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July
19
Don’t Trust Anyone With What You Put In Your Mouth!
Filed under Traveling in the Raw by Frederic Patenaude
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Traveling around the world for eight months earlier this year has taught me something simple, but really important: don’t trust anyone with what you put in your mouth!
I visited over 25 countries from July last year until April of this year, with the intent of meeting some like-minded people and spreading the message about the benefits of a mostly raw, plant-based diet. I visited with many people and shared thoughts on raw food eating and what it’s like to do it in the most unlikely places (like Iceland!)
Over and over again, I have found that in most places of the world, it’s easier to lead an unhealthy life than a healthy one, and that almost *no one* really understands even just basic health concepts, like not eating animal products.
I remember I was in Turkey last September, and was trying to order something healthy at a restaurant. I knew five phrases in Turkish, and one of them was: “Do you have any vegetarian food and salads?”
Then the waiter proceeded to try to sell me on ordering a chicken dish. “Oh yeah, we have chicken. Chicken is vegetarian! Very good!”
I tried to tell him that chicken was NOT vegetarian, but with the straightest face he kept trying to convince me that chicken was perfectly okay to eat for vegetarians because it was not red meat.
After a round of arguing in English and in the few words I knew in Turkish, I managed to order some kind of Turkish salad, which was quite a feat too, because I had to explain what I didn’t want in the salad. In the end, the waiter appeared a bit upset.
You’ve probably heard some stories of people who order a “decaf” coffee, only to realize later, after they’re all wired up, that the waiter made a “mistake” and brought regular, fully-caffeinated coffee instead.
“Oh sorry, we made a mistake!”
And just how do they plan to correct that mistake, especially if the person has ordered their “decaf” in the evening and won’t be able to fall asleep that night? It’s quite funny, sometimes.
Many vegans have reported the experience of ordering something that was supposedly vegan, only to realize later that the soup broth that their vegetables are bathing in was made with the carcasses of dead animals.
The worst thing is when restaurants *pretend* to have options for vegetarians, when in fact they don’t. I’ve found many places like this on my trip around the world.
There was a place in Greece that advertised “vegetarian food” in big bold letters outside of their restaurant. When I entered to check it out, I looked at the menu and noticed that nothing on it was vegetarian… just salad topped with salmon, eggs, and cheese.
Then I asked the waiter what their “vegetarian” food was. He explained to me in broken English that they had plenty of “vegetarian” salads. When I pointed out that they all contained meat, fish, cheese or eggs, he told me that these items could be left out.
Talk about a vegetarian menu!
Getting raw foods while traveling was not always an easy task. In some countries, I would ask people where I could buy fruit. I would even ask Taxi drivers to take me to “the best place I can buy fruit.”
In 90% of cases, they would take me to a regular supermarket or corner store. In fact, they did not take me to a great supermarket, just an average one, generally the closest one.
Then I learned that I had to specify that I did not want to go to a supermarket but to a place that sold “only fruits and vegetables,” like a public market.
I had to learn the word for “public market” in many languages to get my point across!
When it came to breakfasts at B&Bs and hotels, it was always a disappointment. At first, I would explain that I just wanted fruit for breakfast.
But for some mysterious reason, just saying that I wanted “only fruit” for breakfast was understood as “this guy wants fruit along with the rest of his breakfast.” Even in places where English was the first language, like Australia or New Zealand!
So in the morning, I would get a regular plate of eggs, toasts, jam, coffee, and some fruit!
When I finally managed to explain that I actually ate ONLY fruit in the morning, people were very puzzled and reluctantly brought me one piece of totally unripe banana along with some other kind of unpalatable unripe fruit.
In the end, I had to visually describe exactly what I needed beforehand, by writing emails to the owners of the B&B.
“I only eat fruit for breakfast. I hope that’s not too much trouble for you? In fact, it might make your job a lot easier… but I do eat a LOT of fruit. For example: an entire large papaya with 4 fully ripe bananas.”
I found that by describing exactly what I needed, along with exact quantities, I got better results, but some people still didn’t get it. They brought me totally unripe bananas and only a little more fruit than normal.
I then modified my approach to explain that I’d be “more than happy” to pay for any extra costs of buying all this fruit.
At that point I got good results about half the time, but the portions were still depressingly small. That was okay because I thought of this breakfast as a snack before my real breakfast that I would make in my room!
