Animal friendly countries/cities

[Bodybuilder]

i posted a thread awhile ago that asked the same question and it was never really answered, especially if you base the question by population. i would agree that england wins:)

i do think that austria is awesome as far as animal rights goes but when i was there i was a vegetarian and couldn't find a damn thing to eat!! if i knew the german language better maybe.......

Hey, sorry....being new, I didn't know the question had already been asked.

I know that India is very vegetarian-friendly but I hear it is one of the largest consumers of milk. Anyone know any more on that?

I've been to 31 countries, but mostly tourist spots (I worked on a cruise ship) but I did live in England for about a month and I was quite impressed.

[rach71]

From everywhere I've travelled (which is limited to North America and Europe), I would say England, that's where I found the most vegan options. Definitely not Canada, although BC is the most vegan friendly part of the country and way better than Ontario where I'm originally from.

[mophoto]

i can't beat 31 countries:)

what did you do on the ship?

[Bodybuilder]

i can't beat 31 countries:)

what did you do on the ship?

I worked for on a Celebrity cruise ship as a massage therapist for 7 months, then got burnt out from that and the next ship I was on, I worked for Celebrity Cruises as a Youth Supervisor for 6 1/2 months, and then another ship for 3 1/2 months doing the same thing. It was pretty cool to get paid to play sports, games, act out characters, and read stories to kids...while traveling all over the place.

But we just stopped in ports and most of the time the only parts of the city I got to see were tourist spots, unless I went on a tour or excursion somewhere further away.

But yeah, England and other parts of Europe were vegan-friendly and some places in the Caribbean as well.

The West Coast of the US and Canada are also great.

[mophoto]

i went on my first cruise in january- way too touristy and i felt so bad for the workers on the ship- they never stopped

[Bodybuilder]

Yeah, those were all my friends. Some work very long hours and 7 days a week. I was lucky, I worked less than 40 hours a week most of the time. I still worked 7 days a week but some were "off" days when we just worked for 3 hours, like a 9-12 shift. The crew members do work very hard and are busy all the time, but it is a fun life, there are tons of parties, themes, and usually at least 2-3 decks on the ship just for the crew (our our clubs, bars, internet cafe, library, pool, etc.). And all the traveling, etc. It is rough, but the money isn't too bad and there are some great aspects of the lifestyle too.

Sorry, we kinda got sidetracked from the topic of most vegan-friendly countries out there :)

[tabitha]

I havent been to that many countries since I became vegan two years ago, but in my first few months of being vegan, I went to Australia and couldnt find much there. They had beautiful fruit and veg of course, but if I want to find any nut and seeds etc., I didnt have much luck. I went to Gosford.

[sugarmouse]

much as i love englad i hate the way our folk treat our animals:(

but i agree iv not found it too difficult being a vegan.wherever you go you can always get something..but then i have nthing to compare it to!

[scruffyhead]

I never go abroad when we have such a nice country here, i find that most places ive been to do cater for vegans, if not i just eat loads of friut till i get back to my vegan abode :)

[sugarmouse]

i dont go abroad for the reason that i dont like to leave my home..i like to be around my friends and family.i would go away witha loved one but hopefully stilin the country where iknow the customs and know i am not far fromwhere i belong:)does that make me boring...maybe..but happy that way!LOl

i have always thought japan were totally disrespectful of animals.i rememebr seeing a programme where there was arestaurant and you could pick your snake to eat out of a tank, then it was ripped open alive infront of everyone.iremember thinking, you complete imbecilic ba**ards:(

[Alvin Carrier]

Here's what I have so far. Anybody correct me if I'm wrong. In Canada, animals can be trapped, and cruelly, simply because their fur is worth money. In England, the animal must be a "pest", and the trap cannot be designed to torture and kill the animal. In Canada are rodeos: ropes getting thrown around frightened animals' necks, steers getting wrestled to the ground. In England, no such thing. I hear the pctg. of veggies in England is 6%; in Canada, 4%. But the gap could be bigger: there are so many veggie websites from England. I'm not aware of any from Canada. . . . getting away from animals for a moment, but staying within comparisons between two countries on the evolutionary scale. The book "Stairway to Heaven" on Led Zeppelin says a six-figure sum was stolen from Zeppelin's safety deposit box during a stand at Madison Square Garden. And late drummer John "Bonzo" Bonham said it could be worse. He said this is America, with guns and "crazy people". And least no one was shot. Imagine the proud American reader reading this and getting a glimpse of what the English think!

