Options for Vegetarians

[lifesaver]

Hello,

From my understanding (browsing previous topics on this forum) it's possible to be a vegetarian on Saba. Can current vegetarians on Saba or others comment on the types of foods available for us?
I'm concerned especially since I have limited microwave cooking experience.......
Also, from previous threads, it seems that many people get stuff shipped in from sxm - how? Can you do this on line or via phone? It's seems quite expensive to have to travel to sxm just to get stuff shipped back to saba.

Thanks,
lifesaver

[ResearchingGuy]

There was a couple two semesters ahead of me who were vegetarians. They told me it wasn't hard to be vegetarian on Saba, just that there was very little variety. First of all, fresh veggies are usually put out only one day per week and they are often snatched right up. It may take you a week to figure out the boat/marketday thing. I did notice frozen veggie entrees and things like Boca Burgers at times. The ladies at the cafeteria also try to offer a veggie dish each day.

As for shipments from SXM: a lot of people get stuff shipped over from CostULess. You can phone or fax your order (I don't believe you can do it online) and it usually comes on the next available boat (about a week or less). The best way to learn about this system is to get in touch with one of the members of SOS -the Spouse's Club. Don't be shy. Ask the admin for a contact person.They are very helpful and can give you the lowdown on food and how to get it as well as a lot of other things.

Best of Luck!

[wolfvgang22]

They also have the frozen veggie burgers (morning star brand?) and such in the grocery stores, too.

[Nate-MD]

My option for coming here when I was a vegitarian: just start eating meat.... There is no way I could eat like I did back home due to lack of options, so I just started eating meat. Oh man what doors opened then. I don't know why I didn't start earlier. Here's a list of animals I've consumed since being here

Goat: obviously- someone figured out that the goats would probably overrun the island and start eating us if we didn't eat them first.

Lamb: Vic at My Kitchen is amazing- now it was the first time I had lamb, but I don't imagine it gets any better.

Pig: I think this is what ribs are made from, I really don't know though. I get these once a week or so at swinging doors.

Conch: I have no idea what this thing is really- some sort of giant snail I guess, but they fry them up at Pops Place at the harbor.

Lobster: Maybe had this when I was really young, but since my parents are so cheap, I doubt they'd take an 8 year old out for lobster. Try it "thermador" style at Family Deli in the bottom

Gecko: Due to a lost bet.... try it drunk- it goes down easier

So yea- that's the list of things I've eaten and enjoyed here on the island. I don't eat meat when I eat in the dorms though really.

[Conway]

My option for coming here when I was a vegitarian: just start eating meat.... There is no way I could eat like I did back home due to lack of options, so I just started eating meat. Oh man what doors opened then. I don't know why I didn't start earlier. Here's a list of animals I've consumed since being here

Goat: obviously- someone figured out that the goats would probably overrun the island and start eating us if we didn't eat them first.

Lamb: Vic at My Kitchen is amazing- now it was the first time I had lamb, but I don't imagine it gets any better.

Pig: I think this is what ribs are made from, I really don't know though. I get these once a week or so at swinging doors.

Conch: I have no idea what this thing is really- some sort of giant snail I guess, but they fry them up at Pops Place at the harbor.

Lobster: Maybe had this when I was really young, but since my parents are so cheap, I doubt they'd take an 8 year old out for lobster. Try it "thermador" style at Family Deli in the bottom

Gecko: Due to a lost bet.... try it drunk- it goes down easier

So yea- that's the list of things I've eaten and enjoyed here on the island. I don't eat meat when I eat in the dorms though really.

Wasn't it hard to give up your vegetarianism? I am a vegetarian, and for me personally, it would be very very hard to go back to a meat-eating lifestyle. I've also heard that after you've been vegetarian for a while, your body doesn't handle meats well if you try to eat it again. Did anything relating to that happen to you?

