Jet Lagged Gianna

Roma! The city of love, beauty, and, well, cheese. The first question I got when telling people that I was going to Italy was “Are you going to eat cheese?” (or meat or fish or any other animal products). And my answer (nope) was always met with uncertainty. Most of this uncertainty came from non-vegans or people who had never been to Italy in their life. So, don’t let other people convince you not to travel AND stick to your dietary guidelines.

1. I Read Other People’s Blog

You read that right. I’m not a vegan pioneer setting out for the first time to discover the hidden vegan gems in all different countries. I’m about 10 years too late for that. The truth of the matter is, for about every city you visit (especially popular tourist cities) there are pages of blogs titled “Eating Vegan in (Insert City Here).” Over the past few years, the travel market has exploded. Over the past few years, the vegan market has exploded. So, it’s no surprise that vegan travel blogs are insanely popular. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to write my own version of How to Eat Vegan in Rome.

So yes, step one is blog searching! From real people who have been to all of these places. The great thing about blogs is that you can read people’s honest opinions of a restaurant and (hopefully) see pictures of the food that you can order. (If you’re anything like me, you have your food picked out before you even get to the restaurant. And if you can see a picture of that food ahead of time – even better!)

2. I Made Reservations Way in Advance

Wandering the streets of Rome and stumbling upon a little, family-run restaurant to order home-made pasta from Giuseppe’s nonna seems nice. But the truth of the matter is, things just aren’t like that anymore. Rome is packed with tourists (I’ve been there on the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter and it continues to be filled with selfie sticks and fanny packs). In Italy (and most of Europe in general), the waiters don’t care if you eat in 5 minutes or 5 hours. Once you have a table, that table is yours for the night. They aren’t working for tips, so it doesn’t matter how many people they seat in a night. Which means you might have to wait hours for a table, or you’ll just be turned away completely.

By making reservations in advance, you know for a fact you’ll have a place to eat and you’ll know exactly what you’ll be getting. So, do your research, and make that reservation so that you avoid hanger from all members of your party.

3. TripAdvisor and Happy Cow

I call this part one giant DUH. TripAdvisor and HappyCow are the easiest and most popular ways to discover restaurants with vegan options in the location you are going to be visiting. Just type in the city and click the dietary restriction you need and voila! Tons of options with pictures and reviews.

Because I was traveling with non-vegans, everybody needed to be happy. In fact, I traveled with every type of eater under the sun – vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, gluten-free, and even a guy who doesn’t believe a dish is complete without a giant piece of meat right in the center. TripAdvisor was basically a life saver.

4. I Asked Questions

Nobody wants to be that annoying costumer who asks a thousand questions before they can even begin to fathom what they might want to order off of the menu. Okay, maybe some people do. But, in my humble opinion, making sure that you are eating a completely cruelty-free meal is worth the slight annoyance you may cause the waiter. And most of the time, they won’t get annoyed at all. Especially in Italy. Italians are great ❤

Simply explain your dietary restrictions (it helps if you learn how to say “meat” “fish” “dairy” etc. in Italian. Most people in Italy speak English, but they’ll appreciate the effort if you even slightly attempt to communicate with them in their native tongue). I’ve never been to a restaurant in Italy where I’ve told them I don’t eat animal products and they said “sorry, can’t help ya.” The waiters have always been happy to point out what I can eat off the menu, or talk to the chef to make sure that I could remain cruelty-free.

5. I Cooked My Own Meals

No, I did not eat out for every meal while I was traveling. Why? Because that’s freaking expensive and also because I love home-cooked meals. I love cooking and I love my mom’s cooking. And eating at home in Italy was so nice, especially after a long day of touristing around the city. And Italians literally only eat pasta and pizza (not complaining because its AH-MAZING) but it was nice to change things up.

I didn’t eat in because I didn’t have options. Trust me, there were so many vegan options that I didn’t even get to try 1/4 of them because I was only in Rome for one week.

6. I Avoided Hanger AT ALL COSTS

Hanger can lead you to do some crazy things. Oh, the fights I’ve started and people I’ve offended simply because I didn’t eat a big enough breakfast. I made sure I was eating enough at every meal (and when you’re traveling, you have to eat more than usual because you’re walking/burning calories more than usual). I also always had snacks.

So please, please, please whoever is reading this, don’t let your diet stop you from seeing the world. There is so much to see. And so much to eat.