Animal friendly countries/cities

[tails4wagging]

To visit for a holiday?. I want to go somewhere warm, but do not want to put money into a country that is barbaric to their animals. I refuse to go to countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy and many Eastern countries. I cannot tolerate seeing distressed animals in these countries, it would ruin my holiday.

[eve]

tails4wagging - sorry no such country exists. I guess we have to accept that the world is full of omnivores, with a few vegans on the side!

[wuggy]

Yes, I agree, eve.
I have to visit Spain occasionally as my family live there. I think things are improving a little bit.
I always donate to the local animal rescue when I visit, and my parents support their efforts.

[Korn]

If a city, and not a country is enough for you, you could try Pushkar in India, which is considered a holy city by the Indians. Cows walk freely in the streets everywhere in India, but in Pushkar, eating meat or eggs is not even allowed. There are lots of western visitors in Pushkar, so the local cafe's probably have vegan meals to offer as well.

[John]

Spaniards may be insane but wow, Spain is beautiful. One thing that is kind of gross is that almost every local pub has a big pig's leg mounted on the bar. They love pork.

[wuggy]

I remember once my brothers Catalonian girlfriend said to me "You are a - a vegetarian - you eat no meat atall?" I replied that it was true. She stared in amazement and asked, simply (and increduously) "What for?". To me that sums up Spain's attitude to animals!
By the way, I was watching a bit of a programme about two English people looking for a house in Spain a couple of days ago. They happened to be veggies, so the presenter took them to meet another English couple who run a Veggie restaurant in Spain. They explained how well they were doing, and how lots of Spainish people were now prepared to try the veggie food - then went on to say that they themselves were no longer vegetarian because they found it too difficult in Spain!!! Doh!
On a personal note, I don't think it's particularly hard there - Soya milk is dead easy to buy, so are fruits and vegetables and potatoes, so what's the big problem?!

[tails4wagging]

Wuggy, Bullfighting!!

[wuggy]

No, sorry, I didn't mean what's the big problem with Spain - obviously Bullfighting, Goat Fiestas, Greyhound Racing, etc are a major turn-off!!!!!!!!!!!
I meant what was the problem for the Vegetarian Restaurant owners who went back to eating meat!!
No, I know what you mean about holidays. I stick to the UK when I get chance of a break, and even then I have to walk around with my eyes half shut or my troubled mind would never rest!!
Incidentally, some Europeans think we Brits are hypocrits whilst Hunting continues here, but lets hope that will be finished with soon!

[Gorilla]

i rarely go abroad on holiday any more, partly because of the difficulty with finding decent food, and partly other reasons such as my dislike of flying and the environmental impact of travelling a long way away. there is so much to see and do in the UK and it's so veggie friendly if you know where to go - the book Vegetarian Britain is great for planning a holiday so you can make sure you'll never be stuck somewhere without anything to eat!

[Trendygirl]

How about India? My boyfriend’s family is from there and there are many vegetarian Hindus. They are not very big on dairy out there far as I know and they don’t eat eggs. A friend of mine lived there for three years and I believe he was vegan at the time as well. A lot of people speaks English so it is easy to explain what you want.

I wouldn’t go to France though, they have some of the worst animal welfare standards and when I went to Paris I found it hard to find anything to eat. For five days I eat fruit from the supermarket and pizza with no cheese. They are not even very veggie friendly, however my boyfriends sister who is veggie by religion lived out there for a whole year. Try this website and find out where the veggie restaurants are in the country you are thinking of. http://www.vegdining.com/Home.cfm

[tails4wagging]

What about Japan, they do not consume dairy, do they?. Whats their animal welfare like?.

[John]

They actually consume a lot of dairy. Japanese dairies are the most efficient in the world. Their cows produce more milk than any other country's. They have these structures that look like cow apartment buildings where cows live in cells in a large multi-storey building.
They love steak too.

[tails4wagging]

Is it the chinese then, I thought there was an asian country that did not consume dairy?.

[Trendygirl]

If you go to any oriental country you have to be careful as they put fish sauce and often fish flakes in everything. Even if they say that it has no meat, dairy or eggs in ask if there is any fish sauce in it. My veggie friend went to Japan and had this problem, I also watched a TV program about Vietnam in which it was the same there as well. You should just go to the country of your choice and lap up the culture but make sure to learn a few vegan phrases first.

[John]

Go back about 50 years in time and neither the Chinese nor Japanese ate much dairy. And very little meat for that matter. Nowadays they are very enamored with western culture. They like butter and put dairy in many packaged foods.

[eve]

Australia is exporting live cows to Asia for them to improve and expand their dairy industries.

[tails4wagging]

Yes, and look at that horrendous time last year the aussies sent out thousands of sheep on that ship!

