Le jus du blé

One day I boasted to my friends that I could drink anyone under the table--in green vegetable juice, that is.  I continued to demonstrate this by downing an entire pint of dark green juice in under a minute.  To my friends' amusement and to my horror, this resulted in a state much like alcohol sickness...Fifteen minutes later I was nauseous and detoxing after consuming too much greens in too little time.

Needless to say, I love my green juice.  At home I drink it every day and in large quantities, and I do my best to get a daily shot of wheatgrass in too.  For me, green juice is a key source of energy and nourishment.  However, I left my lovely Green Star juicer behind when I came to France.  Instead I packed a hand crank wheatgrass juicer.  As a study abroad student I knew I was going to live with a French host family, but I didn't know whether I would be granted access to their kitchen, or even if I could use their electricity to juice every day.  So, a manual wheatgrass juicer seemed like a good alternative.  I could always clamp it onto my desk or bedside table.  (Thanks to my lovely housing coordinator, Céline, I was placed in a room that has a own kitchen, so I have plenty of space to prepare my food and grow wheatgrass).

To supply my appetite for green juice I've grown a couple batches of wheatgrass over the past month.  I'm still learning how to time the growing so that I don't have to harvest too much at once.  (When the grass grows beyond 6-8 inches it must be cut, otherwise it loses much of its nutritional value).  Nevertheless, I'm getting the hang of it, and most importantly, I'm getting my greens!!!

Wheatgrass berries

As for wheatgrass growing materials, you can find everything in France.  I buy wheatberries at a local organic food store called La Vie Claire.  There are many organic, or "biologique" stores in Grenoble.  Look for "Blé tendre à germer" (germer = to sprout).  I bought plastic growing trays at a big supermarket, Carrefour.   For soil, my host family offered their own.  If soil is not available, I also hear you can simply grow your wheatgrass on paper towels.  For more instructions on how to grow your own wheatgrass, click here.

I've seen electric centrifugal juicers at a couple of kitchen appliance stores in Grenoble.  I'm sure they can also be bought online, for example, on french Amazon.  However, if you are traveling and don't know whether you will be able plug in, a manual juicer is a good way to go.  I can juice just about any leafy green with my hand crank, in addition to harder veggies like carrots.  It's easy to clean and put together...but it does take some time and a bit of elbow grease to produce a small quantity of juice, which is why this juicer is really suited for small batches of wheatgrass rather than larger quantities of mixed vegetables.

A couple of ounces of wheatgrass every other day is not the same as feasting on a large supply of green juice made from a variety of veggies.  But I made it work, and that's what being raw in France is about: Finding alternatives and adapting to the resources that are available here.

Until next time, bottoms up!

My trusty hand crank juicer and a batch of wheatgrass juice

Bonjour et Bienvenue à Raw in France

Being a raw vegan is a rarity.  Being a raw vegan in France...well, I don't know if that even exists.

Until now.  Yes France, I have arrived.  And I'm a raw vegan.  No, I don't eat cheese, I don't eat pain chocolate, and its true, I won't even eat your steamed string beans. 

My friends at Prana once gave me the nickname "Nora the Raw Food Explora".  Nora, well that's just not my name at all.  However, I do think I've begun to earn the title "Explora".  After a month and a few days of living and studying in Grenoble, I have done my fair share of culinary exploration.  However, this is not the typical culinary research one would expect in the food capital of the world.  

High up in the Swiss Alps surrounding Grenoble

When I decided to study abroad in France for a semester, I knew things would be different...Not only would I be in a foreign country, immersing myself in a new language and culture, I would have relearn how to be raw.  At home, its easy.  I practically live at Prana (the best raw food ever).  Health food stores are in every neighborhood (my fav, Debras Natural Gourmet).  My super best friend, well she's a raw foodie too.  I've got it all...an abundance of green juice, coconut cream pie, a raw community and a Vitamix, to name a few.

So when the time came to get up and go, packing my bags was quite the ordeal.  I left behind my blender, juicer, dehydrator and all.  I brought the basics...and a little more.  I had enough to hold me over for the first couple of weeks...and that took up the majority the space in my duffel.  Forget clothing, I need my nut butters!

Much raw adventuring has ensued over the past month.  Too much to summarize in a single, introductory message. So for now, I will leave you with this:  Being raw in France is possible.  It's more than possible, it's an absolute joy.  It takes some creativity, determination and a sense of adventure...but if you are already into raw, you already have all of those qualities.

A bientôt et bien sûr, Bon appétit!