Pictured ( My partner -also vegan- and I)
I don’t want my food choice to have to compete with the rewards of my love for travel, especially when it comes to learning and connecting with others. And food is a natural connection point. Over the years, I’ve learned to embrace flexibility and let go of some control of what I eat in favor of being more open. Here’s some things that helped me during my recent trip to P.R.
- Packing some of my favorite portable and versatile food items that might be hard to find there:
- Umami: Furikake (Japanese salted seaweed and sesame usually topped on white rice) and to-go soy sauce packet.
- Fat: Nuts (they generally tend to be more expensive than in the States)
- B12, Iron: Nori Seaweed & Nutritional Yeast
- Sweet: Chilli Tamarind Candies
What I wish I brought… SPICY (Portable Siracha/Hotsauce) and Snack Bars for a quick breakfast
- Make visits to local Grocery stores a fun excursion and enjoy adapting your global “grocery list” wherever you go. Going to grocery stores abroad is one of my favorite hobbies, watching what people get, discovering new products and produce. Finding new substitutes for what I might get at home. It’s also a way to save some money instead of eating out. Our meals on the go were “camping style” foods like hummus, tortilla wrap, beans in a can, and avocados and clementines
I’m now hooked on the dominican or florida grown avocados. They’re about triple the size of the Mexican ones and have a lighter green skin. Also, have fun with the assortment of plantain chips, bbq, spicy, cinnamon. INSERT: (D.R. Avocodas & tofu for $5, lots of plantain chips)
- Find accommodations where there’s access to either a communal or private kitchen to give you the option of preparing your own meals. Our favorite places to stay gave us this option to cook at home and make breakfast, tea or coffee.
- Tip: Leave something behind for others to use or incorporate what might already be there in your meal
- Eat something at home + snack outside. Even if options might be limited, it’s still important to explore and sample the flavors of the local cuisine as a way to learn about the culture. Talk to servers and chefs to figure something out, it’s another opportunity to problem solve in a new situation and practice your communication skills. Cities tend to have more options, sometimes less so in rural places. So plan for that and consider stocking up on more groceries/snacks.
Some Vegan Snacks We Tried (not all pictured below): Tostones, Pina colada, Arepa, Mofongo, Alcupurria, Pasteles)
Home Cooked Meals: Rice & beans, tostones, gandules in sofrito
- Follow your instinct and curiosity, and it’s ok if you get it wrong. Part of traveling is learning through experience and sometimes the lesson could be a bad meal. Be mindful of tourist traps that advertise certain labels like vegan. Reviews on google could be a helpful compass but not always reliable in quality. Sometimes the best places are off the beaten path and it’s so satisfying to find a good place using your own instincts rather than data.
- Don’t expect those extremes in others. I didn’t become vegan overnight, it was a gradual process of personal experiences and discovery and now it doesn’t feel so extreme, but for many in my family, it still is. And while traveling, that choice doesn’t always feel like the most important thing in the moment to express. Starving and restricting myself just makes me hangry and I lose the point of traveling and being present. Abstaining from food can take away from the experience of a new culture so instead of what to say no to, lead with what to say yes to and try not to judge yourself too much.
Finally, here were my favorite vegan places on the beautiful island
- Peace n’ Loaf Cayey: Cashew Cheese Pizza and vegan blackberry cheesecake. Chat with the chef and owner if you get a chance! The staff were friendly and I loved the delicate flavors of the pizza with the not too rich cashew cheese. The blackberry cheesecake is a must!
- Los Pinos Cafe Calle Loiza: Order the Veggie Mofongo with Salsa Criollo, ask without butter. Wash it down with the Puerto Rican Medalla beer. I got my mofongo with a of mashed plantain and yucca.
- 100% HP – Vegan twists on Puerto classics like Alcapurrias (fried) and steamed Pasteles. Awesome murals and art that touch on the issue of animal cruelty.
- Pina Coladas anywhere with a nice view!
- Arepas to Go and More – Venezuelan Arepas & Smoothies. The customer service was great and everything was nutritrious and flavorful, couldn’t have asked for a better meal to share with friends before our beach trip.
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