jjkbrook

I'll be travelling in provincial France later this month with my vegetarian daughter - she will eat dairy products and eggs mixed up with things (not omelets) but not meat,fowl, fish or seafood.

Can anyone share strategies or experiences with coping in good restaurants - I dont intend to shortchange myself and my other child because of her choice, but want her to have the best possible time, too and not have to sit there while we eat.

Any recommended restaurants in Normandy, Burgundy or the Loire that will cater for a vegetarian?

thanks so much in advance.

laclaire

I think that veg dining in France is pretty easy. We did it during Mad Cow disease, and then when the Belgian chickens all got sick a few years ago. As long as she will eat cheese and dairy products, all you have to do is say that she is a vegetarian. It is not weird any more to hear that, and good restaurants will probably have at least 1 option for her to eat.

I don't quite understand what you mean by saying she will eat eggs mixed up with things, but not omelettes, but then again, I like my eggs straight up with truffle sauce, so perhaps I just don't get it.

Ah, when kids go veg. Don't be angry! Just enjoy your meat and let your other daughter do the same. If she is dedicated to her decision, then that is that, and if not, c'est la viande.

P_M

Hi, laclaire.

I can't contribute much to the OP, but I would like to address the issue of eating "eggs mixed up with things," as I got a chuckle out of that phrase. I am exactly the same way, I only eat eggs if they are mixed up with things. This is because I don't like the taste of eggs. But if enough other stuff is mixed in, I don't actually taste the eggs.

I am always interested in whether or not vegetarians eat eggs, because some people see eggs as sort of a meat. I guess it depends on when you think life begins.... :-?

OK, let's not go there.

LOL!!

WillTravel

Many vegetarians will eat unfertilized eggs, but not fertilized eggs. Others refuse to eat eggs at all, because they philosophically oppose keeping chickens.

Scarlett

We don't eat meat and we find plenty to eat in Paris..so I imagine you will find them elsewhere in France. Cheeses, salads, they make such good fresh vegetables..soups, eggs mixed with things and baked goods!
If she is used to not eating meat, it will not be so hard for her to figure out what to pick off a menu. My son is a strict vegetarian and he travels all over the world and rarely has a problem ( Germany was difficult )
Have a good time!

laclaire

PM- I get eating eggs'n'stuff as opposed to just eggs, but then she said "not omelets" which, in my head, is just a fancy way of saying "eggs'n'stuff."

But really, which came first? The eggs or the stuff?

Lexma90

I believe that crepes, and creperies, are a Normandy sort of thing (even the crepery that we ate at in Paris billed itself as Normandy), so your daughter will have many choices at any restaurant that serves crepes. (And often more casual restaurants will have a crepe section of the menu, as well as an omelette section.) During a visit to the Loire Valley about 7 years ago, we ate at a creperie in Amboise; don't know if it's still there, but if not that one, I'd bet there are others.

Burgundy I think of as being more meat-centered (based only on two days spent there), so that may be a little more of a challenge.

If you know what towns you'll be visiting, see if you can locate restaurants and their menus online. That way, you and your daughter can get some ideas before you get there.

ira

Hi jj,

>she will eat dairy products and eggs mixed up with things ..<

Does that include creme brulee?

The French do vegetables very well. Look for a "assiette" (assortment) or "melange" (mix) légumes.

They also have pizza.

Cous-cous (coo coo) is a pasta dish that can be done with vegetables only, or an egg mixed up with things.

Have a nice visit.

P_M

LOL, laclaire!!

I can't speak for the OP's daughter, but I don't care much for omelettes because they taste too eggy. Most omelettes have 1/4 to 1/2 inch blanket of egg surrounding all of the good stuff inside. So if I do encounter an omelette like that, I cut it open and go straight for the good stuff, leaving behind the blanket of egg. I do like omelettes when the outer egg layer is very thin, like a crepe, then it's loaded w/cheese, ham, veggies, etc.

cocofromdijon

It a dish which comes from the south but you can find it a bit everywhere "ratatouille" veg only.
http://www.beyond.fr/food/ratatouille.html
In Burgundy ask for asparagus (the best in France come from my village Ruffey ;-) )
Here is a list of restaurants in Dijon with vegetarian dishes on their menus.
http://www.fra.cityvox.fr/restaurant...;QUA=&PRI=

Bon appétit!
coco

sheila

I beg to differ. I am vegetarian, and travel frequently to the south west of France. It's hopeless, unless you're cooking for yourself. The fresh produce is grand, but there is a mind set that does not translate vegetarianism into practice.

The pals with whom I travel joke about the ubiquitous "salade de chvere chaud" Tres bon, merci- but not at every meal.

