“What will you eat in Wales?” Both American and British friends ask me this question as I embark on my trip. I reply, “I’m sure I’ll eat well.” I am up for the culinary challenge on my North Wales castle tour.
My trip begins in Beaumaris on the Isle of Anglesey. This is the one night I travel with company, and my friend, Claire, has made all the arrangements. Upon our arrival at Cleifiog Bed and Breakfast, Liz, the owner, asks me all the vegan questions about what I might want for breakfast, making me eager for tomorrow.
Cleifiog’s character suits my romantic sensibilities: low beam ceilings with exposed wood, creaky stairs, and antiques. Our room, the Tapestry Room, provides ample places to sit, read, and nap—all surrounded by needlepoints, some two hundred years old.
After an afternoon at Beaumaris Castle—an afternoon of drizzle and winding turret stairs, we return to Cleifiog, where a tea tray awaits us in our room. I love this simple touch, an appreciation for the afternoon necessity. I cannot eat the cookies, but the energy bar from home suits me fine.
After a nap and many cups of tea, we head to The Brasserie at Ye Olde Bull’s Head Inn. The Brasserie offers an eclectic menu with a few vegan choices. I opt for nuts as an appetizer and the vegetable burger for my main. The burger—a delicious stack of vegetables on bread—with chips (french fries) satisfy me. I take this as a good omen.
The Cleifiog breakfast accomplishes the same feat. Fresh juice and fruit greet us, followed by tea and toast. My cooked breakfast of tomatoes, potatoes, and mushrooms may not fill me up as long as the other bed and breakfasts would on the trip, but Liz’s efforts are generous and sincere.
After a day driving around Anglesey, Claire drops me off in Caernarfon, and my week of writing solitude begins. I stay at the Totters Independent Hostel, a block away from the castle and inside the old city walls. Bob and Henryette offer a cozy hostel with an unending supply of tea and instant coffee. Henry points out the do-it-yourself breakfast of bread, peanut butter, and jams. As this is my usual breakfast at home, I am pleased.
I asses the dinner possibilities as I walk around Caernarfon, and I choose Bengal Spice, an Indian restaurant near the hostel. The server easily points out what dishes I can eat, and he tells me not to order Nan because it contains dairy. I think back to all the times I ate Nan at home, and I realize once again that my vegan education is an ongoing one. I order samosas, lentils, vegetables, and rice, and sigh with contentment when they clear my dishes. That night I fall asleep to the quiet of a Sunday night in Wales.
The next morning I enjoy my simple but satisfying breakfast at Totters and explore Caernarfon castle. I then hop on a local bus to my next stop—Llandudno. Plas Madoc Guest House, long considered the Vegan B & B in Wales, will serve as my home base for the next three days. Anita and Gary bought it two years ago, changing the focus to food for mixed travelers: carnivores, vegetarians, and vegans. I rarely, actually never, travel with vegan companions, so I understand their change. Rest assured, Anita and Gary know their clientele. They use separate pans, utensils, and prep spaces for the vegan food.
From the first moment, I know I will enjoy my stay and eat well. Anita asks me whether I prefer rice or soy milk, and when I come down the next morning, soymilk, juice, fruit, and soy yogurt await me. She hears me come down the stairs and checks if I want tea or coffee. I drink my multiple beverages and devour my cooked breakfast of mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, vegan sausage, and toast. I am no shy eater.
Often in the U.K., I eat baked beans on toast for breakfast, and while I enjoy them immensely, I am hungry again in two hours. My Plas Madoc breakfast keeps me full for four hours; even after a long three hour walk around the Great Orme Country Park and Nature Reserve, I don’t need a snack. I dance with vegan joy.
During my three days in Llandudno, I move from tearoom to restaurant to café to pub in search of good vegan food. Vegetarian lasagna is the veggie choice on most menus, which does not help us vegans much. Jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) with beans and salad are a reliable lunch item found almost everywhere.
