Taking the long way around

Jet trails in the sky

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Do you often fly coach/economy? Then you will be acutely aware of how lousy airline food can be.

Requesting a vegan meal on a plane is even more of  minefield. I was once served a lamb curry for my special meal request. Another adventure involved nothing but a few blocks of cheese and water crackers. And of course we all know the anguish of having nothing to eat except a bowl of under-ripe melon. I have enjoyed the occasional vegan meal on a flight and the memory will always be cherished of being served a vegan donut with chocolate soy milk on a United Airlines flight.

I am keen to share my latest experience of vegan flying food with you, but before I do I want to ask a question. What is the best vegan food you have been served inflight? What is the least memorable? What is the most unbelievably bad? I know that is more than one question, but I am just that curious!

Here is the vegan meal I was served on British Airways a week ago on my way to Mexico City. Overall I was impressed by the quality and the thought that had gone into my meal. The vegan dishes were actually vegan as far as I could tell. It was definitely one of the most satisfying vegan meals I have experienced on a flight during the last few years. How does this rate with your experiences?

Dairy free bread with vegan spread was a rare flying treat

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Cupcakes en la capital

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Para los hispanohablantes hay una versión en español al final de esta página.

I traveled 11 hours by plane to the other side of the world and what did I discover? If you guessed delicious vegan cupcakes, give yourself a pat on the back!

Mexico City is not known internationally as a haven for vegans. Walking through any street market in the metropolis would lead you to believe the concept of plant-based fare is completely unknown. All sorts of dead animals are fried, boiled and seared before your very eyes and it is confronting and often gruesome.

But not all is lost. A new wave of vegan options is taking over Distrito Federal and I am extremely proud to say a dear friend of mine is part of the movement by making sure he offers cruelty-free treats as part of his new baking endeavour.

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Cocina cruda es mi amor

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If you read my ramblings with any regularity, you’ll have noticed I don’t follow the healthiest of eating regimes. Fats, sugars and a whole lot of carbs are usually hanging around my plate. I know what healthy eating is, but there are some habits that are a bit more than a struggle to break.

However, these less than desirable (but tasty) eating habits are increasingly being challenged by the delicious raw food I have been coming into contact with lately. inSpiral Lounge of Camden have me well and truly hooked with their raw crackers, granola bites and kale chips. Saf are also magicians of raw snacks of which I increasingly can’t get enough.

Then of course there is the relatively-new vegan raw restaurant in Madrid that has captured my heart, belly and taste buds. Oh my!

Crucina

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Como la flor(e)

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If you had to choose one city to eat in for the rest of your days, where would you settle down? Imagine for a moment that you couldn’t leave the city limits of your chosen locale… I wonder which vegan-friendly city you would choose. My choice is a no-brainer.

Los Angeles.

Not only does this supercity house some of my favourite vegan eateries in the world, it no doubt possesses the largest number of vegan individuals anywhere on the planet. Lots of vegan people equates a stunning range of plant-based restaurants that are truly world class. Native Foods Cafe. Veggie Grill. Cruzer Pizza. Rahel. Real Food Daily. Seed. The list goes on and on.

And then there’s Flore Vegan. Oh my.

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Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer

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I’m feeling romantic. Come with me as I spirit you back to 2005, the year I first met one of the true loves of my life. People often say you can’t help who you fall in love with and in that vein, dear FGV readers, I would like to introduce you to Original Pale Ale by Coopers Brewery.

Coopers Pale Ale

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Just like I pictured it

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My trips to NYC come along more frequently than most people can enjoy and for that I am humble and grateful. Travel is a luxury and New York is one hell of a destination. I am extremely fortunate.

But I can’t help feeling sorry for myself when I think of how very far I live from Red Bamboo and how infrequently I experience their delights. Come with me as I step back in time to December 2011. That date marks my most recent trip to this vegetarian paradise. Preparing the photos for this post was enough to make my head spin. Take a peep, won’t you.

Red Bamboo of NYC

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Just like a book I read, I’m heading west

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My travels have taken me far and wide. I have enjoyed poolside cocktails in Western Australia and Winter walks through NYC’s East Village. The nights spent drinking in Mexico City gay bars are balanced by the morning train journeys endured between Leeds and Halifax. I have witnessed sunsets in Paris, Narita and Phoenix. City lights and country stars have hypnotised me on several continents. I never want discovery to end.

This insatiable appetite for moving recently spirited me to an unusual place located only 90 miles from Cuba, yet many more miles removed from my reality. Bound by water, Key West turned out to be a bizarre yet lovable town with one of the best vegan cafes found anywhere and a rather vibrant gay scene.

Key West at sunset

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I’ve said it before…

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and I’ll say it again…

Babycakes NYC equals M-E-H.

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I’m all about fudge

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The vegan ice cream wars have been rather quiet lately. Old favourites such as Booja Booja and Swedish Glace have been keeping me company but there hasn’t been much competition to speak of. I have been trundling along with my predictable frozen dessert consumption for months.

It’s not that I don’t adore the delights made by these companies, but a FGV needs to change it up a bit now and again… and change it up I did during a recent visit to the United States of America.

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A job well Dun

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You know I travel a lot, right? I have hauled my hefty frame from one continent to another for many years and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The desire to keep moving runs deep in my veins and I’m perpetually plotting and scheming my next journey.

People have often asked me where I would ‘settle’ if I had to and I always answer, “I never want to settle’. But then they get annoyed at me for not playing the game properly so I answer, “Wherever I can purchase and consume Dun-Well Doughnuts“.

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