Being a vegetarian - or at least a strict one - is no easy matter in Brazil. Many Brazilians are unwilling vegetarians, of course, surviving on the staple diet of rice, beans and farinha - and there's wonderful fruit everywhere - but this is not food that you'll find in restaurants, except as side dishes. If you eat fish there's no problem, especially in the Northeast and Amazonia where seafood forms the basis of many meals. You can usually get a fair choice of vegetarian food at a comida por kilo restaurant, and in the larger cities there are occasional vegetarian restaurants (usually described as Restaurante Natural), although they are often only open during the day. But otherwise you're up against one of the world's most carnivorous cultures. In the south and centre-west, churrasco rules - served at restaurants where you eat as many different cuts of meat as you can manage, and where requests for meals without meat are greeted with astonishment. At most restaurants - even churrascarias - huge salads are available but, if you're a vegan, always enquire whether eggs or cheese are included. If you get fed up with rice, beans and salad, there are always pizzerias around.