One of the main challenges I have as a vegetarian trying to go Vegan at the moment is the fact that here in Puerto Rico we have very limited options to get meals while on the road.
On most ocasions we end up taking our own snacks and meals when we have to leave our home because their is a very low probability that in many places we can find a vegan and/or vegetarian friendly meal.
3 Plus Months of Staying Away From Dairy
When I was eating Dairy products on a daily basis it made it a bit easier but now that in the last 3 months I have eaten less than 10 items that contain dairy (one of them being chocolate) it makes it very difficult for us to stop and eat at a restaurant.
Savings when you don’t eat out
In our case its an economical benefit since we save a lot of money because we hardly ever eat out. Like me I know other vegans and vegetarians tha hardly every go out to eat because sadly in Puerto Rico and even some áreas of the U.S. I have visited the vegan options available at places are limited or non-existent.
Missed Opportunities for Restaurants
Every time we decide to take our food, make our own, or even invite our guests to our home because we don’t have many or any options it is a missed opportunity for some restaurants to earn some new loyal customers and earn some cash. On many occasions we would like to eat out and try somethign new but we either have to visit the few restaurants that cater to vegetarians or cook at home.
Not only do restaurants miss out on selling a plate to the vegan and vegetarian customers they might miss an opportunity to sell a plate to the friends that would love to have a meal at a place where vegetarian and vegan friends can also eat. So if their is a party of 8 and one is vegetarian or vegan the probability that the party of 8 will go to a non vegan/vegetarian friendly is very low.
Planning
When we plan to leave our home for long periods of time we end up carrying our families meal options and preparing them ahead of time. If we identified a place to eat along the way we are headed this is a huge time saver and an opportunity for the house chef to relax and maybe take part of the day off from the kitchen.
We are planning to revamp our site to include those places where vegetarians and vegans are invited and welcomed to eat.
We will be also writing another post so restaurants understand from our perspective why vegan and vegetarians will not visit your restaurant.
Do you know of any restaurants in your area that are vegetarian and vegan friendly?
Are there any that offer hispanic and latino options? Feel free to share in the comments area.