Despite the lack of choices on dinner menus, every place I visit offers to tweak the menu. Many servers know what vegan means, and this goes a long way. I am not shy about asking the host or hostess a list of questions; they are honest and do not take offense if I leave before taking a table. During my three evenings in Llandudno, I eat at the Fat Cat Café Bar (Modern, Eclectic), Jasmine Garden (Chinese), and Bengal Dynasty (Indian).
The Fat Cat menu offers veggie options but no vegan. When I tell my server the vegan dilemma, he tells me what dishes they can revise. When he places my order, he even checks that the noodles do not contain egg.
Jasmine House, a Chinese restaurant, offers an extensive vegetarian selection. I ask my waiter about oyster and fish sauces, and he assures me they would leave them out. The vegetable soup and bean curd with vegetables are excellent.
The Bengal Dynasty proves delectable as well. The waiter assures me they use only a little yogurt in the Nan, and once I assure him that a little is too much, we understand each other. I order samosas and Vegetable Balti and enjoy every bite. One should always leave a meal smiling, and these restaurants all succeed.
After three nights, I am sad to leave Plas Madoc but eager for another castle and more culinary adventures. A short bus trip and I am in Conwy. Bryn Bed and Breakfast offers the best bedroom view of my trip. In room 3, I overlook their beautiful garden and the Conwy city walls. Alison points out the herbal teas and assures me, rather warns me, that she will try a new vegan recipe for breakfast tomorrow.
After a few hours visiting the castle and walking the walls, I spend the waning afternoon writing in my room, often staring out on the perfect view. Alison leaves a vegan snack bar on my tea tray, and it provides the perfect accompaniment to the organic fruit tea.
I eat dinner at The Town House, a cozy restaurant on High Street. The waitress brings out the chef when I start asking questions, and he offers me appetizing choices. I choose the pasta and vegetable dish, which surpasses my expectations. During the short walk to Bryn I do not walk off the post-meal lethargy, but the crisp, quiet night offers the perfect accompaniment to my contentment.
The next morning, Alison serves me a delicious breakfast. A line of cereals and juices await me, and she points out her vegan homemade muesli. Her vegan sausage experiment proves a success, and she accompanies it with tomatoes and mushrooms. I could easily stay longer here, exploring the countryside and eating more vegan experiments. Alas, friends await me in England and this trip must come to an end.
As I sit on the train that morning, I realize North Wales fed me well. My jeans feel snug. I am more satiated from this week than I have ever been on a trip. My advice to all vegans: go to North Wales with an empty stomach.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Drop the first 0 of phone number (this is the area code) when calling outside the UK
UK country code: 44
Beaumaris
Cleifiog Bed and Breakfast: 01248-811-507, www.cleifiogbandb.co.uk
Ye Olde Bull’s Head Inn: 01248-810-329, www.bullsheadinn.co.uk
Caernarfon
Totters Independent Hostel: 01286-672-963, www.totters.co.uk
Bengal Spice Indian Restaurant. 11 Palace St., 01286-676-797
Llandudno
Plas Madoc Guest House: 01492-876-514, www.plasmadocguesthouse.co.uk
Fat Cat Café Bar: 149 Mostyn St., 01492-871-844
Jasmine House: 39 Mostyn St., 01492-876-216
Bengal Dynasty: 1 North Parade, 01492-875-928, www.bengaldynasty.com
Conwy
Bryn Bed and Breakfast: 01492-592-449, www.bryn.org.uk
Town House Restaurant: 2 High St., 01492-596-436
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
The Coffee Shop Problem
I am a poet, and I love coffee shops. I love to sit there for hours and read, journal, write poems, think about the mystery of the universe, procrastinate.
I love coffee shop sounds: the beans grinding, the foam frothing, the music providing just the right volume and background.
Staying in a coffee shop for hours poses two problems: the bathroom and food.
