We have just come back from a week in Tenerife and I have to say from my experience veganism isn’t something the spanish understand just yet. I genuinely believe its a concept that they are just not familiar with. Luckily we were staying quite close by to a Lidl so were able to buy food there and they had the most amazing vegan frittata which we pretty much ate most mornings for breakfast. We ate out a a few times but mostly cooked and ate in the apartment. My son and his girlfriend also cooked a delicious vegan paella one evening too which would have given the spanish a run for their money.
I haven’t yet found anywhere to eat out that does anything remotely vegan but my tips for eating out would be, if theres nothing on the menu then ask. If there is nothing suitable then I would suggest just ordering sides. I have to admit my daughter pretty much just ordered chips wherever we ate. One evening we ate at a tapas restaurant and they placed a complimentary lentil dish on the table. My sons girlfriend who speaks fluent spanish asked the waitress if it was vegan to which she replied it was. Just as I was spooning it onto my daughters plate I noticed it had two chunks of pork in it. Thankfully I noticed it but like I said Vegano ( the word for vegan in spanish) just isn’t a familiar concept to them, so be vigilant and check everything.
We booked onto a boat trip which offered tapas as part of the trip. I explained that two of us were vegan and asked if they could accommodate, but said not to worry if they couldn’t as we could bring our own. They said no problem we can provide salad and fruit. Perfect! Although he went on to say so you can have tuna with your salad? I explained no nothing that comes from an animal. This clearly confused him as he said i just don’t know what you like anymore. I replied honestly don’t worry we’ll bring our own. Thank god I had packed vegan chicken slices and vegan cheese so we could do the British thing and bring sandwiches. As it turned out there was plenty of choice on the boat so we didn’t go hungry. We had the most amazing experience on the boat as were followed by dolphins. I have never experienced something so special as seeing the dolphins up close in their natural habitat. It was a truly magical experience that I will never forget.
I think the hardest thing being abroad and eating out is feeling like you’re being the awkward one when other members of your party are asking can you eat here? So the safest thing to do is cook yourself and when you are eating out just order a few different sides.
You can follow me on instagram for simple meal ideas http://instagram.com/pickyveganlife
The Picky Vegan Life 
What a gorgeous trip! I find a lot of people in English-speaking countries are still sometimes confused about veganism, with the best intentions, I often get people mixing it up with gluten-free 🤔 If they look confused at all, I specifically say “just plants, no fishes, birds, mammals, eggs, dairy, or honey please” and then offer a few suggestions. The best thing is if I see a menu ahead of time, I can say e.g. “would it be possible to swap out the chicken with some chick peas?” if I see they have chick peas in another dish, as chefs or waiters who don’t have much experience with veganism might just not think of it. Most chefs are pleased to have a creative challenge and help give you a good experience!
I’ve never seen dolphins up close- what an incredible experience.
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Thanks Madeleine some good ideas there, like you say it’s about suggesting things they might not have thought about 😊
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