Hello from Paris, France

Hi,

I'm 22 years old and I've been vegan for 3 months.

I (re)started bodybuilding 2 weeks ago. I found this site while I was looking for vegan weightgainer.

Now, thanks to Bigwii's signature I'm aware of raw food diet. I tried this diet, but it's so hard to give up the taste of cooked food.

My bodybuilding method is based on body weight because the gym is expensive and I can work out everywhere.

The more I read about vegetarism the more I feel confident about my diet change. Yet I have a real hard time with my friends and family. Being vegan in France is somehow like being a drug addict. Now they look at me as if it was my last breath.

This community seems to be very cool. At last I have a source of advise.

Thank you for existing.

Pim

hey welcome!

I've often heard that france must be the vegan hell on earth :/

Welcome, Pim. Yeah, France must be a tough place for vegans, but hey, North America's no picnic either. As for friends and family not believing in your choice, well, I think that's something most of us go thru.

You can accomplish a lot with body weight only. I rarely pick up a weight (I'm not a bodybuilder) - you've already checked out bigbwii's site - he's a great resource. You could do parkour, being that you live in the land of parkour. I'm not a traceur myself, but go out with friends from time to time and rip it up. Anyway, you found a good bunch of vegans here.

http://parkour.net/index.php?sel_lang=english&lang=fr

Welcome. There's a number of bodyweight exercise people here, so there's definitley some common interest here for you.

Welcome Pim! Good to have you join us here!

I have many very fond memories of Paris!

Bonjour!

Trev, I've also checked your website. It's been the source of a discussion between me and my mother. She cannot admit that it's more important to stop eating meat than hardly save a galon water while having a shower...

Anyway I like the design of your site.

Thank you for the parkour idea, I'll check this out.

edit : salut SeaSiren

Salut Pim. I took a few years of french. I learned very little.

Welcome Pim!

Great to have you here. I'm glad you found our site. You're right, we do have a great community here and you'll not only learn lots of great information but make some really cool friends as well.

We have lots of raw food athletes here and also quite a few people into bodyweight exercises too.

Explore around and you'll get questions answered. Thanks again for finding us and welcome aboard!

Hello & Welcome Pim!

I have not heard that France was a particularly tough place to be vegan... I want to visit France someday - I'd appreciate suggestions of where & what to check out when/if I do make it over there. Have ya seen this: http://happycow.net/europe/france/paris/index.html ?

Welcome to the forums

Hey Pim!

It's a long time ago that i last visited Paris... wasn't even vegan back then, so it must have been last millenium

I can recommend the book "Vegan Freak" to you It's great for all vegans who feel like an alien in the unvegan society.

Peace

Hello & Welcome Pim!

 

I have not heard that France was a particularly tough place to be vegan... I want to visit France someday - I'd appreciate suggestions of where & what to check out when/if I do make it over there. Have ya seen this: http://happycow.net/europe/france/paris/index.html ?

I've never been to the USA, but I'd love to. I went to England last year, and it didn't take long for me to notice the "V" sign on food packing. We don't even have that in France. Ask for a vegetarian meal at any given place, first they'll treat you as an alien, and then they'll come back with a ham and butter sandwich. Maybe it's not the toughest place for vegan, but I don't want to know what it is.

Paris is a very touristic city, you'll have to face overcrowded sites. There is much to say. First, I know a cheap 2 stars hotel that worth 3, but as long as they don't have an extra room per floor they cannot get this 3th star. Still the sight over the north of Paris is amazing there. Then it depends on what you want to see, what you are interested in. There a lot of museum, churches, old buildings, gardens, modern useless buildings and so on. Before christmas there are lights every where (even in my district), each year they increase the number of light.

Spring is the best moment in the year. Not too crowded, good weather, good light.

There are also some interesting place in the subburbs of Paris. You can also visit other regions, full of cute small town and local products.

Feel free to ask me more about what you are interested in.

I've only been vegan for three months, so I didn't really seek for vegan restaurant, plus I'm the only vegan among my friends...

In fact I already know one place. "Le paradis du fruit" (the fruit heaven). They serve delightfull fruitjuice. I'll try one at random in the next days.

Anyway being vegan is saddly not the best way to fully enjoy french food.

Thanks everyone for your reception.

Welcome Pim!

Since I am in the Northwest of Germany we are "neighbours"

Pim!

Thank you for your prompt and helpful reply. I hope that you make it over to the US, and if you do then please visit us in Portland, Oregon. Not only is this is a very nice city in an amazing region - we are also considered to be the best city for vegans in north america. Most of the other best vegan places are within a days drive of Portland. Is there anywhere particular in the US that you'd like to visit? We are an amazingly large and diverse country...

There are also many parts of the US where being vegetarian is still considered to be very weird or unusual and being vegan is virtually unheard of. Things are changing quickly though! When I became vegan in the early 1990s it was a much less well known or understood choice. Now there are many, many more options available for vegan food, etc in the US.

I would enjoy visiting Paris at least once. What is the cost for a "cheap 2 star hotel" there on average?

Generally, I avoid large cities and overly touristy areas - I prefer smaller towns, open land, lands, mountains and forests. I'd appreciate suggestions for anywhere but generally the area's in and around the Pyrenees, Alps, the Jura's & the Massif Central seem promising.

While I'd like to visit everywhere in Europe (& the world! ) - France seems like the most appealing country in Europe overall as a place to call home. Switzerland & Italy also seem exceptionally nice for my interests...

