Vegetalien(ne) is how you say vegan in french. Even if you say it "je suis vegetalienne s'il vous plait. je ne mange pas le lait ou les oeufs" and the people appear to understand, your meal will likely still have ham and goat cheese in it. The "vegetarian sandwich" at the Louvre is a good example. Don't get it. It's full of ham. Hungry after my day of trying to find the Mona Lisa so I could take my picture in front of it, I bit into the sandwich without thoroughyl inspecting it. I got a mouthful of ham. I couldn't stay vegan in Paris. I was just too hungry. I stayed veg and was ok with unprocessed cheese. By "ok" I mean I had awful diarrhea for most of the trip.
But it was worth it.
1. Krishna Bhavan (off Gare du Nord stop on the metro... hard to find from there. you'll need a map 24 Rue Cail (75010)): Dosa's. So good. And INSANELY CHEAP (like 6 euro total). Not 100% vegan, but enough vegan food to keep you happy. Onion dosa and champignon dosa were consumed during my multiple trips there. I still dream about the mango cake (get it sans ice cream). Surprisingly, the non-native french speaking indian staff, and the non-french speaking american tourist trying to remember 7th grade french communicated well, and the waiter understood what i couldn't eat and was very nice.
2. Le Potager du Marais (22, Rue Rambuteau (75003)... Rambuteau stop at the Metro): fancy, tiny, delicious, traditional French food in vegan form. Be prepared to spend like 40 euro. Pear pie with coconut whipped cream, beef bourginon (with a pile of brown rice shaped like a heart? yup), menu changes a lot i think. I had a lot of anxiety about eating while in Paris because I just get so sick, and this is the one place where I actually didn't have to stress out about eating or being close to a bathroom immediately afterwards.
3. Maoz. Near Notre Dame in a fun, difficult to navigate area full of restaurant men heckling tourists. I felt stupid for eating here, but I did it anyways.
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Sorry to hear about your experience in Paris. I myself am preparing to spend a couple of weeks down in Toulouse and Bordeaux, and I will take your experience as a warning. As much as I hate to do it, I am about to re-introduce cheese to my body so that I can avoid the problems you had. We'll be cycling through the country-side for one of our two weeks, and gastro-intestinal problems are the last thing I need.
ReplyDeleteAny non-Paris-specific restaurant suggestions you can make to ease the temporary transition from vegan to vegetarian?
I only visited Paris, but a quick search yielded:
ReplyDeleteIn Bordeaux:
-Fast Plantin: 45, rue de Pessac (33000).
-Au Pain Gourmand:259, rue Sainte Catherine (33000)(middle eastern).
In Toulouse:
-Manger Autrement: 155 Grande Rue Saint Michel (indian).
-Numero-C: 3 place de Carmes.
Let me know!
I know this post is months old, but just wanted to add my 2cents so no one else gets diarrhea. :) Sorry to hear the cooks at the Louvre are idiots! But I'm a vegan and I've been in Paris three weeks (I'll be here for two months total) and I've found plenty of decent food. With a little research it can be done! Google is your friend! (Sorry to sound like a vegan cheerleader, lol) Granted, I'm staying in an apartment where I can cook and have a refrigerator...and sometimes when I go out I settle for salad, "frites" and wine...but still I've found some good places to eat. Check out HappyCow.net for recommendations. I've especially enjoyed L'as du Fallafel and Tien Hiang. There are also tons of couscous restaurants around, as well as a couple restaurants that offer traditional FRENCH food that's vegan (the latter seem too expensive for me to bother with). You can find awesome bread, hummus, salads, fresh fruits and veggies, anywhere in Paris. The outdoor markets are fabulous for produce, and there are health-food stores here too. Soy milk is available in every grocery store I've been to. Being vegan in Paris might not always be a culinary adventure, but you certainly won't starve. Can't speak for other cities in France yet but I'm sure you'll be able to get by.
ReplyDelete