In the end, I had the idea of putting together a mini-website along with pictures, showing exactly what I eat for breakfast. I got this idea at the end of our trip, so I didn’t have time to try it out. I suspect though, that some people still wouldn’t get it!
The best thing is to be 100% self-sufficient and be in control of what you put in your body at all times. But if you have any social life at all, you will inevitably have to deal with restaurant waiters and other people responsible for serving you food, once in a while.
Here are some tips:
1) Be Extremely Clear — Don’t just say that you’re vegan, most people don’t understand what that is! Explain exactly what it is that you don’t eat. For example, you could say: “I don’t eat any dairy products: including milk, butter, cheese, sour cream, and anything coming from milk. I also don’t eat meat, chicken, pork, chicken, fish…”
Depending on what you’re ordering, make sure to enumerate every single thing that could end up in your food that you don’t want.
2) Give Options — Most waiters and chefs will be extremely discouraged upon hearing this long list of negatives. So make sure to describe some options, if that’s the case.
For example, when we were stuck in a resort island in Fiji and NOTHING on the menu was even remotely raw or vegan, I gave the chef a long list of possible dishes they could make for us, along with ingredient lists for each, based on what I knew they could get on the island.
Initially the chefs had no idea what they could make, but after seeing this list, they suddenly “remembered” that they were trained chefs and could come up with delicious dishes, when given some guidelines.
3) Triple Check — Even if you clearly explain what you want, there’s a good chance that some people still won’t get it. So it’s a good idea to triple-check with the waiter, if you have any doubt that they won’t understand.
4) Don’t Get Resentful — Some restaurants will refuse to cater to the needs of vegans. And that’s okay. I prefer that a restaurant be honest and say that they WON’T make anything vegetarian, rather than claim they will and then fall short on their promise.
It’s pretty unlikely that there won’t be anything you can order and modify on the menu. But there’s a chance that you might not be able to make a nice meal out of it. That’s okay. Order a simple salad, and enjoy a good time with friends.
5) Be Willing to Make Compromises — I’m not saying that you should compromise on your principles, but be reasonable. Maybe the salad you got was not organic, or that the olives they put on your salads are from a can.
You don’t want to be the impossible client who returns every single dish and gets angry. There’s a good chance that eating five black olives from a can won’t kill you. In fact, there’s a good chance that it will do zero damage to your body. So learn to relax a bit, and enjoy your food, even if it’s not 100% perfect.
If they put a big hard-boiled egg on your salad, you could simply take it out instead of returning the entire dish and passing again for an ungrateful impossible person.
NOTE: You can still draw the line somewhere. I refuse to eat certain things, like animal products when they show up in my food.
6) Prepare for Disappointment. There’s a good chance that you’ll be disappointed with the food. Come prepared! I know many people who carry little jars of their own dressings when they go to restaurants, or bring a ripe avocado in their purse! I’ve done it and it works.
It’s amazing how a simple salad of raw vegetables can be totally transformed with a healthy dressing. Nobody will be upset that you brought your own dressing, but if you go to a more upscale restaurant, you might explain to them that you’re on a special diet and request that they bring you your salad with your dressing served on it.
7) Don’t Trust Anyone! People love to say “yes” when in fact they can’t deliver. Don’t trust that the decaf you’re drinking is actual decaf. You might be better off ordering something else that you know has no caffeine (decaf is almost as bad as real coffee anyway).
Don’t trust that the person you talked to understood your needs even though they said they did. Often people say “yes” just to avoid confrontation and appear competent, even when they have no idea what you actually meant. That’s particularly true in foreign countries.
Finally, learn to enjoy life and live it to the fullest, no matter where you are and what the circumstances are.
18 Responses to “Don’t Trust Anyone With What You Put In Your Mouth!”
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Brandon says:
Frederic,
Is that website you mention that features your meals already created or is that a future project? I am trying to do 50% raw and I have been having some issues in the afternoon with sluggishness so I would definitely love to see your food blog to get some new ideas on how to compensate.
