lioness in japan

This is a question I get all the time when people get to know that I’m a raw vegan, especially since I’m catching up with many friends in Singapore right now. It is a challenge and my answer is usually, “I try to order a salad or if I can’t I will go cooked vegetarian. I won’t freak out if I have a bit of cheese.”

But sometimes, I will bring my own food if the situation allows.

When I was in Izu (will blog about this soon), I prepared a huge bag full of raw goodies because I knew we were going to hang out by the beach and barbecue all afternoon long. I made this salad:

I usually tote along fruit, nuts, raw crackers and bars. For this weekend getaway, I bought nori sheets so I could make nori wraps with avocado, tomato and baby salad leaves. This may sound a little far out but I also brought along my own knife and chopping board so I could dice and slice. I felt like I did well on the raw front and came away thinking I could maintain being raw on the road without feeling stressed.

In Tokyo, the restaurants always have one or even a few salads to choose from but they tend to have daikon which I’m not so fond of.

But you know, I’m happy with whatever I can find. I don’t see dining out as a culinary experience but more of a way to see my friends and chat about stuff.

Sometimes, I let myself have dessert because they are always vegetarian.

“But it’s not raw!” exclaim some of my concerned comrades. Well, I don’t think being 100% raw 100% of the time is feasible. In fact, it would be stressful and I don’t want to live life with such a narrow focus.

There is also always rice or onigiri in Japanese restaurants and I would tell them to serve it without fish.

Another item you can always count on are fried potato wedges almost anywhere. It’s not the healthiest but I’m not too fussed when I’m out. I mean, it’s just one meal in the great scheme of things.

Is it hard being vegetarian in Japan? Lots of veggie lovers say so and I kind of agree in the sense that you can always find vegetarian nosh but it doesn’t always taste that great.

But sometimes there’s fresh fruit and that’s always a winner. I had a juicy, fleshy mango for dessert at Denny’s on the way back from Izu to Tokyo. おいしかった (delicious)！

Related posts:

1. It’s nice to be home
2. Celeb de Tomato: A tomato-themed restaurant
3. Eating cheap in Tokyo: Veggie nori rolls

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