[1984]

Hey everyone, I was wondering if there was anyone here from Canada who knows of anyone vegan friendly cities. I'm trying to figure out where I want to go to University next year and I'm wondering about eco-groups, and AR groups, restaurants , and just vegetarian people in cities. I've loved Montreal my whole life, but now that I think about it , it's the one city with window meat shops all over the place. Actually there's this one smoked meat store called Schwartz that is about 3 blocks from my old girlfriends place and it has like a half hour line up all the time! So what the best city for a vegan to live in????????????????????????????????????????

[gertvegan]

I'm guessing you're after Vegan Friendly Cities in Canada yeah ?

[1984]

Yeah primarily, but I'd like to know about everywhere too. I love travelling, and any cities of such you know of I'd really like to learn about

[Roxy]

I have heard Vancouver being mentioned as the friendliest vegetarian city in the country. I guess it is vegetarian friendly - but there's always room for improvement!

Vegan in Vancouver (previously posted by Gertvegan)

[mysh]

Seattle!
I was only there for a couple of days, but the restaurants I went to there actually understood what "vegetarian" really means. I even went to one restaurant there that had an entirely vegan menu (except the fortune cookies)! I was blown away by that!
And it's close to Canada.
I would loooove to move there.. *sigh*
And the University of Washington is an outstanding University, too.

[Pete]

If you ever coe to the UK come visit Brighton!
(This will probably start the Manchester Vs Brighton as best vegan city on this board too, a Billy )

[PinkFluffyCloud]

We have a totally Vegan cafe in Holyhead, ya know!

[PinkFluffyCloud]

.............And a totally Vegan shop in Porthmadog!

[Atlanta Newbie]

The Atlanta area has three vegetarian Chinese places (two of which are vegan except for fortune cookies), five vegan ('cept for honey) cafes, and two vegetarian (vegan-friendly) cafes. And those are just the ones I know of first-hand. Not bad for the southern U.S.!

[eve]

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 ...

[tails4wagging]

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.

[eve]

That's true enough, but somehow I doubt that vegetarians would mistreat their animals, don't you? Unlike other countries, such as Korea.

[tails4wagging]

Maybe, but i would only go if someone had been there and said it was ok.

[PinkFluffyCloud]

Thanks, Eve, I never knew that, very interesting.

[eve]

Maybe, but i would only go if someone had been there and said it was ok.

Haven't you done much travelling?

[tails4wagging]

yes, a bit a few years ago, I went abroad with my job quite a bit as a escort nurse for an insurance company, so went to places such as spain, Tunnisia, France and Russia to either pick up an ill/injured child or take a well one back to their homeland.

Never been to Aus, or America, mostly Europe. Never saw much on some of these trips as it was a quick turn around because of flight times and crew pressure. But I did see enough to know what countries I did not want to return too!!

[Tigerlily]

Everyone in Taiwan is vegetarian? Or just the majority?

[feline01]

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.

You're right about that, I remember seeing cats in cages at a local market in China along with monkey, snakes, chickens, and many other animals. They were packed in there and ready for people to purchase for their dinners. I was sickened at this and felt like buying all of them but didn't know what I would do with them once I did. I still feel bad . And in Russia, stray dogs would just come up to the campsites begging for food, they were so hungry. Even a few goats showed up. Not that the USA is a fine example on how to treat animals .

[tails4wagging]

Yes, feline01 same applies to the UK, there is cruelty everywhere!!

[John]

Be careful what you eat in Taiwan.
Most "vegetarian" foods have animal (meat) ingredients.

[eve]

feline01 - Taiwan is not China, nor is it Russia. I saw plenty of illtreatment in China. And as for John's url, that is a Chinese one, and you know their attitude to Taiwan - they want to conquer it like they conquered Tibet. I disregard any news coming from China.

[feline01]

feline01 - Taiwan is not China, nor is it Russia. I saw plenty of illtreatment in China. And as for John's url, that is a Chinese one, and you know their attitude to Taiwan - they want to conquer it like they conquered Tibet. I disregard any news coming from China.

eve, I'm well aware that Taiwan is not China or Russia, I was merely giving examples of places I have been that I've seen sad cases of animal mistreatment or lack of care. I was under the impression that this thread was not necessarily about Taiwan. I might be a stupid, ethnocentric American but I do know my geography just a little bit better than you have suggested.

[adam antichrist]

May 29, 2005

Bombay exiles its meat eaters
Amrit Dhillon, Bombay

RICH vegetarians in Bombay are turning sections of their city into meat-free zones — to the indignation of meat eaters barred from living there.
Housing complexes and whole neighbourhoods in India’s most cosmopolitan city are going vegetarian. Even on Malabar Hill, where foreigners and Indian millionaires live in mansions, some shops owners refuse to stock meat products.