Please do offer suggestions and please ask any questions you have about the US!

edit : sorry, mistake.

Is there anywhere particular in the US that you'd like to visit? We are an amazingly large and diverse country...

I'd like to visit any part of the US. I had a look at Portland's website, the surrouding of this city seems very nice. I'd really love to visit New York city, I've heard so much about club and party overthere. I'd also like to go to Miami during the winter music conference.

I'm still wondering about how people feel about French people since the war in Irak. I've heard so much about it that I really don't know.

I would enjoy visiting Paris at least once. What is the cost for a "cheap 2 star hotel" there on average?

Arround 90€ for 2 people for one night and breakfast.

Generally, I avoid large cities and overly touristy areas - I prefer smaller towns, open land, lands, mountains and forests. I'd appreciate suggestions for anywhere but generally the area's in and around the Pyrenees, Alps, the Jura's & the Massif Central seem promising.

There is region that you don't mention but that is worth the journey : "La bretagne". It's the sort of big peninsula in the west or france. There is a big forest "Brocéliande", this is the forest of Merlin the wizzard. If you are interested in all the Arthur's myth and everything related, this is the very place to go. Every village or lake or anything has a story overthere.

This is also the region of the "galette". This is a very famous meal and hoppefully you can tweak the receipe in order to make it vegan without wasting the original taste. You can also visit the "Mont saint Michel", this is like a big church built on a rock near the coast. If you like the sea and things related, there are dozen of small coast city with lovely ports.

Mountains are a great choice. During winter, for winter sports. Or during summer for excursions. In the massif central you can practice lot of water sport like canoe, rafting, aqua-excursion...

I don't know much about mountain, but at least I have a strong advise : don't go to the Pyrenees for winter sport if you have a surf. Tracks are clearly not designed for surf.

Please do offer suggestions and please ask any questions you have about the US!

I think I have a very false idea of what US are really. My opinion is based on american movies and French media, but I do believe that this is not the truth. Your society cannot be like in "Friends". Tell me more.

Welcome!!

Hello Pim,

I doubt that many folks in the US have a particularly realistic view of your country and it's people. Most people in the US probably have no strong feelings or knowledge about France or the French one way or anouther.

That said, there is a substantial minority who have very favorable opinions/impressions of France/the French - mostly based on the belief that France is a very socially/politically progressive country whose people are all great cooks & lovers.

There is anouther substantial minority with negative feelings towards France but even most of these folks would not extend this universally to all French people. There are also some folks who are negatively predjudiced against all "foriegners".

Overall, I do not think you would encounter many or any significantly negative attitudes, particularly if you avoid political discussions and/or drunk people.

"Arround 90€ for 2 people for one night and breakfast."

I dont think I'll be spending much time in Paris hotels then!

Thanks for the suggestions of places to visit - they sound very nice. One of the most attractive things about France for me is that it is so large (comparitively) with so much pleasant countryside.

"I don't know much about mountain, but at least I have a strong advise : don't go to the Pyrenees for winter sport if you have a surf. Tracks are clearly not designed for surf."

What do you mean by "surf"?

"I think I have a very false idea of what US are really. My opinion is based on american movies and French media, but I do believe that this is not the truth. Your society cannot be like in "Friends". Tell me more."

This is almost certainly true! We honestly do not usually hear much about France one way or anouther. I doubt that most of what we do hear is truly reflective of the reality in your country. The US is a huge country with very diverse lands and peoples. In many ways, it is like many countries all rolled into one.

Beyond that... I'm not sure what to say exactly but please ask any questions you have! I'm happy to share my opinions, experience & knowledge - I'm certain other folks will do the same & that you'll get a variety of opinions.

Bye for now!

I would also like to visit France. I have heard it is very beautiful and "clean". When I was younger my family hosted a French exchange student. She of course spoke very highly of her country, thus my desire to visit.

I've only been to Paris and I liked it very much. I would like to travel to the French riviera sometime too. But next year I will hopefully go to Madrid and Barcelona in June and then the US in august.

Pim:

You have to go to NYC. I absolutely loved it. It's the whole world packed into a small geographical area. And being vegan in NYC is so easy it's not even funny.

Now that I look back at my journey last summer (to the US) I think my favourite places were NYC, Arizona and Las Vegas. I might even move to Arizona when I retire because it was one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen (I love deserts ).

Offense,

What part/s of Arizona did you visit? I also really enjoy the desert there.

Pim,

I've heard from a few places & people that France is the European country which is most similar to the US. I've never been there but from what I've read, I believe this is accurate.

Welcome!

I've heard from a few places & people that France is the European country which is most similar to the US. I've never been there but from what I've read, I believe this is accurate.

I suppose you mean similar by the land, weather and countryside ?

What do you mean by "surf"?

I mean snowboard

I dont think I'll be spending much time in Paris hotels then!

Yes, Paris is expensive.

Pim:

You have to go to NYC. I absolutely loved it.

Yes of course I want to see NYC. I've heard so much about it. I'm keen on a music "One night in NYC" by the horrorist, very funny track by the way. I think it's the place to go since I'm a club addict

Welcome. I was the only vegan among my friends when I first went to it, but one has been converted and two more are on the way. Being vegan here in small town middle America can be difficult at times, also; few people really know what a vegan is. I would think France would be particularly difficult for a vegan because of all the good cooking and use of cheese