, the oldest registered vegan organisation in the world, is based in the UK. The society's founder, Donald Watson, is credited with coining the term 'vegan.' The Vegan Society offers their own vegan certification for food products through an easily recognisable sunflower symbol. So, if you're not a fan of reading twenty-ingredient-long lists when doing your weekly grocery shopping, why not try the UK on for size?

5. Italy

According to Wikipedia, Italy boasts the largest percentage of vegetarians and vegans in the European Union, at 10% (or over six million vegetarians). Italian food is a staple in the diets of many vegetarians - personally, I don't think I've gone a week in my life without eating at least one pasta dish. I live for pasta. HappyCow.net lists over 137 results for vegan and vegetarian health food stores, restaurants and cafes in Rome alone. And options, of course, stem far beyond Italian cuisine - with Western and Indian dishes being popular alternatives. Italians are known around the world for their skills in making hearty and flavoursome food, so definitely don't pass it up if given the chance to visit.

I'm hungry just looking at it!

As you probably know, this list isn't exhaustive - there are many, many other countries around the world that offer a wide variety of vegan foods to eat. I just don't have the time to list them all here! I have heard, for example, great things about vegan Thai food - which doesn't surprise me, as Thai cuisine is one of my favourites to eat at home. So, if you're lucky enough to have a chance to travel outside of your home country, consider giving the above places a try, as well as anywhere else you'd love to go. Just make sure you do some research first - it'll make things so much easier. And don't forget to explore your own country's options if travelling abroad isn't in the cards for you.

Enjoy!

 

Disney Movies Promote Veganism

If you lived out your childhood during any period beyond 1923, it's almost undeniable that Disney films have influenced your life in one way or another. Whether it was Dumbo who won over your young heart in the 1940s or Mufasa who taught you about the circle of life in the 1990s, we've all felt Disney's magical charm in some way.

Over the years, Disney movies have consistently touched on the concept of animal rights. They have almost invariably shunned humankind, highlighting our species as the destructive, selfish virus it collectively is. On the other hand, however, Disney has sanctioned the few human beings with love and compassion in their hearts - the few who truly care about animals.

"Disney movies have consistently touched on the concept of animal rights. They have almost invariably shunned humankind, highlighting our species as the destructive, selfish virus it collectively is."

Veganism is the basic expression of support for animal rights. Through veganism, we encourage the idea that non-human animals are sentient beings who experience love, fear, pain, and an expansive range of other complex emotions. They are not mere commodities for humans to use at their disposal. Many would argue that Disney 'anthropomorphises' animals in their films - but I disagree. I see the term 'anthropomorphise' as a fabricated extension of speciesist logic. To me, this term implies that any animal showing signs of emotion or personality must be somewhat human, as if emotion and personality are human-only characteristics. As animal lovers know, this is not the case. Animals express their emotions in different ways to humans, yes - but that does not mean the feelings aren't there at all.

In this post, I will discuss the various important moral lessons I learned through Disney films - lessons that many people, unfortunately, have forgotten with age. Disney taught me to love all life regardless of our differences. I think, as adults, we should all look back to Disney films and remember how we felt as children. Children know intrinsically that animal are friends, not food. That's why so many children love to watch movies and television programmes about animals. I mean, would a little kid want to eat Peppa Pig? Shawn the Sheep? Peter Rabbit? No, of course not! Would they want to hunt Bugs Bunny? Ellie the Elephant? Fantastic Mr. Fox? Again, of course not. Disney knows this. Disney understands children, and accordingly, they understand animals - at least, more than most do. Let's begin.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians
Moral: The fur trade is Cruella and fur-wearers are De Vils

Perhaps one of the most obvious animal-rights-promoting Disney films, One Hundred and One Dalmatians tells the story of an evil woman (Cruella De Vil, by name and by nature) who wants to make a fur coat out of puppies. This is a prime example of Disney's expression of human beings as cruel and selfish, and conversely, of animals as intelligent, compassionate and loving. This film teaches us that wearing fur is all kinds of wrong, and that anyone who does so is indeed a 'Cruel Devil'. The film elaborates strongly on the concept of hell, which is fair in the sense that a fur farm is indeed a living hell for animals. This may all seem rather morbid, but it's the unfortunate truth. As all Disney films tend to do, the horror comes to an end before the film's finale and the pups are fortunately reunited with their families. If only this was the case for the millions of animals who fall victim to the fur trade.