The bathroom. Easily solved. You sit down, settle in, and start scoping out fellow café people to see who looks reliable. Eventually, after one cup or two, it’s time to use the facilities. You pack away your cell phone, minimize documents on the laptop, and lean over/walk over to reliable person and ask them if they can keep an eye on your stuff. They almost always say yes, and off you go, hoping your stranger-thief instinct is on target. You come back, your stuff in place, say thank you, and inevitably watch the stranger’s items if they partake.
Food poses a difficult problem. I am like a hobbit. I require first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, etc. Coffee shops often have interesting pastry choices to ply you with sugar and fat and keep you working/reading/procrastinating, but they are rarely vegan (I can’t really say never). When I go into a coffee shop, I am almost resigned to a bagel, or, if I’m lucky, a prepackaged cookie.
Let’s talk bagels. I love them. They are yummy. They fill you up, especially if the coffee shop has peanut butter. However, if that’s the only thing you can buy in a coffee shop, they get boring and you start to resent them, i.e. If all they have are bagels, I’m going to growl at that barista.
I am not a low-cal-fat-free-all-the-time-healthy vegan. I like me a fresh muffin, a chocolate chip cookie, maybe even a scone. Here in Chicago, there are some coffee shops where I frequent because I know they have something I can partake in (if I get there early enough that things are not gone): Atomix on Chicago, Dollop on Clarendon, Argo Tea (lot of locations). I’m sure there are others, but these are my mainstays of coffee shop bliss.
Coffee shops, take notice. I guarantee that I will buy a vegan goodie if you have one. I will even buy one if I’m not hungry and save it for later. I don’t want to bring a Clif Bar to your establishment. I really don’t want a bagel.
If you are a coffee shop in Chicago, you have no excuse. Call the Chicago Diner, call Bleeding Heart Bakery. If you’re not in Chicago, I bet there’s a vegan restaurant or bakery near you that you didn’t even know existed. Use the Google. Love the Google. I want to buy from you. Help me out a little.
I love coffee shop sounds: the beans grinding, the foam frothing, the music providing just the right volume and background.
Staying in a coffee shop for hours poses two problems: the bathroom and food.
The bathroom. Easily solved. You sit down, settle in, and start scoping out fellow café people to see who looks reliable. Eventually, after one cup or two, it’s time to use the facilities. You pack away your cell phone, minimize documents on the laptop, and lean over/walk over to reliable person and ask them if they can keep an eye on your stuff. They almost always say yes, and off you go, hoping your stranger-thief instinct is on target. You come back, your stuff in place, say thank you, and inevitably watch the stranger’s items if they partake.
Food poses a difficult problem. I am like a hobbit. I require first breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, etc. Coffee shops often have interesting pastry choices to ply you with sugar and fat and keep you working/reading/procrastinating, but they are rarely vegan (I can’t really say never). When I go into a coffee shop, I am almost resigned to a bagel, or, if I’m lucky, a prepackaged cookie.
Let’s talk bagels. I love them. They are yummy. They fill you up, especially if the coffee shop has peanut butter. However, if that’s the only thing you can buy in a coffee shop, they get boring and you start to resent them, i.e. If all they have are bagels, I’m going to growl at that barista.
I am not a low-cal-fat-free-all-the-time-healthy vegan. I like me a fresh muffin, a chocolate chip cookie, maybe even a scone. Here in Chicago, there are some coffee shops where I frequent because I know they have something I can partake in (if I get there early enough that things are not gone): Atomix on Chicago, Dollop on Clarendon, Argo Tea (lot of locations). I’m sure there are others, but these are my mainstays of coffee shop bliss.
Coffee shops, take notice. I guarantee that I will buy a vegan goodie if you have one. I will even buy one if I’m not hungry and save it for later. I don’t want to bring a Clif Bar to your establishment. I really don’t want a bagel.
If you are a coffee shop in Chicago, you have no excuse. Call the Chicago Diner, call Bleeding Heart Bakery. If you’re not in Chicago, I bet there’s a vegan restaurant or bakery near you that you didn’t even know existed. Use the Google. Love the Google. I want to buy from you. Help me out a little.
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