Even though plant-based diets aren’t exactly new, the whole vegan hype has seen a true boom during the past few years. While it’s still not possible to eat a worthy vegan meal in every single restaurant, more and more places are catering to the needs of those who choose not to eat any animal products. The reason why is quite simple: since the rise of the awareness of climate change, people from all over the world have been giving their eating habits more and more thought. What could they possibly do in order to keep their ecological footprint to a minimum? And lots of them decided to go plant-based.
Yet even though everyone should be free to do how they seem fit, veganism is quite prone to prejudices. Vegans are immediately labeled as ‘alternative’ (whatever that means) and are believed only to eat raw vegetables and beans. Quite the misunderstanding, as the vegan cuisine is getting more and more renowned – at the beginning of this year, the French vegan restaurant ONA even got its first Michelin star. But sadly, prejudices are hard to get rid of and to the general public, veganism remains to be something odd and impossible to attain.
1. Végédal
Luckily, there are actors out there willing to change that image. One of them is the French influencer Samia Benyounes, also known as SAM FOOTX on social media. That’s why she created Végédal, a vegan fast-food restaurant in Paris. Contrary to a lot of vegan initiatives out there, Végédal doesn’t want to be healthy. Nor refined. The restaurant simply wants to offer you the same experience you would get at any ‘normal’ fast-food chain, with one difference: all ingredients are plant-based.
2. Accessible vegan food
That means a few things. Firstly, your food is served on plastic trays. Secondly, you don’t have to pay a lot if you want to eat at Végédal. Thirdly, the setting isn’t fancy, it’s what you would expect from any fast-food place you’d come by. On the menu, you’ll find dishes like the Big V, Oriental Tacos, or an Oreo-flavored VegeShake. The purpose is very simple: making people who normally wouldn’t choose a vegan option see that they don’t miss out on anything by opting for a plant-based meal. And as you don’t see the difference when looking at their vegan burgers or milkshakes, you might even forget you’re at a vegan restaurant. One look at Végédal’s Instagram page suffices to make you drool.
