Vegan meals in Paris, France and Oslo, Norway—Travel News
Travel is always exciting and full of possibilities! Exploring local cuisine‘s around the globe is fascinating and at times can be exciting when trying to explain that you would like to order a meal without any animal products and you don’t speak the local language. Having some resources to rely on as well as ideas of where to look for health food stores and restaurants in any given country is always helpful. In this enews we’re going to not only review a restaurant chain, but offer ideas for finding a food store in Paris and share a good resource for finding your next meal.
When landing in Paris and looking for food in the airport Marks and Spencer Food has a variety of inexpensive takeaway salads that are vegan. Many of these food markets are located pre-check in or on the arrivals level. They also have a good selection of nuts and fresh fruit, ready to eat. If you’re heading out on the airplane be sure to pick up your food before going through security screening and remember there is a 100 ml limit on liquids.
A great resource for finding vegan, vegetarian or veg-friendly restaurants as well as food stores is the HappyCow app. It helps with finding options, the phone number, hours, website, reviews and yes, even directions to your destination. This app is a must have for global travel! Happy Cow also maintains a website that lists information if you are using a desktop computer. Another web based resource is VegDining which only maintains a website and is currently undergoing construction / migration.
In Paris, there are a few more restaurant and health food grocery store options than in some other countries within Europe. Check store and restaurant hours as well as opening days, as this tends to vary greatly in Paris. There is only one Loving Hut in Paris–however the vegan cheesecake is one of the top in the world next to San Diego, California Loving Hut–in my opinion. There are also Naturalia markets throughout Paris which sell vegan foods including Tartex a delicious spread for a picnic sandwich along the Seine or by the Eiffel Tower. Soya brand non-dairy yogurt is also widely available here. Soya yogurt is much tastier than the brands we have in Canada or the USA. Fresh delicious pomegranite juice is easy to find as well. Some labels in Naturalia stores may have English, however if your French is rusty, just ask “Parlez vous le anglais?” and likely someone who speaks French will help you figure out if there is any animal products in an item.
Eating the local food prepared by yourself is a great option if staying in a Hostel or an Airbnb. For example in Oslo, Norway there are two Loving Hut locations as well as a few other vegan restaurants. Be sure to check the hours before heading off. Norway restaurants hours vary greatly from France. Another option that I found helpful was shopping at the regular grocery store which has helped save money in Norway. KIWI Markets have a good variety of healthy vegan food options. Finding legumes pre-cooked in KIWI Markets was quite easy. Here, I discovered an oat milk by the brand name of Oatly which is delicious over whole-grain cereal for breakfast. In the freezer section I was able to find a multi berry frozen fruit mix that is delicious for breakfast. It also serves as a delicious evening snack in the 31°C weather that has hit Norway for the last few weeks.
Wishing you delicious plant based meals on your travels! Bon Voyage!
Volunteer with Victoria Healthy People at CarFreeYYJ on June 17, 2018 and have an opportunity to WIN a special prize from France! Sign-up with donation under regular tab or for free under student volunteer: VOLUNTEER SIGN UP