Bollywood stars also risk being drawn into the row. Mahima Choudhury, the actress who is such a staunch vegetarian she has done free promotions for the campaigning group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is appalled at the idea of banning meat eaters from flats.

“I think people should live in harmony whatever their beliefs,” she said last week. “I don’t agree with meat eaters being kept out of apartment blocks because vegetarians don’t want the smell of meat. You can’t impose your views on other people.”

Leading the stealthy enforcement of the meat fatwa are businessmen -diamond merchants, traders, industrialists and clothing exporters. Many are from Gujarat, where vegetarianism is common, or are Jains, vegans who do not even eat root vegetables such as onions, garlic and potatoes.

For a long stretch of Marine Drive — Bombay’s Champs Elysées — there are no restaurants serving meat, fish or eggs. Even Pizza Hut has gone vegetarian. This is not enough for the more radical vegetarians, however, who insist on the right to live among their kind.

Two years ago Jati Chedda, 32, moved into Ramkrupa Flats in south Bombay with her husband and was relieved to find the occupants of the 120 flats were all vegetarians.

“We detest the smell of meat being cooked,” she said. “Even omelettes give off a disgusting aroma. My relatives would avoid coming to my house if my neighbours were non-vegetarian.”

Bhavesh Shah, a shopkeeper and a Jain, has thrown a cordon sanitaire around his housing complex in Breach Candy. “Our housing society asks new tenants to sign a declaration,” he said. “If they’re found cooking meat, they’re thrown out.”

The Supreme Court has ruled that people who want to live in a community of “like-minded” people can prevent outsiders moving in.

Sanjay Narang, a hotelier, was forced to close his restaurant after residents of the nearby vegetarian building spat at customers from balconies, threw nails at them and scratched their cars. They were particularly affronted that it was close to a Jain temple. “What they did was completely against Bombay’s live and let live ethos,” said Narang.

The only support for meat eaters comes from the regional Hindu nationalist party, the Shiv Sena. Hostile to Indians moving from other regions, it is indignant that “Bombay wallahs” who eat meat are being excluded from buildings by the Gujarati vegetarians.

Last year a Shiv Sena group stormed vegetarian buildings demanding admission for meat eaters armed with Bombay duck, a strong-smelling dried fish. “People are free to choose their own lifestyle but imposing it on your neighbours is wrong,” said Subhash Desai, a party spokesman.

read the article

[tails4wagging]

I wish other places did that, what a utopia that would be.

[Geoff]

Sounds fair enough to me as there are plenty of housing complexes with rules such as 'no children,' 'no pets' etc. We have housing estates where dogs aren't allowed because of koalas living nearby and others where your colour scheme has to be approved.
In my street it's compulsory to have at least one wrecked car, rotting away in the front yard.

[cedarblue]

In my street it's compulsory to have at least one wrecked car, rotting away in the front yard.

in the uk, geoff, if you hire a roadside skip to load up with rubbish to be taken away, its also compulsory to have at least one stained old mattress sticking out of it! [where do the stains come from though? ]

[berta_the_aspie]

Wow, great news, India has actually come along way, at least it is acccepted there to be vegan, isn't it in their religion too...?

[adam antichrist]

There are many religions in India, some of which incorporate veg*n ideals.

[catalina]

I hope it's not too late to reply to this, but that information about Taiwan is not accurate. I have been going to Taiwan at least twice a year for the past 25 years, and it is NOTHING like that. Most people are NOT vegetarian. Sure, there are people who are vegans for Buddhist reasons, but they are a small minority. Pork is a very big staple in Taiwanese food. There are specialist vegan restaurants that are very good, but it's not like every other person you meet is a vegetarian. As for stray cats and dogs, they are very common. The Taiwanese are very fond of buying puppies and kittens, but many people tend to "lose" their pets when they're no longer so cute.

[Bodybuilder]

What do you think is the most vegan-friendly country and why?

I've always said England because there seems to be more vegans from there than anywhere else and they are so active in community events promoting veganism.

I've heard Austria has the best laws protecting animals.

The United States has some very impressive vegan sections such as the West Coast and parts of the East Coast, but as whole, the US may be one of the most destructive countries and on a large scale not-so-vegan-friendly.

I never thought of Germany as being vegan friendly (I've been there), but I seem to see more vegans from Germany than anywhere else other than the UK and the US.

What are your thoughts on this? I'd be pretty interested to hear.

[Roxy]

Hmmmm.......what about India? Vegetarianism is very wide-spread there and aren't some of their animals regarded as sacred?

[mophoto]

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.......

[mophoto]

Hmmmm.......what about India? Vegetarianism is very wide-spread there and aren't some of their animals regarded as sacred?

oops didn't think of india