Times of the Islands Summer 2023

A stricter version of the now-popular “plant-based”
diet, a vegan diet eschews all animal products, including
meat, fish (yep, that includes conch), and dairy. This can
make dining out a challenge, especially while traveling,
as many regional cuisines rely heavily on nonvegan ingredients
like eggs and butter. The word “vegan” is virtually
unheard-of in some countries—and most of the southern
United States, which, culinarily speaking, is practically
another country. Last time I was in Alabama, I had to
spell the word “salad” into a McDonald’s drive-through
window. If you can believe it, they didn’t have any.
After 15 years as a vegan, I’ve learned how to reconcile
my penchant for travel with my caloric needs. I book
hotels with kitchens wherever possible (thank you, Inn
at Grace Bay), and I have no shame packing an entire jar
of peanut butter and loaf of bread in my checked bag.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of
vegan dining options I discovered on the small island of
Providenciales. Most menus had at least one dish that
was either vegan or easily veganized, and all the servers
I spoke to were familiar with veganism and happy to help
me tweak my order as needed. Between beach sessions
and snorkel trips, I sampled a variety of filling, flavorful
vegan dishes across the island.
For breakfast and brunch, I visited Shay Café on Grace
Bay for a hearty slab of avocado toast. The Graceway
Gourmet supermarket has a long list of vegan smoothies
made with oat milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, and rice
protein; and the drink shop Beans & Leaves offers many
flavors of nondairy boba tea. Sail Shades, a new restaurant
in Long Bay, is known for its “doubles”—sandwiches
made of curried chickpeas nestled between deep-fried
flatbreads. This addictive breakfast dish and hangover
cure originated in Trinidad & Tobago, and has grown into
a popular street food throughout the Caribbean. It seems
veganism is on trend in many Caribbean islands, which
is no surprise for places where fruits like coconut are
easy to grow and where the local cuisine has been heavily
influenced by Indian, Asian, and African traditions.
At home in the US, I’ve learned non-Western restaurants
are some of the most dependable places to find
vegan food—and TCI is no exception. Grace Bay’s Thai
Orchid offers several tofu dishes, and the Mexican eatery
Skull Rock serves sizzling tofu fajitas. Turks Kebab uses
falafel and hummus as protein in their vegetarian pitas,
which can be veganized by removing the feta and tzatziki.
Yoshi’s Sushi has several veg-friendly options, including
the rather vaguely named “spring roll with avocado.” This
SHAY CAFE LOUNGE
The Avocado Toast served at Shay Café Lounge at Le Vele Plaza in Grace Bay was a favorite breakfast or brunch stop for the vegan author.
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