Vegetarianismo (Morgan)

It takes a certain courage to be a traveling vegetarian. Especially if you plan to live in a homestay, as the Merida program warrants, you have to come to certains terms with yourself. There are two options for those with self-imposed dietary restrictions. The first is to maintain the habit and risk an ideological barrier between yourself and the host family (given that they do not share your views toward meat). The second option, as painful as it may be, is to temporarily abandon vegetarianism for the sake of the cultural experience.

It's an extremely difficult choice. One of the essential qualities of a good traveler, and a good guest, is flexibity. On the other hand, my choice to become vegetarian some years ago was made in efforts to be a better "global citizen." Quite the catch-22.

Before coming to Mexico, I had prepared myself to live in a non-vegetarian family. On the personal information form that is used to place students in homestays, I had written "vegetarian, but willing to eat meat for cultural purposes."

You can imagine my surprise, then, upon the first meal with my Mexican host mother, she declares to the waiter that our gorditas will have to be made with egg, since we are vegetarian. Not only was I placed in a vegetarian homestay, but I've noticed a significant non-meat consuming culture in Merida. Mama Violeta, a Buddhist yoga instructor and vegetarian for 30 years, says that she is abstains from meat consumption for health reasons. She's also lactose intolerant, which renders her an ovo-vegetarian (eggs, but no dairy...very close to veganism).

Walking along the streets, I've noticed a significant sprinkling of vegetarian restaurants, or normal restaurants that advertize vegetarian options. Natural food and medicine stores are everywhere, and no one furrows their brows or widens their eyes in restaurants if I ask for food sin carne. (Quite the opposite of my European travel experiences. where the typical response would be "Excuse me, you don't eat meat? But...WHY?")

I feel that I'm still experiencing Mexican cuisine as any other person would. Cheese-filled empanadas, egg-filled enchiladas, sauteed soy with chile instead of chicken (that's really delicious), etc. Mama Violeta taught me how to order a hamburger at Burger King like anyone else would, except she instructed the worker to bread a thick slice of cheese with a little egg and throw it on the griddle to subtitute the meat. Fully dressed, it's even better than a normal burger :).

Not only have I been able to enjoy my time studying abroad, I have also been able to do so without compromising my vegetarian lifestyle. (AND there's free yoga in the backyard. I couldn't ask for more in a homestay.