A Vegetarian in Paris

Ahh, the sweet luxury of traipsing around Paris on holiday. Hobbling along lovely cobblestone roads, gaping at Gothic cathedrals, taking romantic strolls along the Seine … and indulging in famously divine Parisian cuisine is reason enough to go, n’est-ce pas?

Perhaps — unless, of course, you’re a vegetarian, considered by many the lowliest target of French disdain. Sure, crepes, quiche, and good ol’ baguettes and cheese are ubiquitous. Even so, some meals demand a palate a bit more refined, which is where a vegetarian’s trouble lies.

But amid Paris’s go-meaty-or-go-home mantra, a few veggie-friendly havens are serving tasty (and yes, leafy) meals in charmingly authentic Parisian kitchens.

• Down the hill from Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, teensy Au Grain de Folie (24, Rue la Vieuville, +01 42 58 15 57) offers a limited menu of healthy meals featuring platefuls of crunchy vegetables. Friendly banter with the English-speaking chef included.

• East of the Panthéon, La Petite Legume (36, Rue des Boulangers) serves a flavorful array of vegan-friendly dishes, some with seitan, in a welcoming dining room lined with organic groceries for sale. Purists, beware: The menu includes seafood options.

• It isn’t exactly “refined” per se, but if you find yourself wandering the funky alleys of the Latin Quarter, re-fuel with falafel, fries, and the well-stocked salad bar at one of our favorite European fast-food chain restaurants, Maoz (8 Rue Xavier Privas, +01 42 58 15 57).

• Or take a suggestion from the October 2007 issue of VegNews magazine, which features their own Parisian veggie favorites: Indian restaurant Krishna Bhavan (24, Rue Cail, + 01 42 05 78 43), “the best deal in the city” with “lip-smacking favorites such as masala dosa and idli sambar;” Marché d’Aligre, a produce and flea market in the 12th arrondissement; and Tesnime (207, Rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine, +01 43 48 60 97), a Right Bank Algerian bakery/restaurant with “exquisite vegan pastries” and “addictive olive oil-and-semolina bread called kesra.”

But if true romance is what you’re after, be sure to reserve at least one meal for a leisurely picnic in the postcard-perfect Place des Vosges in the Marais. Our recommended nosh is a classic spread of baguettes, cheese, Nutella, and red wine, which you can pick up along the way at a local boulangerie and magasin d'alimentation.

Check out these links for more vegetarian restaurants and resources for Paris.

Photo: www.montmartre-site.com

Comments

[Sarah]

I just spent 4 months living in Paris! At the time, I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian and I didn't really find the diet to be difficult even though I stayed with a host family. I think that veganism is significantly harder in France, however, especially because they don't have to deal with the same mass-industrialized food system that we do. Therefore I found that the French generally didn't understand some of my motivations not to eat meat (antibiotics, hormones, conditions, amongst a slew of others).

I loved the restaurant in Montmartre!

One last thing, did you find that the 'vegetarians' you encountered still expected you to eat fish/seafood?

[céline]

I would agree that being vegetarian is still a rather strange thing in France, especially for people like my parents, in their 50's. "What you don't eat charcuterie? And chicken, no more chicken?" Their meals are inevitably made up of starch, veg and meat. So when I visit my parents, I end up eating beans and mashed potatoes with bread...

However, people in their 20's and 30's are becoming more attracted to healthy diets, and more people follow a vegetarian diet. The proof is the vegetarian restaurants that open up in cities such as Strasbourg.

So although it is not as easy to be vegetarian in France as it is in the U.K., the options are growing.