I’m going on exchange for a year to europe in september, and will be doing homestay at three different families. How do I stay as raw vegan or just vegan if i have to as possible, without being extremely awkward and seeming rude? I will be going to highschool.
I would say that if you are going to live in someone elses house you should be ready to make some adjustments in your life style or be willing to stay home. I would consider you to be the "ugly American" if you were to come to my home as a guest and make demands because of your ‘ideals’.
How do I stay raw vegan or even vegan at someone else’s house?
July 7, 2009 6 Comments
Oh this is tough! Just act like you would if you were constantly eating out [having to ask whats in everything]. Your families will get accoustomed to what you can and can’t have, just make it CLEAR from the very beginning, make sure you let them know how important it is to you and they will/should understand. Try cooking for them a few times, so they know you just don’t eat salads and beans. I think it will be easier than you think, Europe is much further along than any other country in providing vegetarian/veganism options, so that’s good.
If you are really worried, and hate explaining it to people, just say you have allergies against those foods.
Good luck and i’m sure it will be so fun! Encourage your families to try vegan/raw restaurants also.
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You didn’t mention what part of Europe. I’d be very careful, because in some European countries it is considered rude to not eat what is put in front of you. I would not play 20 questions with the food that is already sitting on your plate, as that may seem incredibly rude to them.
I suggest you tell the people you will be living with as soon as possible that you have dietary restrictions. Tell them that you cannot eat many kinds of foods and that you do not want to be a bother to them. Just say that you would like to prepare your own food so that you do not inconvenience them, and attempt to do so with your own money. They may decide to help you out, but do not force them into anything. If there is a language barrier, you may want to make sure there is someone who can translate for this particular discussion.
Hopefully they will be understanding.
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I would say that if you are going to live in someone elses house you should be ready to make some adjustments in your life style or be willing to stay home. I would consider you to be the "ugly American" if you were to come to my home as a guest and make demands because of your ‘ideals’.
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You need to let them know your vegan diet in advance, nothing to worry about that. Just like if I have an allegery, i need to tell other who serves me food that i can’t eat certain stuff.
You need to learn few vegan recipe (maybe Asian ones) and you cook for yourself and them too – Exchange of Food too !
Or you can be less strict, like if honey is a small portion listed in certain product and they offer you this, without no other choice, you may want to accept it or eat little.
Cheers
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I think the hardest time I have had as a vegan who travels constantly has been while being someone’s guest. Some hosts just don’t get it, some are wonderful, but buy nothing but the most expensive high end stuff (this, I suspect, would get old to a host family pretty quickly), and some just ‘get it,’ and embrace the new challenge.
How hard this will be may will depend on your hosts. If you have any say in how the exchange program picks host families, perhaps they could put you with a vegetarian (or even vegan!) family, thus making your task much easier. Unless you’re very lucky, staying raw while a guest in a non-vegan home may prove to be a pipe dream.
I would simply avoid coming across as preachy or judgmental, and be clear upfront that you have made certain choices about your lifestyle that you hope they will respect.
Europe is pretty progressive, and the host families I’ve known (including my own) in the US were too. Having said that, my mom would definitely be rolling her eyes and feeling slightly put out at having to feed a vegan all year. She’d do it, and she’d be respectful to the unwitting vegan guest, but it would get old for her. Kinda like my veganism got old for her…
I think if you frame it the right way and you are respectful and humble, you’ll make it happen. Have a great trip!
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Just explain to them, they’ll get it. Staying %100 raw might be tough, maybe aim for %60-%80 while visiting.
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