I had some trepidations about being able to find decent vegan food when I went to France last month. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. At least, once I got to Paris. In Nice, it was definitely inconvenient.
It started with a going away meal at SFO, with my hubby. Very over-priced & bland Chinese food:
Then, since I requested "pure vegetarian" meals during my flight, this is what I was fed:
1) Evening meal
2)Breakfast
Unfortunately, some of the items on my "pure vegetarian" plate were not vegan at all.
Once I arrived in Nice, I settled in to my hotel room & went exploring. I ended up finding some decent groceries in the basement of the Galerie Lafayette, just a few blocks from my hotel. This was the first night of chip sandwiches, which I pretty much had to eat during my stay.
What my chip sandwich looked like:
The next day, I went shopping at Monoprix and picked up some fresh fruit. I found out that you have to print up labels for your produce, which was a bit inconvenient at first.
One of my favorite foods to discover was haricots verts, with a dijon mustard dressing. My first one was from the Nice Monoprix.
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While in Nice, I ate in my hotel room. The one time I tried to eat out turned into a weird experience. After that, I figured it was just easier (& safer) to eat in my own quarters.
So, I had some hope for Paris, because I had reserved an apartment (complete with a kitchen). Thankfully, I was right! My apartment, located in the 9éme arrondissement, had plenty of boulangeries and grocery stores. In fact, this is what I found, at Franprix, my first night there:
So much good stuff, including almond milk & a vegan pesto!
This was my first dinner in Paris. C'est bon!
My second grocery trip had me at both Franprix & Monoprix. I found a vegan soy "steak" and freshly baked bread, as well as a delicious olive pasta sauce & soy yoghurt.
My Parisian frigo, full of vegan noms.
The soy "steaks", up close. This is the Tomate-Basilic flavor.
My 2nd dinner in Paris, with the soy "steak" & bread. Very filling!
At a produce market, in the Rue Cler area. I wish I had purchased those berries.
Though I never did eat at the veg restos or shop at the health stores I'd heard about, I did find some cool stuff. Brandi & I spent Saturday near Les Halles & the 1st arrondissement and I finally stepped into the French version of Whole Foods. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase anything but the idea of flavored tofu (especially the olive) was most intriguing.
That same day, Brandi & I stopped in at a café, on the Rue Montorgueil. She had the cheese plate & I had what I thought was bruschetta (sans fromage). Looks more like pizza, non? We both had vin chaud.
I tried to finish up what groceries were left in our frigo but we had one last meal out the day before we left. My salade & pommes frites were fantastic. Wish I had only gone sooner.
All in all, a mostly positive experience eating as a vegan in Paris. It would've been a different story if I didn't have my own kitchen. This might just be the way for me to be happy while traveling. I'm already looking at another international trip, next year. Back to Paris & London. But, at least I know what I'm in for!