Bambi

Moral: Hunters are horrid, deforestation is dreadful

This is another fairly obvious one, and the film that has consistently held the greatest moral influence over me ever since my first viewing. I will never forget the impact this film had on me as a child. At six years old, I was a weeping wreck after watching it. This wasn't long after I became vegetarian, and as such, the film tugged strongly at my heartstrings. I was going through the process of realising exactly how humans treat animals, and it was awful. Back to the movie. In Bambi, we enter the beautiful, idyllic world of a nurturing young doe, her newborn son, and a strong-willed father stag. They live surrounded by various flora and fauna, all existing in glorious harmony, where enchanting music forever lingers in the dewy air. Suddenly, horribly, interrupting this beautiful, tranquil wonderland, comes man. Specifically, The Man in the Forest. Without a hint of remorse or compassion, The Man in the Forest murders Bambi's mother with his gun, leaving young Bambi frightened and despondent. Later on in the film, when tranquility has only just returned to the forest - The Man in the Forest returns. This time, he brings his greatest weapon - fire. This is a representation of a heinous act so common in our modern world - deforestation. Once again, what does all of this tell us? Animals are calm, gentle creatures, and humans are cold, callous and bent on destruction. Horrifyingly, this is all too accurate.

Disney movies can help children learn about the importance of protecting nature and animals

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The Fox and the Hound

Moral: All life is equal and sacred

Again, this 1981 story touches on the concept of hunting. Lying deeper, however, is the exploration of more complex, under-represented themes like interspecies friendship and speciesism. As in Bambi and One Hundred and One Dalmatians, the humans in this film are depicted as cruel, selfish and emotionally detached. Right from the get-go, we witness the callous shooting of a mother fox. As a direct result of evil human interjection, a mother is dead and a child is orphaned. Later in the film, we see a hunter attempting to raise a new hunting dog, Copper. Copper, however, doesn't want to hunt. He wants to play - with Tod, the orphaned fox. This, of course, angers the hunter, who cares only about himself. The idea of the hunter adopting Copper relates to the concept of speciesism - he sees foxes as pests, dogs as workers, and himself as a superior entity. He has assigned different roles to each animal based solely on their species - this is blatant speciesism. The idea of Tod and Copper becoming friends demonstrates that animals can form friendships (despite their differences... if only more humans could do the same) and experience love, fear, happiness and despair. As vegans, we are very much aware of this.

Dumbo

Moral: Animals don't belong in the circus

This film is slightly different to the previous three, but it still explores some core concepts - humans are cruel and selfish, animals experience emotion, and animals deserve respect. Through this film, children see the circus for what it truly is. They are finally allowed to see past the bright lights, flashy costumes and the exciting atmosphere. Behind all of this magical glory are dim, dark, dreary cages... cells... prisons. The elephants are confined against their will and exploited time and time again by humans. We see the spectators at the circus cruelly taunt and mock Dumbo, and as Dumbo's mother attempts to defend him, she is detained and placed in solitary confinement on the grounds of being a 'mad elephant.' Despite the all-too-true horrors this film highlights, the overall concept of Dumbo trying to become a 'circus star' isn't appealing to me. I suppose you can't expect much more from a 1941 film, though. Regardless, we still witness the mocking of Dumbo and his mother's unfair, terrifying confinement - which was enough to turn me off the circus for good as a child.

The Lion King 

Moral: The natural world is our most precious and beautiful gift

Although many non-vegans may see The Lion King as an anti-veganism film (you know, the old 'lions eat meat' argument), I heartily disagree. I think this film highlights the importance of equality for all life, and that the natural world is much more beautiful than anything humans have manufactured. It tells us that life moves on and repeats harmoniously without human interjection. Unfortunately, as we all know, humans have hugely thrown off this balance through the introduction of large-scale farming, habitat destruction, deforestation, over-breeding and mass pollution. Vegans seek to reverse or at least subdue humankind's negative effects upon the natural environment. This film reminds us of how beautifully balanced the world could be without the destructive, selfish interference of humankind. It tells us that no species is more important than another, and that we are all here for our own reasons. Again, this is the basis of veganism.

"[The Lion King] reminds us of how beautifully balanced the world could be without the destructive, selfish interference of humankind. It tells us that no species is more important than another, and that we are all here for our own reasons."

This is not all that Disney has shown us about animal rights. Look towards films such as Brother Bear, The Jungle Book and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for more. Other children's films, including several made by Pixar and Dreamworks, which I will be writing accompanying posts about, also touch on the same concepts. Many adults could learn from the lessons taught by these Disney films and others made by similar animation companies. We only need to look back at our former selves - our very young selves, when our hearts were pure and untouched by society's dirty hands. Then we will learn how we should really feel. Once, we all loved animals. To anyone who exploits animals now, I ask you - when did you lose your compassion?

[Image via www.publicdomainimages.net]