Food. Glorious Food.

Remember when I wrote that I was going to write about Guatemala in the next couple of days?

Yeah, that was cute. Sorry about that. 

Let's move on shall we?

I thought it wouldn't hurt to write a quick summary of my experience being vegan in Guatemala. It'll be my quick review of some of the major food that I had. I'll review by the regions I went to.

Antigua was by far the place with the best food, which might be why I spent the most my time there. The food that was authentic was fantastic; it didn't strive to satisfy any western European tastebud. The ones that did try to please the average tourist were ok. Truthfully I had better. However when you ordered a meal, you generally ordered a real central american native dish. Mostly every day I was completely satisfied with my food.

This was the breakfast I had every day while I was at Antigua. It was a bean and potato meal with a side of fruits and coffee. Even though there were nonvegan options there, it was definitely easy to ask for a vegan meal. I swear to god I was always happy to have this simple meal. 

My favorite meal by far was at this Guatemalan restaurant. They had a vegetarian/ vegan option listed so my shitty Spanish didn't have to struggle trying to explain that I didn't eat meat. The restaurant was nested deep behind a series of Guatemalan women making tortillas. Coming to this restaurant was the ultimate form of blind faith. You come to this questionable open space guarded by Guatemalan ladies making tortillas and you, full of hope, walk down the corridor to this hole in the wall restaurant. However, this blind faith was well rewarded. It's basically anything you would want with Antigua.

This was the only semi western meal I had in Antigua and it was ok. It was a vegan sandwich with roasted vegetables and a side salad. The bread wasn't toasted, and overall I wanted some beans or tacos instead.

I almost made a mistake with this meal. If you get anything that looks like this DO NOT EAT THE RED X THING. That is meat. Everything else was vegan and delicious. Damn, Guatemalans know their guacamole. 

Guatemalans are very famous for their chocolate and their coffee. The major requests from my friends and family were coffee and chocolate. I was luckily able to go to a chocolate museum and make my own chocolate. All vegan of course. Interesting fact: did you know that white chocolate isn't chocolate?

The food at San Marcos was a dull as the area itself. I hated San Marcos so I have nothing good to say. 

This is a vegan meal I had here and it was blah. I mean the vegetable flavor was there but there wasn't much protein so afterwards I gorged myself on chocolate. It was expensive and mediocre. However it is listed as vegan so I can pat myself on the back for that. This was the only stand out meal I had, which isn't saying much. If you're wondering if you should go to San Marcos when you're visiting Lake Atitlan, I say skip it.

The food in Tikal/Flores was really good but truthfully I only had one meal day after day. It was cheap and it was fantastic. When coming to Tikal or Flores, definitely SKIP restaurants and head straight to the street food. 

The street tacos were the best meal I had throughout the whole trip. From what I can remember the meal cost around 15 Guatemalan quetzals which was probably around 2 dollars. This meal was the meal I was after. It was listed as vegetarian but from what I saw it was completely vegan. It was mostly a rice and bean taco with cilantro, salsa, and onions. I loved it! It was flavorful, unique, and rich with everything you would find at a street vendor. There was a reason why I came here so many times because each time I felt a fury of emotions. I didn't need European food, I needed this. This wasn't the fanciest thing, it sat on a styrofoam tray, but it was a perfect way to end the trip.

Finally... A Guatemala Post

Hello!!

I'm going to do several Guatemala posts because it is a bit hard to get my mind together. Guatemala does that to you... It scatters your brain and you come back in a daze thinking, "did that really happen? Where was I? What is Guatemala?"

I'm still stuck on that last one, what is Guatemala?

However as I try to get my mind in order I figure I'll start off with the basic, how was it?

When people ask me how Guatemala was I generally say the same thing; Guatemala was weird, but in a good sense. Guatemala is not really anyone's number one choice of destination. Truth be told, when I said I was going to Guatemala there was a lot of confusion to why. Despite it being a land filled with everything we need in life (coffee and chocolate) it is a country that I truly don't hear much about. However coming back from Guatemala I kind of understood why I never heard much about it; it wants to remain silent.

In reality, I don't think anyone knows what Guatemala is like. I think everyone is trying to figure that out on their own. It is a country where everyone seems to know what Guatemala truly is like, and where everyone denies everything the previous person had said. To me, Guatemala is a country of scandal and serenity, of the rich and the poor, and of the excitement and boredom. It is hard to sum Guatemala in one short sentence because it is every word put together in one confusing clusterfuck. 

Will talk about food in next post

I did have some really great experiences in Guatemala, and I also had some really terrible experiences in Guatemala. I found that what I expected to be great was terrible, and what I expected to be terrible was great. For example when I thought I would enjoy the nature of Guatemala, I felt underwhelmed; when I thought I would bore my friend and I with the sites of Guatemala's Mayan history, I was ecstatically enthralled. 

Guatemala, for sure, cannot be planned ahead. I needs to be a "spur of the moment" vacation. I know for a fact I do not work that way. So every time I needed to be free with my plans, I felt uncomfortable. Guatemala was unkind in those regards. However it made up for it in sense that what you see in Guatemala is not something that can be seen in any other country. The country purposely kept itself off people's radars for a reason, which is why that is a weird thing to experience.

How to be Vegan in Joshua Tree... SPOILER!!! IT'S FUCKING EASY

The inspiration to go to Joshua Tree for a short weekend was commanded by my dad. My friend had come to visit from Massachusetts, and originally we were planning on having a calm relaxing day. Once dad came in the room, he ordered us to go to Joshua Tree for the weekend, "RIGHT NOW!"

So we got up and left. 

Going up the ten on a friday morning is R.E.L.A.X.I.N.G! It is such an easy drive and we managed to stop and see the Cabazon dinosaurs.

