South Africa

[Michael]

The place to dicuss local topics and to meet others in your area.

[inkwenkwezi]

thanks michael for opening this thread.

ok, this might be a longshot at the moment (i'm keeping fingers crossed) but if there are any veg peeps in the cape town area (or even the rest of SA) get in touch.

i am also interested in maybe starting a magazine for local or national distribution about veg issues, at some point in the future, to unite/expand the south african veg community. let me know if there is any interest/suggestions for such.

be well!

[Marie]

South African accents are hot.

*coughs* that's all I have to say.. heh.

[inkwenkwezi]

:o

[froggythefrog]

Hope you don't mind someone who's never even been in the same continent as you posting here, but what is the social atmosphere like in South Africa for vegetarians and vegans? As you can see on this board, in the US, vegetarianism is a foreign concept that many are slowly becoming more aware of, but a lot of people here feel hostility. Then, there's the waiter who got in trouble in India -- a very veg-friendly place -- for serving a customer meat. What's it like in South Africa?

[automaton]

I'd say it's slowly changing, but in my experience you generally get a open-mouthed stare and challenging questions. It differs between the cities and urban areas though.

[inkwenkwezi]

yes, automaton is spot on. meat plays quite a big role here, culturally - across the board.

i often get asked "well what can you eat?" in amazed tones. for the most part, people are generally interested when you tell them that you're veg. i am surprised though at how many times i ask for a veg option or something somewhere and then they say oh we've had other people ask that.

for a lot of people here a diet without meat, let alone eggs/dairy, for example is just incomprehensible - not necessarily in a negative way, but rather through ignorance about the subject.

in my experience, the attitude i have encountered is usually a 'different strokes' kinda thing. i just don't pay attention to the 0.000000001% of negative reactions. :D

[NewbieVeg]

Hi fellow South Africans!
I'm currently studying in the USA, but I miss home and wanted to say Hi :)

[andre]

hi im looking for a vegetarian club in south africa,or other veggies.

[snownose]

hey guys! ok im south african, but i moved to the us about 2 months ago. i miss home alot, but there is a little south african community near to where i live. i used to live in pretoria, but i was born in cape town.

[SavedbytheBlood]

Wow, Africa. :)

I want to visit where my people came from. Hey can I win a trip to Africa? :D

[snownose]

Has anyone seen Tsotsi, the movie that won the oscar? I am so glad SA finally got an oscar.

[DallasG]

Hi,

I am currently in Jhb, I know quite a few vegetarians here. I follow an indian philosophy, not religion, and being vegetarian is one of the criteria. I have been vegetarian my whole life, so for me it was easy as i have never tried meat. My parents are vegetarian so it does make things easier.

I often get that "what do you eat?" but now these days there is a lot for variety for vegetarians, fry special , make great veggie food

[colorful]

Hi - I am American, but my sister lives in South Africa (Pietermaritzburg) and we are planning a trip to see her at the beginning of March. We are vegan and I'm wondering if it will be difficult to keep to a vegan diet in South Africa. Also, much of my reason for not eating dairy products and eggs is the way dairy cows and laying hens are treated in the United States. Does anybody know about the animal welfare standards in South Africa, and whether they exceed those of the United States? I don't want to be an ungracious guest and am considering relaxing my vegan standards during the trip, especially if animals are treated more humanely in South Africa. Any information would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[snownose]

Hi - I am American, but my sister lives in South Africa (Pietermaritzburg) and we are planning a trip to see her at the beginning of March. We are vegan and I'm wondering if it will be difficult to keep to a vegan diet in South Africa. Also, much of my reason for not eating dairy products and eggs is the way dairy cows and laying hens are treated in the United States. Does anybody know about the animal welfare standards in South Africa, and whether they exceed those of the United States? I don't want to be an ungracious guest and am considering relaxing my vegan standards during the trip, especially if animals are treated more humanely in South Africa. Any information would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Hi there :)

I am a South African living in the US, but I have lived in SA for a majority of my life. I went veg when I was living there, and I had no problem replacing meat with alternatives. Although I wasn't vegan, as a vegetarian I could always find something to eat.
As for the animal welfare standards, I believe they are better in SA, mainly because there are less people there. There is not such a high demand for meat, and therefore there is no need to raise animals on factory farms. Most of the meat comes from family farms, and it is easier to find humane eggs there than it is here in the US. As for milk, I was not as informed then as I am now (thanks to VB), but I believe most milk comes from family farms as well.
Basically, you should be able to find something to eat anywhere, especially if you relax your standards.
I apologize for not being more of a help. I was only veg for a year there before moving, so I don't recall much detail.
I am so jealous of you for being able to go! There is no place like SA, and all the South Africans who I know that are living here want to move back. I hope you have a great time, and see a lot of the beautiful places in SA. Let us know how it went when you come back!

