Phonology

    Being a vegan can be difficult. But some people canbe very stupid. Place those two facts in a foreign country and thingsstart to get a bit strange.    Most people know that vegans have a restricted diet,usually on ethical grounds. The vegan diet eschews all meat, fish anddairy produce. On principle of animal exploitation, most vegans willnot use honey, wool and waste products such as leather and feathers.All very well and good. Travelling abroad, or even within the UK can bea tricky procedure for even the most tolerant of vegans.    When looking for a holiday, the first thing mostpeople think about is the weather, the scenery and the activities theywish to experience. For the vegan this is compounded by the questions -will I be able to eat?  Will there be feathers in the pillows andwool in the blankets? It may seem ridiculous to those who have neverthought about it, but vegans are awkward and unnatural creatures. Theseare principles which aren't easily swayed.    The vegan lifestyle is rare enough to not even haveits own word in many languages and explaining or enquiring about veganoptions is nigh on impossible if you're not fluent in the locallanguage. The obvious choice would be to go self-catering, and this iscertainly what most vegans do. Self sacrifice may be part of thevegan psyche. They deny themselves many foods and everyday products forthe sake of their principles, so maybe the difficulty of finding asuitable holiday is just another obstacle to overcome.    Try explaining the vegan lifestyle to someone who'snot familiar with it and you quickly come across those silly littlequeries. "Can you eat potatoes?" Or, spot the deliberate mistake. "Doyou eat fish?"  Then there are those hidden animal by-products,the ones that most non-vegans aren't aware of. For instance - did youknow that many alcoholic drinks are filtered through fish bladders? Tryasking if your beer is vegan the next time you pop down to the local.Try it in France and they'll start throwing frogs legs at you. Whatabout chips? Think you're safe? What are they fried in? What are theyfried beside? Same pan as the fish? Well, they're not vegan then.    Some holiday destinations are more vegan friendlythan others. The Mediterranean, with its salads, fruit and vegetablesis a good choice for the fussy vegan eater. However, the addition ofcheeses to vegetarian salads and ham to just about everything can betricky. Fancy a trip to Iceland? Their traditional fare is based onseafoods, so it might be a bind to get what you want. Greece and theMiddle East are a good bet, all that hummus and  tabbouleh salad,but the vegan has to ensure a balanced diet or they run into trouble.    Next time you go on holiday consider the awkward,fussy vegan. How do they do it? Sheer obstinacy, that must be it.Potatoes? Yes - no butter please.