It's been almost a month since I was actually in the Netherlands but I think it's important to write about the vegan scene there anyways. To begin, the euro exchange rate was way better than the danish crown, which made exploring food more possible. No north american should ever have to feel relief when confronted with a euro exchange rate, no one. But alas there I was relishing in a terrible exchange rate that was way better than the last.
I thought I would be overwhelmed by all the craziness of Amsterdam, what with the drugs and the women and the drugs. To my surprise, I found it far quainter than bustling Copenhagen. The Dutch are more outgoing than the Danish, and I'm pretty sure they drink less. Actually, they do most things less than Americans too. I was surprised (but strangely satisfied) to learn that more Americans smoke pot, use coke, (or pretty much any drug) on a regular basis than the Dutch. More American men have paid for sex than Dutch men as well. Which brings me to my next point: the Amsterdam we idealize or deplore is based on tourism, not Dutch culture. The Dutch are not crazy party people or sex-maniacs; they are simply tolerant. This is embarrassing to admit, but I understood the Austin Powers joke on a deeper level when Michael Caine says "There's only two types of people I hate in this world- people who are intolerant of other cultures, and the Dutch" because being Dutch and intolerant seem to be almost mutually exclusive. The coffee shops are likely filled with people foreign to the Netherlands and most of the men I saw in the Red Light district were not speaking Dutch. In other words, Amsterdam is catering to certain types of tourists. Some might be high rolling horny jackasses, but others might be those docile innocent creatures we so often refer to as hippies.
Symptoms of hippiness commonly found along the canals of Amsterdam may include an affinity for all things ganja, hatred of money and the establishment (usally funded by the parents' bank account-we call these beings trustafarians), and a general distaste for...yes you guessed it meat. With this in mind I realized my 1 hour plane ride had basically transported me into a land of my kin, a virtual goldmine of vegetarian and vegan delights.
First stop was Bio Market, sort of the Dutch equivalent of Whole Foods. Since coming to Denmark I had not seen a veggie burger in a grocery store, but did see one offered on a menu at a pub for 20 USD (I pased). Now here I was, surrounded by the good stuff- what's a V Girl to do? Bio Market offered everything from dark chocolate covered soy nuts to vegan spring rolls, and my personal favorite: vegan salami sticks. I have fond childhood memories of nomming on 7/11 salami sticks but had all but given up hope for an alternative. In this way, Bio Market pretty much one-upped anything I've seen in the US- cheers Amsterdam!
I hear de Waagals has a fabulous eastern inspired vegan menu (think curry, lentil burgers, etc) but I never had time to visit. Eat At Jo's has its own seperate vegan menu. It's kind of like the Dutch take on an American gritty diner, way cute and affordable. I also saw a charming pizza place with 3 different vegan pizzas, I wish I could remember the name! However, the point of this post is that I can't remember the name because there were so many vegan options. If you go to Amsterdam you don't really need to plan ahead as a vegan, you'll find something different every night at a reasonable price for European standards- we're still not talking dollar-menu cheap here people.
Vaarwel,
V Girl
No comments:
Post a Comment