[colorful]

Hi there :)

I am a South African living in the US, but I have lived in SA for a majority of my life. I went veg when I was living there, and I had no problem replacing meat with alternatives. Although I wasn't vegan, as a vegetarian I could always find something to eat.
As for the animal welfare standards, I believe they are better in SA, mainly because there are less people there. There is not such a high demand for meat, and therefore there is no need to raise animals on factory farms. Most of the meat comes from family farms, and it is easier to find humane eggs there than it is here in the US. As for milk, I was not as informed then as I am now (thanks to VB), but I believe most milk comes from family farms as well.
Basically, you should be able to find something to eat anywhere, especially if you relax your standards.
I apologize for not being more of a help. I was only veg for a year there before moving, so I don't recall much detail.
I am so jealous of you for being able to go! There is no place like SA, and all the South Africans who I know that are living here want to move back. I hope you have a great time, and see a lot of the beautiful places in SA. Let us know how it went when you come back!

Thanks for the information. :) I am so excited about the trip. My sister moved there 2 1/2 years ago and we have FINALLY scraped up enough money for the flights!

[ForestGlade34]

bumping this thread for JAde who might appreciate it ;) (although I have replied in your already self made existing thread too, so either way I don't mind)

[bajanveggie83]

yes, automaton is spot on. meat plays quite a big role here, culturally - across the board.

i often get asked "well what can you eat?" in amazed tones. for the most part, people are generally interested when you tell them that you're veg. i am surprised though at how many times i ask for a veg option or something somewhere and then they say oh we've had other people ask that.

for a lot of people here a diet without meat, let alone eggs/dairy, for example is just incomprehensible - not necessarily in a negative way, but rather through ignorance about the subject.

in my experience, the attitude i have encountered is usually a 'different strokes' kinda thing. i just don't pay attention to the 0.000000001% of negative reactions. :D

it is the same thing here in Barbados to some extent
People think I am in a phase
They ask if I am still in that phase!!!!
what phase?

[LiquidMetal]

This is an old thread but I couldn't not reply.

I'm from Port Elizabeth and have a fantastic time dealing with dropped jaws, funny stares and double-takes :pibo:

I became pescetarian last year september, funnily enough after I met a vegan in a plane (if you are out there, congrats on the impact you had on me!). Went vegan in January after realising the hazards of canned products particularly fish. I certainly don't see myself turning back!

[African_Prince]

I want to move to South Africa!

[blondegurl38]

i have south african friends- good friends! and one of them, emma, keeps saying that there are no vegetarians atall in south africa. She lived in cape town. I said that there is, because i had spoken to vegetarian south africans and she said well they must have moved there as veggie. How can i persuade her that there are south africans who decided to go veggie or vegan while they were in africa? she always mentions that in south africa there are no veggies, it gets a little annoying- especially when i know there are! No offense to any south african people, i have good friends from cape town etc.

[MrFalafel]

One of my fav mock meat companies is based in South Africa:
http://www.frysvegetarian.co.za/about-us/

There are 23 vegetarian restaurants in South Africa
http://www.happycow.net/africa/south_africa/

There is a South African Vegan society:
http://www.vegansociety.co.za/

There are actually lots and lots of vegetarians in South Africa

[blondegurl38]

cool, thanks!

[Nixstix]

One of my fav mock meat companies is based in South Africa:
http://www.frysvegetarian.co.za/about-us/

There are 23 vegetarian restaurants in South Africa
http://www.happycow.net/africa/south_africa/

There is a South African Vegan society:
http://www.vegansociety.co.za/

There are actually lots and lots of vegetarians in South Africa

Thanks MrFalafel. My city (PE) is still a bit backward - no veg*n restaurants/health shops listed, and I cannot think of a 'real' vegetarian that I have met in my life, all of them, I've discovered, eat chicken or fish 'occasionally'. Never met a vegan. But then, I don't go around asking people what they eat! Glad to see there's at least one other vegan from my city on VB :)