Thanks,
Brandon -
Janet says:
Fred,
I have run into this issue too even when I was a vegetarian. I am allergic to sesame seeds and fish and invariably at a “vegetarian” restaurant where I thought I would have no problem I said I can eat anything except fish and sesame which means that if you put fish sauce like Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, or sesame/tahini in anything I can go into anaphylactic shock and die. They said “oh we don’t use any of those things in here” but to my amazement, having an algae & veggie salad with dressing supposedly made from “olive oil” nearly sent me to a hospital. This situation happened so many times that I eventually went back to eating chicken at regular restaurants because I didn’t have an allergic reaction and could get salads easier this way. If I don’t bring my own food with me it is nearly impossible to eat vegetarian in my local. Restauranteers just don’t understand and even two different waiters at the same restaurant get different results – one can say “no problem and give me what I need” on one day while another is so afraid to put in an order for me he tries to tell me to change my mind on the same item I ordered before with the other waiter on another day. I have to literally tell them “no I want this. I’ve ordered it before many times here. Go do it.”
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Grace Peel says:
I’d love to see the video’s or website you made of what you want to eat when you were traveling.
Even if it is only a few. I’d like to see what your actually eat in your meals.
Thank you
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Miriam says:
I traveled a lot in the last 10 years and I found that if you let people know that you eat like a Buddhist, they understand what you want and will not cook your food in chicken or beef stock and call it vegetarian. Also, I brought a lot of food so that if I could find nothing available, I could eat what I brought. For example the Raw Food meal packages easily along with dehydrated items. Getting angry with other people about what they are not doing for you is just that-getting angry. It is much easier to figure out ways before you leave to take care of yourself by planning worst case scenarios, like plane delays, lack of availability of food, etc. and get to enjoy the trip. You can also research the location supermarkets before you leave for your trip and make that your first stop when you arrive.
Best regards,
Miriam -
Laura says:
All very sound and reasonable advice. Thank you!
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dan says:
I have the similar experience. Recently I went to Yellow Stone National Park with a tour bus. This is a five day sightseeing tour. My mom and I are vegan and have made lots of food preparation before the departure. However it is still not enough, during the daytime when the tour bus stop at the restaurants for lunch, we also get off the bus and search around for vegan food. It is so hard to find vegan food even it is in the states, the most developed country in the world. When I ask the receptionist in a pizza shop for veggie pizza without dairy product and egg because we are vegan, the receptionist shows confusion emotion,and later she knew vegan is something like vegetarian, and then she said they don’t have vegetarian pizza. When I went to another place selling only water and drinks telling the girl I want something without egg,milk, cream, and then I got the same depressing answer. Even in Mcdonald, if you don’t specify you require the burger with no cheese, meat, milk, creame, then you won’t get any stuff to eat. It is a hard trip for my stomach actually. I find in the trip to the states you must specify your requirements in direct and simple word like: Please give me the burger with tomato, cucumber, lettuce.
It is good that you share your experience with us. That’s really helpful for me in our next trip.
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Em says:
Fascinating view of your experiences, Fred. Most helpful to know how you deal with it all…also reminds me of why I don’t bother eating out…
I too, would be more than happy to pay for breakfast, if I knew I could even remotely get what I wanted – I’d even insist on paying…unfortunately, people seem to think that a perfectly ripe banana is one that still has a slight greenish tinge and absolutely no blemishes – The belief is that basically anything that can be purchased on any given day in a supermarket is deemed ‘ripe’ and ‘perfect’ to eat on that same day – well for the most part, definitely not, in my experience.
I just take everything I need to eat with me everywhere I go. Course, I haven’t traveled overseas since going raw – at this point, I see it as being in the too hard basket – which is also why it’s all the more helpful to read of how people like you do it and what systems you have in place to make it easier.
Thanks too, Miriam for your Buddhist tip. Might try it some time…
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I don’t think they are trying to trick anyone, just a cultural thing. It isn’t fair to say “don’t trust these people”.
I am an American and have lived in Asia for 10 years. I realized that in Laos, people would tell me they were vegetarians “too”, but I would see them eating pork. Eventually I noted that they meant they were vegetarian on specific Buddhist festival days, but the rest of the time they ate meat. Also fish was excepted. Once I ordered a “vegetable burger” in China and it was a normal beef burger with lettuce on top. It was a sad day -
Lynn says:
Well said, and completely true for those of us who have food and/or chemical sensitivities, too. 100% self-contained is what works for me, and if by chance I can safely partake of something at a potluck event (other than what I bring for myself) I consider it a pleasant surprise. I’ve had similar experiences at restaurants with either not understanding or not having anything on the menu that works, organic or otherwise. Thanks for your tips, I’m sure they will be helpful for many people.