[Alvin Carrier]

Let's not forget Japan has been killing whales with the excuse that it is for scientific research. I think Norway also still kills whales.
Bodybuilder, you've had somewhat the experience I hope to have someday: sampling England for more than a week or two, and even considering living there. I know a US Customs official here from Wisconsin who lived in Richmond, London for two years and would like to retire there. I doubt that she's a veggie.
Another vegan board said Italy is good for vegan products like ice cream, but the people are really no better there than anywhere else.

[veganwitch]

Seattle, Washington is an oasis for vegans. For the few days I was there, there were more vegan restaurants to eat at than I had time for. There are also vegetarian restaurants w/ many vegan options.

If such a big move wouldn't stress out my animals I'd seriously think about moving there.

[Alvin Carrier]

Sounds like heaven, but how do they treat their animals and strays?.
What stops me going abroad now is seeing strays, dogs and cats in appalling conditions. I haven't read the whole thread, but has anyone else here been to the Collosseum in Rome and seen all those stray cats? You can read in a book that tourists feed them well, but I found them skinny and desperate. You'd just want to take them all home and feed them and love them! I was there in '78. Things are probably no better now.

[Alvin Carrier]

Spain and Iceland must also be killing whales--Sea Shepherd has sunken many of their whaling boats!

[Alvin Carrier]

My boss is a Sikh from India and should have known for years that I won't eat meat. Lately, he asked me why on Earth I would want to be veggie. My answer tends to be "You like animals to die?" His reply was a have-it-both-ways scenario. He doesn't like animals to die but will keep on eating meat. Then he gave me the common response that a veg diet would be healthier. I wouldn't worry about whether one is veggie for health or morality. Once they go veggie, they may as well strut around that they're being kind to animals. Once they realize they have the willpower to stay veggie, they can't resist beaming that they are pro-animal. Look at me. I was a proLifer (still am) and felt I would somehow bolster or authenticate my live-and-let-live proLife stand by caring about animals as well. And now I'm more anti-meat than I am proLife. My charity money once went to hungry humans, now it all goes to such charities as WSPA and IFAW. I think animals are the real victims in this world, whether or not their suffering makes the headlines. Do you know anyone who is veggie for HEALTH and clarifies that it is not for animal welfare?

[Alvin Carrier]

I just wanted to complain that the Detroit Red Wings' hockey fans are STILL throwing octopi onto the ice to celebrate a goal. One minute, the carnivores are insisting that they MUST kill animals for meat or they'll die . . . then their slippery slope finds its way to taking a creature's life away so that someone can celebrate a goal in hockey!

[itofu]

I was just wondering which country has the most vegans. It seems the UK dominates most of this message board. Is the UK more vegan-friendly?

I'm thinking of moving somewhere in a year and I was thinking Portland, Oregon or Berkeley, as I wanted to be surrounded by people like me...

Are any other places or countries particularly vegan friendly?

Thanks!

[wisetraveller]

This is a Vegan Voice article that begins: "Imagine a country where millions of people don't eat meat, where sumptuous vegetarian food is plentiful and reasonably priced, and where even the national airline encourages vegetarianism."

Seems you don't have to go to planet Vega, but a flight to Taiwan. Apparently the island's population of 22 million are vege for spiritual or health reasons, and wherever one eats, the food is freshly brought from the market each day, in fact fridges are seldom used. The Taiwanese are also very friendly people, and it's handy that many people there speak English. The fruit is to die for, and eating out is done much more than in Oz or NZ. I seem to have missed out on Taiwan when I did some travelling, and it's a country of temples, teahouses, hot springs, Chinese art, cellphones and fine vege food. Maybe one day ...;)

That is ridiculous. Taiwanese cuisine is flooded with meat. Have you ever been there?. They also treat animals like shit.