The soup almost always has a meat or chicken stock. You have to paisntakingly explain that ham does not belong in aveggie salad. Omelettes are fine (sorry anout that jjkbrook), and cheese will come with salad or before dessert. Beyond that, forget it.

Crepes in Brittany are to be found everywhere. I don't know Normandy well, tho'.

As the Rough Guide to the Pyrennes says "vegans should prepare themselves for an extended period of weight loss". It's not quite as bad as that, but it's bad enough

vedette

Ira -- in cous-cous, the "s"s are pronounced. And it isn't pasta.

cocofromdijon

sorry Ira vedette is right, it is semolina (but we can say they come from the same thing, wheat)
CouScouS!

ira

Hi V and C,

Although I was taught to say "coo coo", I shall defer to your greater knowledge of contemporary French.

cocofromdijon

coocoo like in "coucou" is for peek-a-boo!
So you can say "coucou! how is your couscous s'il vous plait?" ;-)
I've just tried on naturalvoices website and when you enter coucou couscous you can hear a big difference.(with juliette not alain who's talking too fast). Even better with Arnaud (canadian voice) who almost sounds like an Arabian man. Perfect for couscous!

annetti

I'm a vegetarian, too and have traveled a great deal in France. Creperies and Pizza places are the easiest places for me, but what I often do if I can't find something vegetarian on the menu is order the fixed prix meal and give the meat part to my husband. It may bother other vegetarians to have the meat on their dish, but it saves explanations for me, my husband gets to taste something else, and I eat the salad, vegetables, bread and dessert. I have always managed in France (and Germany, too)and I've been a vegetarian since 1976.
Some restaurants are amazingly easy to deal with, will offer you special plates, and a few will throw up their hands in disgust, but the latter are relatively few. Don't worry, it really is not very difficult. She and you will do fine!

mvor

Another veggie chiming in...mostly it will depend what type of veggie she is or how strict she is about her diet. There's good advice here but if she doesn't eat cheeses w/rennet for example a lot of Italian food including some pizzas will be off limits. Have her check out:

http://happycow.net/europe/france/index.html
http://www.vegetariansabroad.com/france.html
egullet.com
chowhound.com

Like Sheila, I've have eaten more salads w/goats cheese than I care to remember but most restos will do something for her--especially if you give them advance warning (my best tip).

The biggest challenge is on prix fixe menus when a starter and dessert would make the most sense for a veggie (if the starter wasn't cooked w/meat stock) but it's usually a starter/entree or entree/dessert. But it's easy enough to go a la carte.

Annetti, is right, you'll do fine and it's great that your interested in supporting your daughter's beliefs!

Best of luck.

MaddieAstrid

I am also a vegetarian, and while I have little trouble in casual restaurants, nicer places in France can be tough. If I know where I am going in advance, I call the restaurant. However, I was at the Maison Blanche in Paris about a month ago and my charms failed to produce any vegetarian food except for a bowl of soup which turned out not out be vegetarian! I could care less as I enjoy atmosphere and wine much more than food anyway. However the experience was remarkable considering a) I have eaten very well here in the past and b) the waiter asked me at the end of the meal if I was a famous actress. But I digress. I find that, in France, simply announcing that I am a vegetarian to the waiter and asking for a recommendation is much LESS effective than telling him that I “prefer” to eat vegetarian as if it is some sort of whim, and asking for a suggestion. Perhaps it is the difference between demanding to be accommodated and exploring the possibilities …either way I am always incredibly polite and deferential (I speak French), but I would say my success rate is not over 70%. However, as long as you daughter isn’t going to feel uncomfortable occasionally picking at a first course salad as her entrée (while eating around the lardon), I wouldn’t worry about it.

KrunkoDallas

bmk

jjkbrook

Sorry to take so long posting back - our experience on this trip was a mixed bag but overall pretty good - Id say the "today's style" restaurants worked out better for my daughter than the more traditional places, tho good cheese courses in the latter places were always a helpful plus. One of the problems for vegetarians is that non-vegs think they only eat vegetables - not true - or only like boring plates of steamed vegetables or other extremely simple preparations. While that is true for some, we much appreciated places with a more creative approach - of which our fave was Ze Kitchen Gallerie in Paris. Excellent, complex dishes, both for veg and non-veg eater. My daughter joked that her three dishes all involved green liquids - but they tasted totally different. Highly recommended creative, delicious and convincing fusion cuisine. Ill try to post the other successful experiences when I can get back to my notes on Burgundy, Normandy and the Loire. but I can note that delicious gougeres (cheese pastries) wines, cherries, asparagus and fragrant wild strawberries certainly cushioned any culinary disappointments.