If you have not experienced this yet, it is almost 100% guaranteed that you will be asked the following questions at some point along your journey upon revealing that you are a vegan:
- "But..Why?"
- "So wait...you don't eat ANY meat?"
- "So...what DO you eat?"
- "Where do you get your protein?"
- "Where do you get your calcium?"
- "Isn't that unhealthy?"
- "Aren't humans supposed to have meat in our diets because we are omnivores?"
- "How do you 'enjoy life'?"
I have found that Veganism is not only uncommon here in South America, but a completely alien concept to many. I am the first vegan that my boyfriend's parents have ever met, for example, and most people have a very hard time understanding the rationale behind this "strange" lifestyle.
For this reason, it is important to be prepared when traveling and know how to handle these situations in the best light possible. Of course, any vegan is already used to being asked these questions by people every day of their lives, but being surrounded by a completely different culture takes extra care and consideration. On one hand, you want to integrate into the local culture and do not want to offend anybody or come off as rude, "preachy" or demeaning to your host country. However, on the other hand, you want to educate and spread truth throughout the world along your travels.
I have found so far that the best response to these questions is to give a brief explanation followed by a recommendation of some of your favorite vegan books, articles, or videos to those who are interested in learning more about veganism. There are truly so many great sources of information out there available in so many different languages and this may be the easiest way to educate others while traveling.Just a few of my favorites are the documentaries include: "Forks Over Knives", "Earthlings", "Food Inc" and "Fast Food Nation". Three of my favorite books are "The China Study", "Slaughterhouse", and "Skinny Bitch" (the book that first turned my attention from vegetarianism to veganism).
For travelers, my number one source recommendation is Gary Yourofsky's speech on Youtube, "The Best Speech Ever," because it is available in almost every language (Spanish included), has a title that people will easily remember, and has a ton of information in a one hour long speech. You can check it out here and upload it to any social media site to share with your new travel buddies who might be giving you a hard time!
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