Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Budapest, Hungary
On Friday I took a bus to Budapest with Alyssa. We had a great time although I don't feel like I saw enough of the city to say much about its culture. One thing I'm sure of is that it's artist friendly: the nightlife is quirky and bizarre from bathtubs instead of chairs to knick knacks glued all over the walls.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Veganism in Central Europe
I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk about eating: I generally don't do this because whenever I mention the word vegan, people assume I'm about to lecture them. This is not a lecture, I promise. Eat what you want to eat, I'm just trying to dispel some misconceptions about Central Europe. I'm also enthusiastic about being vegan: I've made a choice I'm happy with for myself and that's all I'm trying to do.
In the months leading up to departing for Prague, I was warned over and over again that it would be impossible to be vegan here and probably hard to even stay vegetarian. I cannot count how many times someone told me, "They only eat meat and cheese!" or "They don't have vegetables there!" I resigned myself to keeping a vegetarian diet while I was here, which I generally do when I'm travelling- I know there's only so much that can be done when you're outside of your comfort zone. However, the first week left me a little ill since after 5 years, my body just cannot relearn to process cheese.
As I suspected, this country has vegetables as long as you're not eating Czech cuisine constantly. I don't really see how a diet of only goulash and dumplings is appealing anyway. On my 5 minute walk between the metro and my dorm, I pass about 4 stores called "Ovoce a Zelenina" (Fruit and Vegetable) which have tons of fresh produce and a lot of corner store needs. The produce is delicious and cheap: depending on the store I can get anything from [the best ever] eggplant to fresh basil. In addition to all the fruits and veggies I can purchase between 7 am and 9 pm around the corner, I can also go three blocks to a German drugstore chain called DM where they sell tofu. Yes, I buy tofu at the European equivalent of Duane Reade. They also carry soy milk, lentils, quinoa, nutritional yeast, and many other vegan staples. My friend Kacey is vegan and took the same vegetarian approach coming here but has also noticed how keeping vegan is somewhat effortless. Not only is vegan easy but our friend Alyssa is mostly vegan and gluten intolerant and so many of our meals are without meat, fish, eggs, milk, or gluten- it's quite doable.
Pictured below: 1. tempeh stir fry with a whole bunch of veggies; it was served on top of quinoa. 2. Pizza with tofu ricotta, roasted veggies, fresh basil, and instead of a traditional gluteny crust we used Polenta- which I highly recommend, I'm definitely going to start using it instead of regular crust!
So yes, I cook a lot- but I also go out to eat a fair amount. In addition to the 4 or 5 great specifically vegan restaurants, Prague also has a great selection of ethnic food. My favorite restaurant is a tiny Himalayan take out place 10 minutes away.
I've also noticed an Asian market near my dorm but I didn't stop in until today. Now I feel totally foolish since it's the mecca of all things stir fry. The only other selection that I've seen rival it was in NYC's Chinatown. I picked up a bunch of great pastes and sauces that I couldn't find anywhere else, as well as some fresh ginger and sprouts. I can't wait to start stir frying with these great ingredients.
So let's call this myth busted! As long as you have time for cooking (and a kitchen), vegan living in Prague is not remarkably different than in any other big city. Sure, travelling outside of Prague I come across vegetables in a pool of butter but from what I've discovered, as long as it's not cheese, my body can keep on keepin' on.
In the months leading up to departing for Prague, I was warned over and over again that it would be impossible to be vegan here and probably hard to even stay vegetarian. I cannot count how many times someone told me, "They only eat meat and cheese!" or "They don't have vegetables there!" I resigned myself to keeping a vegetarian diet while I was here, which I generally do when I'm travelling- I know there's only so much that can be done when you're outside of your comfort zone. However, the first week left me a little ill since after 5 years, my body just cannot relearn to process cheese.
As I suspected, this country has vegetables as long as you're not eating Czech cuisine constantly. I don't really see how a diet of only goulash and dumplings is appealing anyway. On my 5 minute walk between the metro and my dorm, I pass about 4 stores called "Ovoce a Zelenina" (Fruit and Vegetable) which have tons of fresh produce and a lot of corner store needs. The produce is delicious and cheap: depending on the store I can get anything from [the best ever] eggplant to fresh basil. In addition to all the fruits and veggies I can purchase between 7 am and 9 pm around the corner, I can also go three blocks to a German drugstore chain called DM where they sell tofu. Yes, I buy tofu at the European equivalent of Duane Reade. They also carry soy milk, lentils, quinoa, nutritional yeast, and many other vegan staples. My friend Kacey is vegan and took the same vegetarian approach coming here but has also noticed how keeping vegan is somewhat effortless. Not only is vegan easy but our friend Alyssa is mostly vegan and gluten intolerant and so many of our meals are without meat, fish, eggs, milk, or gluten- it's quite doable.
Pictured below: 1. tempeh stir fry with a whole bunch of veggies; it was served on top of quinoa. 2. Pizza with tofu ricotta, roasted veggies, fresh basil, and instead of a traditional gluteny crust we used Polenta- which I highly recommend, I'm definitely going to start using it instead of regular crust!
So yes, I cook a lot- but I also go out to eat a fair amount. In addition to the 4 or 5 great specifically vegan restaurants, Prague also has a great selection of ethnic food. My favorite restaurant is a tiny Himalayan take out place 10 minutes away.
I've also noticed an Asian market near my dorm but I didn't stop in until today. Now I feel totally foolish since it's the mecca of all things stir fry. The only other selection that I've seen rival it was in NYC's Chinatown. I picked up a bunch of great pastes and sauces that I couldn't find anywhere else, as well as some fresh ginger and sprouts. I can't wait to start stir frying with these great ingredients.
So let's call this myth busted! As long as you have time for cooking (and a kitchen), vegan living in Prague is not remarkably different than in any other big city. Sure, travelling outside of Prague I come across vegetables in a pool of butter but from what I've discovered, as long as it's not cheese, my body can keep on keepin' on.
From the top of Sněžka
The NYU in Prague program is really awesome. For anyone who goes to NYU, or has a kid that goes to NYU (hi Mom and Dad!), it's obvious that NYU is a little pricey and not always the most generous with their services. The program in Prague is very different. Not only are all the dorms extremely comfortable, they also provide fully furnished kitchens and cleaning supplies. In addition, there are a ton of highly subsidized or free programs for students from free yoga to weekend trips. At the beginning of the semester, everyone was allowed to sign up for one overnight trip and one day trip, generally to different locations in the Czech Republic; all of the expenses covered by NYU. My overnight trip wasn't very fun- it was basically to a smaller version of Prague where there was little to do. However, I also signed up for a hiking trip on a whim - a hiking trip that turned out to be climbing the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic.
Sněžka is the tallest peak and sits on the Northern border of the Czech Lands- in fact, on the top of Sněžka lies the Polish border. After a long, tough hike to the top, I found myself strolling back and forth between the Czech Republic and Poland. The views were unbelievable and it was rewarding to see how high we had climbed. After, we climbed down through a very, very long route - we ended up hiking for about 4 or 5 hours. Only three days later have my muscles stopped aching (in a good way, though).
Sněžka is the tallest peak and sits on the Northern border of the Czech Lands- in fact, on the top of Sněžka lies the Polish border. After a long, tough hike to the top, I found myself strolling back and forth between the Czech Republic and Poland. The views were unbelievable and it was rewarding to see how high we had climbed. After, we climbed down through a very, very long route - we ended up hiking for about 4 or 5 hours. Only three days later have my muscles stopped aching (in a good way, though).
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