Paris

I finally got to go for a trip in Paris as a vegan. During my year in Australia I was still following what was going on I. The capital to know how things were evolving in France on this point.
Some places opened while I was away and I was really happy to check them out at last.

First thing I really wanted to visit was Vegan Folie's. I thought it was a cafe but it is more of a vegan patisseries where you can buy sandwiches, cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies and others drinks or sweets. Everything is 100% vegan which is always a great feeling for me (not having to ask about what I can have or not). I tried their chocolate cheesecake but also the blueberry one, their brownie and their cookie (yes I have just been there once but well...). There were 2 of us and all of this with 2 drinks cost us 19€ which I think is pretty cheap for home made vegan delights (and organic drinks). My favorite were the cookie and the brownie, just totally loved them!! The cheesecakes were really nice as well (just have a little preference for the cheesecake I used to have at Invita)

Second place I wanted to try was East Side Burgers, a new vegetarian fast food. Well after a year in Melbourne and some regular visits to (all mighty) Lord Of The Fries, I might say this was not something new. But well, after more than a month back in France, I was starting to miss vegan junk food. and I was not disappointed! Tasty burgers (I'm sad I couldn't try the hot dog, but I'll be back!) and vegan cheese option (which is pretty awesome for France!) and home made fries are always making me fall! Oh and also just totally LOVED the pear and chocolate tartelette and the cookie (might say I still have a preference for the cookie from Vegan Folie's, but you know I love every cookies anyway, no discrimination here). (Yes I tried all of this in a day... no judgements!)

if you just had one thing
to buy for the summer: THIS IS IT

I also had the opportunity to go to the shop Un Monde Vegan (a Vegan Wolrd in English...) that I had already mentioned earlier in here. I don't really like to do my grocery shopping on the internet so that was nice to have time to go "for real" to their shop (and yes the rest of the time I am really grateful that their website exists!). Good other point is that they also have the brand vegetarian shoes that you can try and everything! They have everything they have on the website, and I finally got to buy some vegan croissants and pain au chocolat (that I have yet to try!! I will let you know)





So that's it about Paris. I also did some pic nique by the seine, and I might in summer it's always pretty easy to just have a vegie salad and fruits so no problem about this! this little holidays in Paris showed me that things are starting to change in France (or at least in Paris) and that veganism is coming around here little by little. (again I am not preaching for everyone to become one, I just want my life to be a bit easier by having more choices and options in general!)
have a great day/night wherever you are!

Ps: better quality pictures next time... this was not really taken to be put on here but well

I'm back! (well at least I'll try)

Hey there!

so yeah I know... I'm coming back from the deads, and now we can all say that apparently having a blog (where I would keep on posting regurlarly) does not seem to be my thing. But I still want to give it a shot... Who knows ;) I just think I still have things to say and post about travelling as a vegan, where and what to eat and how to stay vegan as well as staying healthy (in some places it seems more challenging to do both).

so lots of things have happen since my last post. I finished my year as an excahnge student in Melbourne University and had to fly back home, to France. I thought I would have to go back to being vegetarian but no, I'm holding up and I find it easier and easier to be vegan here as well! and as time goes by, I might say I don't really imagine eating in a different way or going back to my old diet.

I've had the opportunity to go back to London and to Paris, and that was my first time as a vegan in those cities so I'll have things to share about this! I don't know if there's still any point for me to share my experience about my trip in Asia as it was so long ago? but if it does interest anyone let me know ;)

I will also have some more recipes and ideas hopefully coming soon...

Please excuse me for that long silence, and hope you'll enjoy the new start of this blog!

see you soon on here :)

Ps: is there anyone who would still want the French version?

Ps2: you can follow me on Pinterest or on Tumblr as well

How to be Vegan in France?

Une fois n'est pas coutume, je commence en français parce que c'est plus logique pour cet article. Comment être vegan en France?

Oui grande question! Quand je préparais mon retour pour les fêtes de Noël je me disais que j'allais sans doute retourner au végétarisme pour ce mois à la maison, parce que plus simple (même si déjà un peu compliqué ici!). Puis une discussion avec le chef du café ou je travaillais à Melbourne m'a fait réfléchir. Il me disait que dans la vie il fallait "se battre" et que ça valait pour tout, alors je devais me battre pour continuer à être vegan chez moi. Quand je suis à la maison justement tout se passe bien puisque je cuisine pour moi même. Bon le seul souci c'est que trouver des "simili carnés' (les fausses viandes quoi) en grande distribution c'est impossible. Il faut avoir recours aux sites internet (je tiens d'ailleurs à exprimer mon euphorie à la découverte d'un monde vegan) ou tout bonnement faire sans.