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Richard says:
Please don’t tell me you drink coffee. I hope not. Ho win the world is that healthy.
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It’s an important topic, Frederic. Here in Europe you shouldn’t use the word vegetarian because it automatically means any kind of food apart from animal tissues. You have to explain that you want nothing from the animals (forget the good English in non-English speaking countries) and then give the list of no-s. Find a restaurant with a waiter who really speaks English if you can and does’nt just say “yes” every time you ask something. You can ask them to put olives, sundried tomatoes, grated carrots and cabbage in salad, perhaps nuts and raisins.
In B&B:s and other places you need to email beforehand and ask for fruit. You get unripe fruit unless you ask for apples and oranges, basically. In fact they can still forget about it all.
Vegans and raw-foodists really need extra patience and stamina in order to enjoy travelling. I think we need to be persistent and be pioneers. Things will never improve if our attitude is too compromising. This article is really good! -
Jackie says:
Fred, you obviously didn’t mix/meet the right folk in New Zealand. Kia ora from Aotearoa!
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In greece if you go to Tavernas rather than Estiatorio (restaurant) and stick to the starter menu and order lots of them it can be fantastic – they do tomato salad,cucumber salad and lettuce or roka salad as single things in their own right and are usually amazingly wonderful and generous. Then Horiatiki- or village salad- is served everywhere – totally raw- but served with a slab of feta cheese which you can ask not to have-’horreece feta’ or just take it off- it’s never mixed in – they also have grated carrot or beetroot salad and nearly always bring free watermelon at the end of the meal.
most places do fruit salad for breakfast with or without yogurt and freshly pressed orange juice-
Local markets (Lykee) are totally brilliant and the stallholders always give you something to taste for free- in Athens the Lykee near lykavittus is on friday morning- each stall specialises in one or two things- so one will be piled high with cherries, another with mountain greens,tomatoes or olives. It’s cheap to do it yourself- and interestingly if you are invited to a Greek home they nearly always offer you some fruit to eat – and piles of it! -
In some places, you can actually sue the restaurateer if you get meat in your food. http://www.care2.com/causes/hindus-who-were-served-meat-samosas-can-sue-restaurant.html
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stillewaters says:
I had also a lot of personal experiences in travelling around in different parts of the world as a convinced and always consequent vegetarian
I had brought on travel a booklet with me that translated everything for the needs of a vegetarian into different kinds of languages and own alphabet
But in China the problem was it knows no alphabet , but uses thousands of pictograms. I had the impression that not everybody could read all of their own pictograms ( maybe due to a lack of schooleducation ! , you need to know at least 4.000 pictograms to be able to read a newspaper in Chinese )In general , in remote parts of some countries , there can be indeed a problem of not enough schooleducation for people to read their own alphabet
It seems to me that a small spiral bound booklet with pictures (that you can open easily and show ) , and with pages in some kind of plastic protection would be more practical , and showing all the kinds of fruits and vegs, or food that you do indeed eat ( maybe on some greenshaded pages ) , and also the kind of food ( with a big red cross over them ) that you don’t eat ! (maybe on redshaded pages )
Such a book with every kind of pictures explaining your need , exists already for the usual travellers ( asking for hotel, bus or trainstation, airport, medical doctor, police, phone, bank, money, …)
But mainly on all my individual travels , i practically never – never -went to restaurants , but always buyed vegetarian food in a local supermarket, local shop or local market. This way, i escaped the (language) problem of having to explain what i eat and don’t eat as a vegetarian , also i escaped the “waiste of time” sitting in a restaurant !
When travelling , I gave up a long time ago to make the effort to explain my vegetarian needs
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I live in Spain, and eating out can be quite a challenge. The one vegetarian restaurant in our town closed down, due to lack of business, I assume.
The Spanish in general just don’t understand that you don’t want meat or fish, and try to sneak it in somehow or other. I once ordered a plain green salad and it arrived with bacon bits sprinkled on top.
In all the years I have lived here (30), I have only ever met one other vegan.
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Veggie Eddie says:
The TRUTH of the matter is:
If you didn’t grow it yourself and Cook it yourself, you REALLY don’t know what is in the food you eat! Do NOT, especially, believe anyone whom you don’t know to be a certified Vegan!
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[...] Good advice from Frederic Patenaude: Don’t trust anyone with what you put in your mouth. If you can’t prepare your own food, check and double check with the waiter to make sure [...]
