Vegan Vacations by Jessica Percy-Campbell Not that long ago, it was extremely difficult for vegans to enjoy anything other than plain veggie plates in most restaurants on Aruba. But not anymore! In fact, there’s been an incredible explosion of plant-based offerings as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate now available island-wide. Concept and misconceptions
The vegan lifestyle is a tricky thing for nonvegans to understand. Whether it’s an ethical, environmental, or health-centric choice, the bottom line is that anything consumed should not involve animals in any way. That includes anything dairy, or even dyes that rely on crushed insects for their color. Sometimes there are gray areas like honey, an issue highly debated among vegetarian groups. Basically, if a by-product of an animal is even used in the processing of a food or drink – for example some wines are filtered through egg whites and certain orange juice brands add fish oil – then it’s a no go. Dedicated vegans must learn to be expert label readers. You might be surprised at some products that appear to be vegan such as JellO, which turns out not to be, since gelatin is derived from bone marrow. But you might be equally surprised at ones that do turn out to be vegan-friendly such as Oreo cookies that don’t contain any dairy products at all! Sadly though, until recently, the taste of meat and dairy alternatives has often been uninspiring to say the least.
Almond milk, coconut milk, and even macadamia milk have surfaced as alternatives to soy milk (too much soy isn’t good for you), and the latest trend du jour is pea milk! (No, it’s not green nor does it taste like peas!) But though it’s become easy to be a vegan at home, it’s still an entirely different challenge when dining out, and especially while on holiday. Fortunately, Aruba has come a long way too. Aruba’s vegan revolution
As a full-on vegan for the past decade and the creator of VeganVacationista.com, a blog to help travelers find plant-based fare on the road, I can personally attest to how far this island has come in the past few years. E
Evolution of alternatives
Thankfully, vegan options have come a long way baby since the tofu glut of days gone by. And the premade products have also become much less expensive to purchase as the lifestyle is becoming more mainstream. Beans, grains, and things like nutritional yeast and chia seeds are offering substitutes to meat and eggs while nuts like cashews are making excellent dairyfree cheese.
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I first noticed the change when a shift toward a healthy lifestyle arrived on the island. So many new gyms, spas, and yoga studios are here now, and many have opened their own cafés with healthy options that often include vegan. I’ve also found many new spots that have been easy to identify as potentially vegan-friendly due to their names like Pura Vita, Green Food Service, Vegetarian Delight, Alfresco, Vital Choices International, and Mundi Health Café. Others I had to discover such as Itza Pizza that can serve vegan cheese on their pies, or Carito’s Bakery, and Coffee Break Aruba that both serve delicious vegan baked goodies. There are also cool takeout stands like Eduardo’s Beach Shack with delightful acai bowls. And who knew that vegan poutine even existed? It does! You can find it at Alfie’s in Aruba. The Dutch Pancakehouse will happily make your pancakes dairy-free if you simply ask, and veggie burgers (skip the cheese and mayo) have always been pretty easy to find. However, many places are now substituting the commercially made, cardboard-like soy patties with things like pinto beans, chickpeas, and portobello mushrooms. So much more flavorful! The big island grocery stores have also stepped up their game in the vegan section for those who want to prepare their own food in their room or stock up on snacks to go. But the most exciting vegan news on Aruba is on the upscale fine dining front.
Vegan goes gourmet
For fine dining vegan mains, historically the best places to look on Aruba were Asian, East Indian, or Middle Eastern restaurants that already have a lot of plant-based specialties baked into their cultures. And though almost every upscale spot has some kind of vegetarian specialty, creative and inspired vegan main dishes were very hard to come by. That’s one reason I’ve happily served as a guinea pig for many first-class local island chefs over the years. I love that they don’t mind going out on a limb to experiment and come up with things like deep-fried vegan Brie with mango dipping sauce as they did at Aruba Ocean Villas. And thank goodness for plantains; they are so versatile in both sweet and savory variations! E
When it comes to desserts, please don’t serve us fruit. No matter how beautifully presented, we want to indulge in decadent too! Da Vinci Ristorante’s chef went for the gold by making me vegan chocolate-raspberry mousse. (Though he’s not ashamed to admit, it took him three times to perfect it!) The new restaurant, Delicious, near the big red windmill makes a vegan sweet potato cheesecake to die for. And Screaming Eagle is also on board now; they have a vegan tasting menu you can call ahead for with some seriously gourmet delights. The chef at White Modern Cuisine loves practicing the art of molecular gastronomy, so you can trust that his new vegan creations will be true culinary art. Both restaurants at Manchebo Resort, Ike’s Bistro and The Chophouse, now share an extensive vegan menu as well. But Aruba’s chefs can really use some help when it comes to vegan cooking; it’s an entirely different discipline. Fortunately, now they have it!
Her excellent consulting skills have resulted in fabulous gourmet vegan dishes popping up in menus of fine establishments all over the island, with some even crafting entire stand-alone menus like Cuba’s Cookin’, the very first restaurant to work with Meredith (try the vegan Ropa Vieja!). Elements at Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort has also worked with her to develop a huge menu of delicious plant-based choices, and her work with Las Ramblas, Fishes & More, and others, have truly improved the offerings island wide. Word has it that many more restaurants are signing up for her services every day, also eager to join the revolution. And personally, I can’t wait to try them all! K
“Vegan Aruba” joins the revolution
Enter expat New Yorker Meredith Marin aka “Vegan Aruba,” who has become the leading crusader on this island to introduce the plant-based foodie lifestyle to both residents and restaurants alike. She offers in-kitchen training classes, workshops, events, and even digital courses on how to cook and eat vegan. For more information on Vegan Aruba visit www.veganaruba.com. To follow my vegan blog visit www.veganvacationista.com. 20
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