Ensuite vient le problème épineux de manger dehors... Bien sûr quand on vit à Paris je pense que tout est possible. Sauf que moi j'habite dans la Flandres profonde, paumée entre Dunkerque, Calais et Saint-Omer (les "villes" ou en gros je me rends quand je ne veux pas me taper 45min de route pour Lille). Même Lille m'a un peu déçue. C'est la ville où j'ai commencé mes études, j'y ai donc vécu deux ans, quand je n'étais pas encore végétarienne. C'est un peu "ma" ville dans mon coeur, celle où j'aimerais peut être m'installer quand je me poserais (enfin) et je l'ai toujours trouvé géniale en tous points.Pour une fois je dois dire que ce n'était pas si génial. Les brasseries typiques du Nord déjà c'est sûr que c'est hors jeu... Ensuite je suis allée dans une petite sandwicherie bio (grains de Nature) pensant pouvoir m'arranger... Et raté! Sandwichs déjà préparés (tous avec au moins du fromage) et impossible d'en avoir un "sur demande". Les soupes, quant à elles, contenaient toutes de la crème... (je tiens à préciser que si je n'ai pas le choix je passe en végétarienne, je ne vais pas non plus arrêter de manger... mais la je tenais vraiment à chercher). Je commençais à me dire que j'allais finir avec le sub végétarien de chez Subway (sans fromage c'est vegan!) quand mon amie m'a proposée Sushi Shop! Dieu bénisse Sushi shop! Choix pas mal de sushi végétarien, dont quelques vegan, et franchement je me suis régalée, pour moins cher que la version poisson. Sinon vous pouvez aussi aller chez "So good" (une chaine également, qui se trouve elle aussi Faubourg de Béthune) où il y a des salades vegan (j'ai pris une salade de lentilles, pommes, carottes et oignons rouges, délicieuse!). Ils ont également un choix de soupes et de pâtes végétariennes mais je n'ai pas demandé si c'était vegan (oui j'avais déjà mangé quand même...). Ah et enfin petit bonus: les cafés Notting Hill, que les Lillois connaissent bien (Grand Place et 2 dans le vieux Lille) proposent du lait de soja! ouf! (Contrairement à Méo, où en plus d'être irrespectueux, le personnel était grossier). Malheureusement pour ce qui est des "sucreries" à part les salades de fruits... aucune offres nul part.

Enfin, pour l'instant j'ai essayé de manger sur Dunkerque une seule fois.
Et ce n'était pas une réussite, j'ai du "redevenir" végétarienne... Mais je compte bien revenir avec un nouvel article plein de solutions! Je n'arrête pas les recherches :)
Les conseils que je pourrais donner en règles générales: Les pizzerias (une pizza végétarienne de laquelle on enlève le fromage sera vegan!), les resto de cuisine du monde (Indien, Mexicain, Asiatique) vous donnerons toujours plus de choix ou de liberté pour changer quelque chose dans un plat pour le rendre vegan.
Et puis n'oublions pas, plus nous serons nombreux à en faire la demande, plus les resto s'adapterons et nous proposerons des choses.

How to be vegan in France? That sounds like a good question to ask... Not so easy to answer! well easy to answer... It's hard to be vegan in France, nation of cheese and meat, where being vegetarian is already hard and often means eating a lot of cheese. I thought I would go back to vegetarian when I'd be back here but I decided to try hard to stay vegan (after someone told me I should "fight" and convince me to do so). Well at home everything is great because I can cook for myself, and I'm happy to cook for my family and show them I can have fun and eat tasty food! Going out to eat is a bit harder.

I think in Paris everything would be easier but I live in the North of France, in a small village lost between Dunkirk and Calais. And even Lille (the biggest city in the North) got me disappointed. I went to a little organic café... and had to leave without anytinng (cheese everywhere, and cream in the soups). I didn't even try the typical brasseries from the North (maybe I should who knows...) because I knew they would not have anything for me. Thankfully, my friend had an idea: Sushi Shop (faubourg de Béthune)! They have a good range of vegetarian and vegan sushi and they tasted really good :) I was happy with my lunch (a salad as well as rice, and then a fruit salad) that was cheaper than the fish option. Of course if you can't find anything there is always a subway with its vegetarian patty sub (without the cheese) but I was trying to avoid it. I also discovered that "So good" (same street as Sushi shop) had really good vegan salad. I tried one with lentils, apples, carrots and red onions. They also have soups and pasta but I still need to check if any of those are vegan. Oh and the little thing that made my day: Notthing Hill café has Soy milk! youhouuu (yeah I have simple pleasures I know... haha). There are 3 of them one on the main square (Grand' Place) and 2 in the "vieux Lille" area. And the staff is always nice. Unfortunatelly for the sweet things there is only fruit salad.
Concerning Dunkerque... I went for dinner out there for lunch just once for the moment and I had to go back to vegetarian... But I'm not giving up, I'm sure I'll find something!!

Some pieces of advice I could give coming here: try the pizzeria (vegetarian pizza without the cheese becomes vegan) and world restaurant: Indian, Mexican and Asian. They are always easier to find at least vegetarian options and then try to ask to change a little thing to turn them into vegan dishes.