Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What areas of the country are actually friendly to vegetarians? My area isn't too enlightened on it and there are very few of us. There are some younger people who are choosing this lifestyle, but it's kind of a struggle for them.
About 20 miles east of here, there is a sign that says something like, "We Dakotans reject all animal activists because we make our living from furs, hunting, blah blah blah". The sign has been vandalized a few times and there has always been a reward put out for the vandals. Most of the people here think it's weird or unhealthy to go meatless.
It's somewhat understandeable considering that I live in a state that is very agricultural and very hunting oriented. The town I live in doesn't have a vegetarian restaurant and I'm not even sure where the nearest one would be~probably not even in my state because it couldn't survive. There are a few restaurants that serve a veggie plate or two, but that's about it.
So, what is your area like? What part of the country embraces it? Are there places that have community gardens?
Jammie...I can only imagine how hard it is for young people where you are. I'm sure they get no support, at all. Here in the Pacific NW, or certainly the Portland, Seattle area, being a veg is so common it doesn't even warrant discussion (IMO ~).
What's great about being here is that there are many food stores "in the know", who will actually direct you to suppliers who offer dry food stuffs at wholesale prices. There are so many people are willing to help.
Like I said before, I just don't get how anyone could be so threatened by what their neighbor has for dinner. Like twenty or thirty (or even ten thousand) vegs could take down the the meat industry... As far as your sign goes, I guess they wouldn't even bother putting a sign up, if the issue didn't scare them to some extent.
Well, there are warped extremists on both sides of the issue, aren't there?
Anybody remember when Oprah remarked on something negative on her show about the meat industry or eating commercially produced meat? She got sued by a bunch of "cattlemen" from Texas!
We have very fertile land in this area of the country, so community gardens and farmers' markets are common. There are co-op farms which deliver food once a week to Portland (to your house). They plant, cultivate and deliver it to you. Great for city life, and not any more expensive then buying in a grocery store.
Another good thing is that there are many, many small companies in the area which make fresh tofu, tempeh, hummus, etc. Frankly, I thought tofu was pretty awful until I tried it fresh made. Makes a huge difference. (Seventh Day Adventist folks opened a store neaby which has a lot of veg food, too - don't know much about them, though).
When I travel, I always bring my own food along, just in case. that's when I end up buying things that have a lot of sugar! You can buy almost everything in Tetra packs, or vacuum packs. They can be a bit heavy, but some of the Amy's soups are great for travel. (And I've seen some of their soups in Tetra packs, as well - much, much lighter then cans).
What areas of the country are actually friendly to vegetarians? My area isn't too enlightened on it and there are very few of us. There are some younger people who are choosing this lifestyle, but it's kind of a struggle for them.
About 20 miles east of here, there is a sign that says something like, "We Dakotans reject all animal activists because we make our living from furs, hunting, blah blah blah". The sign has been vandalized a few times and there has always been a reward put out for the vandals. Most of the people here think it's weird or unhealthy to go meatless.
It's somewhat understandeable considering that I live in a state that is very agricultural and very hunting oriented. The town I live in doesn't have a vegetarian restaurant and I'm not even sure where the nearest one would be~probably not even in my state because it couldn't survive. There are a few restaurants that serve a veggie plate or two, but that's about it.
So, what is your area like? What part of the country embraces it? Are there places that have community gardens?
In my experience and observation, it's less about where you are in the country and more about how many people there are where you live. Rural areas have fewer people and as a result less diversity. The more people there are, the more options those people are going to want.
I hated living in a rural area really because of that --- if you didn't eat-dress-worship-relax-work the same way other people did, you were considered weird. It was kind of like being in middle school again, actually. Yuck.
Right now I live in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia in the small city of Roanoke. Lots of veggie options here, and lots of people who don't match the southern stereotype. The rural areas are just a few miles away though, and my lifestyle would be viewed suspiciously there.
What areas of the country are actually friendly to vegetarians?
So, what is your area like? What part of the country embraces it? Are there places that have community gardens?
California is very vegetarian friendly. When I lived there, there were so many choices for vegetarians at restaurants and fast food chains. McDonald's even sold a veggie burger. Now I'm in Texas and it's very hard being a vegetarian here because it takes so much extra work. While in California it was effortless. Kinda like recyling...In California is was effortless and here in Texas we have no recycling bins and such where I live. By the way, we are moving back to California.
We just moved to Tampa, and not too veggie friendly here. Cali is, so you might think FL would be as well, but not the case.
Chicago has wonderful vegetarian restaurants. Karen's is a vegan/veg gourmet restaurant, with some soul food options. Soul Food East is in south Chicago, and is another vegan soul food place,though more casual. Yummy!!!
In Arizona (where we are from), it is very easy to find veg food in the major cities. The best of them all is Flagstaff which has fantastic veg restaurants such as Mountain Oasis and a great natural foods grocery store, New Frontiers (where almost every employee is vegan or vegetarian). In Flagstaff, being a veggie means being surrounded by other veggies.
We also lived for awhile in New Mexico and found both Albuquerque and Sante Fe to have a wide variety of veg retaurants and stores.
I've heard Portland, OR is the ultimate veggie heaven. Is anyone here from Portland?
headinsouth said: Right now I live in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia in the small city of Roanoke. Lots of veggie options here, and lots of people who don't match the southern stereotype. The rural areas are just a few miles away though, and my lifestyle would be viewed suspiciously there.
I'm happy to hear there are veggie options in the Roanoke VA area. We are planning to move there to retire and it's nice to know we'll have some places to dine out. We won't be living in the city but in one of the small towns nearby so if the locals become suspicious of our lifestyle.........oh, well!
Here in Myrtle Beach there are very few options for dining out, tho most restaurants have a veggie burger or veggie plate on the menu....ho, hum. However, Hard Rock Park has a nice restaurant, Alice's Restaurant, that has both vegetarian and vegan dishes. And some of the grocery stores are beginning to stock a little vegan stuff.
Yup, I be here in PDX!, southeast area, to be more specific. I am really fortunate to have become more interested in vegan stuff while living here. Plenty of help and direction available.
No one whom I've met, at least for several years, thinks veganism is odd...I get the feeling that no one cares! I like that...it would be very hard to live in a place like Jammie discussed. Pretty difficult if you're just starting out and trying to learn, especially wtih younger people. So, I count myself lucky~
Must say though, while visitng my family in Missouri way out in the country, I met some very wonderful, generous people. When we were over to their houses for dinner or a get together, every one of them made something "special" for me to eat - my dietary choices were never an issue, they just wanted to make sure everyone felt welcome and had a good time! In the boondocks, no less...go figure .
While I agree with headnsouth,about being in rural areas and being viewed as "weird" if you don't eat-dress-worship-work that same way as others, it just depends on the quality of people in a particular location. Now, living somewhere is a lot different then just visiting, I know!
I like this thread - I don't want to get stuck in an "unfriendly" place, so to speak~~~
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
).
As far as your sign goes, I guess they wouldn't even bother putting a sign up, if the issue didn't scare them to some extent. 
. Makes a huge difference. (Seventh Day Adventist folks opened a store neaby which has a lot of veg food, too - don't know much about them, though).
California
