Being Vegan in Another Country
First, the Sip N Spice dinner has been canceled and is not happening this Sunday.
Second, House of Mofos is coming to Purr Cup Cafe on Saturday, 10/10 from 12-4. Their food is incredible and that's where I will. I'd love to see you if you're close by.
Third, if you are close to Charlotte, their vegfest is on 10/10 starting at noon until 6pm. The weather is going to be tricky, but please go support if you can. Rain is awful for festivals.
I got home from the Bahamas on Monday night. I stayed on Paradise Island at Atlantis. It was lovely to be in paradise. It was like being at Disney. I walked and racked up a ton of steps the whole time I was there. The wedding was beautiful and I was able to have special moments with many of my family members, especially the groom.
I arrived in the afternoon to the Bahamas and took a shuttle to Atlantis. I was hungry and thankfully purchased some snacks that held me over until dinner. The festivities started at Shake Shack, yes the Shake Shack that we have locally. I don't eat mushrooms so the veggie burger wasn't an option for me, I didn't even ask if it was vegan. I ate some french fries to tide me over before ordering a salad, removing the chicken and adding avocado. The dressing was not vegan. It was good. It was enough to tide me over and of course, french fries are always good.
I woke up the next day and didn't know what I was going to eat. I had a banana that I snagged at the Sky Club, but I was headed to the pool to lounge and play for the afternoon before getting ready for the wedding later that evening. The small store off the lobby of the resort had plant-based milk and cereal. Yay! I was so happy to see the milk. I purchased two of the cereals so I could have food for Monday, Sunday my family hosted a brunch and my brother picked up some tofu for me and my other brother brought NY bagels from Long Island.
A fun day was had going down water slides and floating on the not so lazy river, there were sections with full on rapids! It was so much fun. I was able to find a wrap with hummus and roasted veggies for lunch and again, shared some fries.
At the wedding reception, there was a lot of food on the buffet I could eat and a special dish was prepared just for me. It was a vegan lasagna, no vegan cheese, but they had tofu on top and the veggies between the noodles were delicious. I had zero complaints, there was even a dessert that was vegan (sesame and sugar ball things).
There was a Ben & Jerry's that had vegan ice cream and I was able to get a vegan shake! It was hot and humid the whole weekend so that shake was super refreshing.
On Sunday evening, I went with my family to Carmine's. It's a family style Italian restaurant with nothing vegan on the menu, not even the bread basket. They prepared a dish just for me, not family style, but it was still a pound of spaghetti with red sauce with broccoli. It was good.
The biggest part of traveling and being in a place that is far from being vegan friendly is being flexible and asking questions. The hotel grocery sections had vegan items so snacks were easy to come by. I was far from starved for food on this trip and the food I did get to eat was really good.
Do your research when you travel, ask questions, but always be polite and considerate. People are more likely to go above and beyond when you approach them that way.
Have you ever been to Atlantis? Do you have food stories from traveling to another country? I'd love to hear them.
Have a great week. I'm off to Philly next Friday. There's no issue finding vegan food in Philly. I hope I have the time to try some new to me places.
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