[Nate-MD]

Yea, switching to meat really tears the GI system up for a bit.... what I did for about a month before I came here was start eating fish once in a while. Then I added chicken in slowly. Once I got here I tried all of the ribs and goat and whatnot. I was always careful not to eat too much meat in relation to other foods and I was fine. I still don't eat meat in the dorms, but when eating out it's hard to find a variety of vegitarian plates. I still stick to mainly seafood and chicken. I think I've only eaten a couple of hamburgers in 4 months. It took a while to learn where to buy certain foods, not all the grocery stores have the same selection. Big Rock in Windward has a fairly good variety of vegitarian fare. One other thing that was a big switch for me was eating Indian food once every couple of days. Man that really tears me up.... What I thought was inferno hot my roommate thought was underspiced. He put loads of matook (spelling?) on everything- including my food once in a while to suprise me. But anyways, the transition wasn't as hard as I thought.

[lifesaver]

Thank you for all your replies.

I will definitely try to get in touch with an SOS member ResearchingGuy.

NateMD: Like Conway, I don't intend to turn on the animals. But your post brings me to another question: did your roommate get indian spices from Saba or did they bring it from back home? Indian food is definitely something that I live on.

Btw, is there a list of food items available on Saba circulating on this forum somewhere? I couldn't find it, there's bits and pieces everywhere....perhaps current Sabans can help create one? I'll commit to developing the list once I'm in Saba :lol:

Lifesaver

[wolfvgang22]

Ok, I'll start: Rice.

[pitstar]

Hello,

From my understanding (browsing previous topics on this forum) it's possible to be a vegetarian on Saba. Can current vegetarians on Saba or others comment on the types of foods available for us?
I'm concerned especially since I have limited microwave cooking experience.......
Also, from previous threads, it seems that many people get stuff shipped in from sxm - how? Can you do this on line or via phone? It's seems quite expensive to have to travel to sxm just to get stuff shipped back to saba.

Thanks,
lifesaver

Yes a veg can live no problem...quite a few exotic plants on island. Personally I prefer the mushrooms, however be careful not to pick the poisoness ones but only pick the "hallucinogenic" ones. PM me, I don't want to see you die after eating a poisoness mushroom (not like S(A))

[Nate-MD]

Yes, there is a large selection of indian food at the stores. They have these great MRE's that all you have to do is heat them up. Spicy as crap, but really good. Ok, I'm really white..... they're probably not spicy to 90% of the world. Anyways, you can buy spices and whatever here.

I was trying to cook a little seafood last night, didn't turn out that well....

Ok and before anyone freaks out on me, I just found this crab outside my room and I had a little fun taking pictures of it and putting it on my sleeping friends to wake them up. I did NOT cook the crab- but I did think about it......

[wolfvgang22]

crunchy...

[Siddman]

I hope there is a lot of meat on the island...because i can't survive without meat....don't really care about my vegetables.....


Siddman

[ResearchingGuy]

Lots of frozen meat - pork ribs, steaks, chicken. Also those Indian MRE's that Nate mentioned are pretty good. The Aloo Mutter(sp?) with potatoes and peas is great and easy to fix.

Best of Luck!

[wolfvgang22]

MRE's = Meals Rejected by Ethiopians?

[ResearchingGuy]

MRE's = Meals Ready to Eat. Just take 'em outta the bag and heat 'em up and eat 'em. Not bad. Also, quite a good variety of Indian Spices at Big Rock, though things seem to come and go depending on deliveries to the island.

Best of Luck!

[wolfvgang22]

Do they come in brown envelopes, like the military versions? :D

[ResearchingGuy]

They have colorful pictures of the (suggested) servings. Kinda like Banquet frozen fried chicken (which I think you can still get at My Store in the Bottom).

Best of Eating!

[Nate-MD]

Another fun thing to do if you're bored is buy the meat out of the freezer in My Store that is in little plastic bags. Half the time you don't know what you're getting. A meatball may in fact be a meatball, but it could be a falafel ball, chonch fritter, or god knows what.

Sid- don't worry about finding meat here. I ate at Queen's Garden one night and the set menu for the night was a meat smorgasboard. Swinging Doors has a couple of kinds of meat a few times a week, get the chicken and ribs combo.....mmmmmm......