Meatless Travel

Lovely fresh fruit

I’ve been a pescatarian for a solid year now and going strong. I made the choice last year in an effort to be more healthy but my dedication transformed to become a statement about the un-sustainability of a meat inclusive diet. However, this post is not a spiel arguing for my beliefs. Instead it’s to talk about what traveling as someone who doesn’t eat meat looks like for me. First of all, it’s hard. From watching friends eat amazing looking burgers to decedent slabs of meat, I have to admit to salivating over meat...a lot. And those examples only include the foods in the U.S., don’t even get me started when my family travels to famed charcuterie places. I’d been having a bit of an internal debate during my time in Spain and after because I sometimes feel I miss out on key cultural experiences by choosing not to eat meat but still wanting to stick to my beliefs.

One with meat, one without. Good family balance

What I’ve found that has really worked for me is traveling with the mentality that I won’t exclude the option to try something special and unique even if it is meat. And it’s been great! There was no way I could go to Spain and leave without trying the famed Iberian ham, and one cannot simple leave the South without ingesting some sort of meat product. In Spain I was more than happy to sample all the ham I felt like and still felt that I was sticking to my core beliefs. Personally, I am not willing to pass up an experience which I may not get anywhere else or any other time and I think I can make a good compromise. A perk of trying to find meals for myself is that often I get to try more fresh fruits and veggies and get a taste of good local produce which is such a treat. I don’t want to reintroduce meat back to my life full time but a treat is always worth it and this girl needs more iron and B12 as it is.