Pack the Peanut Butter!

Smart Balance, Super Douper Crunchy- that's my Emergency Travel Ration. I never leave home without it! No extra room needed for bread or crackers, just a spoon!

I speak on the topic of food today because it is Ash Wednesday, and for many people that means abstaining from eating meat. Thankfully, I've got that one covered.

My diet has evolved considerably over the past 5 years- from a strict, label-reading vegan to an organic lacto-ovo veg. It is a representation of spiritual, emotional and physical beliefs that I have honed over many a trip around the globe. My encounters with people and places have had a tremendous impact on what I put in my mouth. Below is a sampling of situations I've been in and reactions I've had related to my culinary quirks...

Amsterdam: Finding out that there IS a thing as too much falafel!
France: Asking repeatedly for "Beurre d'arachide" (peanut butter) at the supermarket only to wind up with a stick of butter and a bag of peanuts.
Germany: It is amazing how sustaning beer and pretzels can be.
Italy: How do you say eggs in Italian? And milk? Darnit, if I could just ask them if their dishes contained either, I would be in pasta paradise!
Laos: All you can eat, pack your plate to the sky vegetarian buffet, nightly- $1USD
South Africa: "People here do not understand vegetarianism because when you know what hunger is, you don't refuse food."
Spain: I can only imagine what I look like to the locals here, as I sit on the side of the road eating baked beans out of a can, cold.
Switzerland: "Isn't it unfortunate that when you travel you can't embrace the entire culture by eating their local delicacies?"
Thailand: Tofu terrain, 20 cent Pad Thai from an alley stand.
Zambia: "You're vegetarian? You must want to live a long life."
Zimbabwe: Paying $20USD for a sleeve of crackers and a block of cheese.

Who knew eating, or rather not-eating, could be such an adventure! For a great start to eating veg around the globe, check out the uber-helpful http://www.happycow.net/!!