So, I have left Germany, I've flown half way across the world, gotten married, driven accross the United States, stayed in more hotels than I can count, and have eaten at my very first all-vegan resturaunt.
Let's start with the flight. I've had this issue before, but it seemed more irritating because I was sleep deprived, anxious to get to the states, and sad to leave Germany. I get on the plane, it's time to eat...and the food that I pre-ordered as Vegan, seemed like it wasn't coming. So, I reluctantly order the cheese pasta or whatever it was, and just sit there. It's a good thing I didn't open it, because a minute later, they came with my vegan food. Has anybody else's food been pre-ordered, but forgotten? Technically, it wasn't forgotten, but it felt like it had been for a bit of time there, and it was, well, pretty depressing.
Oh well, on to the next two weeks. I prepared for the wedding by running around to a bunch of different cities, in the New Mexico/Texas area, made decorations, got my dress hemmed in the middle of the night, and had a blast. I was so happy that some of Kenny's and my friends could make it from Germany. They were so much fun to show around, and to take goofy pictures with. We did lots of massive cooking late into the night, and loved every minute of it. The wedding was fun, too, but I'm just glad that I decided to make the food mostly vegan.
I have a (now) nephew that was born allergic to a lot of different things, to include: all meats, dairy, eggs, tree nuts and peanuts (cashews are okay), and avocados (has anybody else heard that they're put in the tree nut category???). Now, most people would think that the kid would starve to death, right? Well, here comes aunt-to-be Kristin, ready to be the superhero.... okay, not really. His mom already realized he has to eat vegan, but I made sure that he had food at the wedding. There was hummus, and bread that he could eat to start, a main dish and plenty of sides. So, not only could I eat at my own wedding, but so could this little 4 year old that really just wanted to run around in circles.
After the wedding, Kenny and I packed our bags and hit the road! We drove from New Mexico to Maryland. We broke it up into 4 days, about 8 hours a day, and loved almost every moment of it. Oklahoma was probably the lowest point, and Missouri the highest as for road quality. Texas had almost no cars on the road, while Marylanders keep trying to run us off of it. We've stayed in crappy motels with sticky carpets, no fridges or cable, all the way to getting a free upgrade to the penthouse with 2 floors, 3 bathrooms, and a fully working kitchens. It was great!
Eating Vegan has been difficult, and there was a couple times of unknowning faulters. Like, for example the time I forgot to tell the waitress to NOT add butter to my oatmeal (who does that?) and I ordered some pancakes that I'm assuming had some sort of egg. I'm not perfect, but I'm trying....
...which leads me to the best part of my day so far: Great Sage. I'd been getting depressed and irritated (I've hit lots of road blocks with moving) so Kenny said I can pick a place to eat, completely my choice. Little did he know, I have the happycow app on my phone. So, when I saw that Great Sage has a TON of amazing reviews, I decided that's the place for us. He was skeptical, but I was excited. I have never been to a place that doesn't serve meat, let alone dairy and eggs. And let me tell you, it was worth it. I got the spring rolls for the appetizer, and I love love love! the raw spring rolls! My entree was a beautifully crafted display of braised tempeh with savory eggplants and filling polenta. We got a cocunuty cake for dessert, and even kenny was drooling by the end of the meal. If you are in the DC/Baltimore area, I would strongly suggest going there. Now, I don't think spending almost $100 on memorabilia afterwards is neccessary, but it couldn't hurt.
Not only do I feel great right now, but I feel empowered to be a better vegan than I was yesturday. I want to enjoy life, love everything, and not hurt anything!
I hope everybody gets this euphoria as well,
Peace out!
