i dont know if this is the write forum to post this in, but i am taking a chance and having faith that it will get moved as the VB gods see fit. so i have just been accepted into a study abroad program in spain, granda to be exact. and i am incredibly stoked about it :D:D i have a problem though. i will be staying with a spanish family and i am worried that my veganism will be a major hinderance to them and their cooking style. realizing that there is no way that i could give up the vegetarian part, what do you all think of compromising the "vegan" part for a semester in spain? or do you all think that it is feesible to be a vegan in someone else's household in a different country? i have spent many nights and days pondering this problem thinking that perhaps just eating the "hidden" dairy or perhaps being a vegetarain instead of a vegan or being difficult and being a full-out vegan like i am here.....i just dont know what to do really. do any of you have experience or helpfull advice? i just wanted some input. thanks for your time.
:hi:

skylark is currently in Spain, so I would recommend PM'ing her to see how she handled it. Good luck!

P.S. I would not compromise.

I wouldn't compromise either...but I second that Skylark will be happy to help you out. :)


good luck

You should ask the organization if they can get you a vegetarian family.

That or try to look for vegans yourself.
There are veg*ns in spain and there must be websites, but I can't read spanish.

Yo SPAMARI:
Here is a quoted advert I found on at veggie restaurant link further below...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

If you fancy a holiday in the Costa Blanca in Spain, or if you are considering a holiday home or moving to Spain to retire, have a look at www.justspanishproperty.com or www.apartmentinspain.co.uk.
I found the above two links at http://eksm.co.uk/leshanghai/information.htm whilst browsing this VeganDay eatery meeting place
(in Berkshire in this case)....At the foot of this restaurant page (in Berkshire of England) are the 2 adverts (quoted above) for Spain accomodation and property...(and they possibly have offices in England, presumably!).

thank you all for your replies. i really appreciate it. i had to fill out a personal information sheet so they could match me with a compatible host family and i wrote on it that i am a vegan, so hopefully that will aliviate most of the problems. we shall see though..... thanks again :D

Spamari,
You go girl! Or boy... I´m sorry that I´m not sure of your sex. Either case, Spain is an AWESOME place. My story:

I knew before coming to Spain that I would not compromise. Given that I am lacto-ovo and not vegan yet, it´s certainly easier for me not to compromise than you. Be prepared for the same misunderstandings and misinformed omnis as you experience in the States. The fish and chicken ¨vegetarians¨ got here before I did.

May I ask where in Spain you´re going? I have suggestions for if you´re going to Barcelona or anywhere in Cataluña, but I´m afraid I can´t help you much with specific information over Sevilla or Madrid.

I was initially put with a vegetarian host couple, and the past month and a half have been great in that regard. However, they´re moving, so in three days I´ll be going to another host family. My new host is a grandmother who lives on her own and isn´t a vegetarian though she loves to cook. I´ll have to get back to you on how that turns out.

Make sure you know your non-vegan terms in Castellano (what Spaniards call Spanish), and if you´re going to Cataluña, know them in Catalán. If you´re going to El País Vasco, know them in Basque. Find out as much as you can about the region of Spain you´re going to before you get there. (This will help with culture shock and not just with veganism.)

Specific questions? PM me, since I may not check this forum for a few days.

i will be living in granada. (the southern part of spain). we do get to go on some "weekend excursions" to places like barcelona, madrid, and others that i cant remember right now. i just sent all of my papers in today and i am getting extremely excited about it!! i should be hearing in the next few weeks what my host family is like so that should help me with a bit of the worries (i hope). thanks again to all of you for helping. do any of you know of veg*n travel guides or anything? i mean like AAA stuff for veg*ns? that would be so cool if they had those!! thanks again!

Spamari,
While I don´t know of any veg#n travel guides, there are usually mentions in standard travel guides of where to find vegetarian restaurants. Walk into a bookstore with a pad of paper and a pencil, and copy down the addresses of veg places from their travel guides. (Note: this is acceptable by freegan ethics but not neccessarily by others.)

Fres Co. is a chain restaurant, although I don´t know if they have locations outside of Barcelona. It´s 8.80 Euro for all you can eat from the salad bar, fruit bar, pizza and soup bar, and dessert. They had one pizza with shrimp on it, but other than that, the food was lacto-ovo friendly. Sorry, the last time I was in there, I didn´t check out the vegan-friendliness of it. I think you could make a decent meal out of it, though. It might not be worth 8.80 euro, but if your friends drag you to any restaurant, that would be a good place.

Are you sure your program will tell you ahead of time about your host family? I thought mine would, too, but the way they do it is assign people during orientation. I didn´t meet them until a week after I arrived in Spain. The first contact I´d had with them was when I met them to move in with them. Yeah, that´s pretty freaky. Hopefully your program has a more reassuring approach.

BTW, I have a guide to Barcelona back in my room. They listed several vegetarian restaurants in the Gastronomy section, so tomorrow I´ll bring it with me to the computer lab and give you those names and addresses.

so i get this call today from the company i am studying abroad through. they tell me they have found a wonderful senora for me to live with who loves to cook special food, she even went out and got a cook book. she is so excited about doing this, but........(i was so excited...then i heard the "but".....) but (she says) there is a problem. they noticed on my preference sheet that i dont like smokers and there are smokers in the house. and i interject with "it is not so much that i dont like smokers, but that i am extremely allergic to it" and there is no way that i can live in a house with people who smoke there. and i was crushed. i was so excited that there was someone who would love to cook for me. damn smokers. damn allergy. damn!

i was so excited...then ..][.. they noticed on my preference sheet that i dont like smokers and there are smokers in the house. and i interject with "it is not so much that i dont like smokers, but that i am extremely allergic to it" and there is no way that i can live in a house with people who smoke there. and i was crushed. i was so excited that there was someone who would love to cook for me. damn smokers. damn allergy. damn!

So.... are you really allergic to smoking or trying not to offend the smokers?....

Like yourself I hate smoking, and would hate to be living in amongst those that do. :sick:

i am actually very allergic to smoking

Just out of interest Spamari (and Skylark), which programme are you/have you gone to Spain on? I'm just curious as I used to work for AIFS (American Institute for Foreign Study) and we had programmes in Granada.

Just as a reminder, Skylark is on her way to Scotland(uk) now and returning to USA on Sunday...(I think Sunday).
__________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
THROW BACK>>>
This thread shows her advance intentions for Scotland back in recent October~2003.
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=10952
__________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

CURRENT SITUATION>>>
This is Skylarks timeout preparation for (approaching end of?) semester study...
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=12611

I sound like the Skylark officiator advertizing these links! :D

i am travelling through ISA (international studies abroad)