- I've mainly consumed a pescatarian diet for the last seven years.
- But when I visit new countries, I eat meat.
Depending on how you count it, you could say I've been a pescatarian for seven years. Or just five months.
That's because my most recent international trip was in May. I traveled to Italy, where I dined on prosciutto sandwiches, devoured duck for the first time, and scarfed down homemade pasta with ragu. And I didn't regret it for one second.
I spend the vast majority of my year avoiding meat because I don't love the environmental toll factory farming has on the planet. But whenever I hop on a plane and cross a border, I ditch being a pescatarian and happily eat an omnivore diet.
I want to taste authentic foods
Food was the first word that popped out of my mouth when people asked why I was excited to visit Italy, and trying new, authentic dishes is one of the main reasons I travel.
I want pasta that's been made by Italian grandmas. I want ramen that's been prepared by a Japanese chef. I want a pita that's been marinating all day.
Not only are these dishes delicious, but they can shine a light on a country's culture and history.
For example, a lampredotto panino in Florence, Italy, was likely invented by working-class Florentines, according to Atlas Obscura. The sandwich is made using a cow's fourth stomach, which was a less valuable and more affordable part of the animal at the time, the outlet reported.
It's a dish that's impossible to recreate for a vegetarian, and it's a dish you can really only find in one part of the world. Considering I might only have one or two chances in my life to try it, you better believe I'm going to order one.
Ignoring my pescatarian diet has also allowed me to bond with locals. In Australia, a couple invited me to an Aussie BBQ to try a sausage sizzle sandwich — their favorite Australian dish. I didn't want to decline the invitation or burden them with providing a vegetarian substitute. Instead, I wanted the real Australian experience.
That doesn't mean I haven't had delicious vegetarian meals abroad. Outside of Queenstown, New Zealand, I had the best salad of my life with produce grown on the property I was staying on. Over in Auckland, New Zealand, I savored a pasta dish with foraged mushrooms and truffles — a dish that didn't require any bit of meat.
Language barriers and food restrictions don't always mix
Many dishes can have hidden ingredients. There might be a splash of chicken broth or a touch of ground beef in any dish.
While it's easy for me to communicate with waiters and chefs in the US to ask about ingredients, the task becomes much more complicated when I don't speak the language.
The last thing I personally want to do when I'm meeting locals in their country is feel like a burden. I'm sure the chefs, waiters, and cooks don't mind clarifying meals and their ingredients, but if there's a way I can make their life easier, I'll order the dish complete with its animal products.
It's ultimately a personal choice
Eating meat abroad works for me. This flexitarian diet has strict boundaries on when I do and don't eat meat. Plus, I'm lucky because I don't get sick from eating meat after months of going without it.
And while eating meat isn't the best choice for the environment no matter where I'm located (nor is the long-haul flight I took to get to the destination), there are things I do to counter those choices.
For example, I prioritize visiting locally-owned restaurants on trips abroad. I might search for a farm-to-table restaurant or stop at an eatery that's been in a single family for generations. Here, I know the people cooking my food care about the ingredients. And I feel a bit better knowing that I'm financially supporting locals in the country I'm visiting.
It's what works for me, but it doesn't have to work for you. If you don't eat meat when you travel, I'm impressed. I absolutely understand and respect vegetarians who uphold their diet when they travel, and I welcome any tips for finding vegetarian dishes abroad.
For now, this diet works for me, and I'm already looking forward to the next dishes I'll try on future trips.