Now, referring to the title, I have to admit that Joshua Tree is quite an easy place to be vegan in. Joshua Tree is a refuge for hippy westerners and new age couples alike. I found that there were a surplus of healthy food markets as well as restaurants all throughout the town, and a lot of flowing hippy dresses wherever you looked. I think I'll write about a couple of activities we did in Joshua Tree another post to strengthen my claim, but for right now, I'll talk about the food.  

Cabazon Dinosaur 

My friend and I had bought some snacks for the ride so we weren't hungry until we reached Pappy + Harriets. 

Pappy + Harriets is a restaurant/bar in Pioneertown right next to Joshua Tree. It is known to be a hidden gem of one of the best music venues in California. Inside you can see a whole 1970s western motif with homage to those that had played their before, as well as the icons, Pappy and Harriet. While it seems like this place would be terrible for a vegan, mostly because of the "macho" image, there are some options you can go with.

Outside Pappy and Harriets

• 
  

Pappy + Harriets offers a couple of vegetarian/ vegan options. As we all know there is always the standard salad, but after a two hour car ride I wanted something a bit more substantial. I asked for the veggie burger but that wasn't vegan so I went with the vegetarian tacos.

As much as I like the atmosphere of Pappy + Harriets, and believe me I will go back when I am able to, the truth is I didn't really like those tacos. Even though they were vegan and I am thankful there was something on that menu for me to eat, the tacos were just so-so. I didn't really feel like there was a lot of flavor, and I felt like I was focusing more on the smooth sensation in the avocado in the taco more than the unami experience in the meal. However truth be told, I believe that my food didn't really matter that much about the review of the restaurant. This is a place you have to go whether you like the food or not. Pappy + Harriets is a Californian experience, not simply just a restaurant/ bar. The one drawback about Pappy + Harriets is that I didn't get to see the live show that night. I really wish I did, but I'll do it next time.

Pappy and Harriets

• 53688 Pioneertown Rd
  Pioneertown, CA 92268

Right next to Pappy + Harriets was Pioneertown. Pioneertown was once a 1940s movie set that was abandoned after the movie was shot. Now it is a string of stores and activities all connected in the western style theme. We managed to walk around there for a hot minute however it was getting dark so we went straight to our Super 8.

Pioneertown

We didn't have anything for dinner since we had a late lunch at Pappy + Harriets, and for breakfast we had the complimentary breakfast food at the Super 8, so before we left Joshua Tree we decided to eat at one more place. We ate at Natural Sisters Cafe.

The Natural Sisters Cafe is one of your perfect vegan brunch places to eat at. It is a non-processed natural foodery that tastes quite clean and happy. I had created my own sandwich with hummus and onion and on the side I had a quinoa salad. It was good, easy as that. Even though it is a bit expensive, their portions are LARGE. I mean I couldn't even finish my sandwich. I actually had the rest of it for dinner later that night. 

Natural Sisters Cafe

• 61695 29 Palms Hwy
  Ste B
  Joshua Tree, CA 92252

Joshua Tree is a hippy "new-age" mecca for vegans so there is really nothing to fear about taking a trip here. While it might be because of the cosmic energy of the land, the truth is Joshua Tree offers happy healthy vegan food wherever you go. 

Update on how I'm doing...

Hey Ya'll!!

I, like always, have been a bit M.I.A, and not in the catchy English rapper sense, but in the literal meaning. Like always, I have to apologize, but I feel like I should give you an update/explanation. No, this isn't goodbye; I'm not that depressed/busy yet. However, I have had a bit of a hard year, and because of that, I haven't written anything.

Now I believe that there are varying levels of "hard times". Some can be terrible in which the person loses all and everything that she loves, or, like in my case, she has a year where nothing ever went quite right. 

I'm releasing this pent up issue because I feel like I need to explain the major reason why I haven't written anything. The main reason I have had such a hard year and have not traveled at all was because I don't have a job. I have spent a considerable amount of my time and energy tying to find work, and, I achieved nothing. Because of that, I felt and still feel depressed and drained over the whole ordeal. Throughout this year I have had egotistically expected to earn a real career, only instead to do menial volunteer jobs instead. Because of this lack of work, and this lack of income, I couldn't travel. Thankfully my friend Mari came and semi-brought me out of my depression. We managed to do one trip while she was here. We went to Joshua Tree.

However after turning 26, I realized something now; I have spent my last year not doing a single thing. I sat on my ass hoping for something to happen, but nothing did. So I'm going to change that for this year. I am going to live and strive to find my next life.

So, like I wrote before, this isn't goodbye. I am planning a trip to London/ Ireland in the spring. I hope that when I'm there I can meet some nice people and possibly, POSSIBLY, POSSIBLY, make some work connections. I will write about my vegan experiences and hopefully give you some good news.

In a couple of days I'll write about my experiences in Joshua Tree. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not gone. I still have some drive in me.

I will write again

New Discoveries about Yorkshire with an Emphasis on Barnsley

Ok let's start off the back with some positives. I have to admit that coming back to Barnsley, or Yorkshire, there has been some considerable changes from the eight years prior. 

I do have to admit that Barnsley, or Yorkshire, still needs to some work to be done, but again, let's think of the positive.

Now that I'm older it is easy to admit that Yorkshire is beautiful. Despite being such a densely packed country there is a lot of foliage. Going up north, you really see the beauty of the land.

One day dad and I went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and had a hike around the park. I took a couple of photos to show how pretty the land was.  

the land was owned by the Wentworths

A well on the land

Wait a minute...

This place was a big thing to me and it displayed a unique quality of Yorkshire. Instead of the traditional historical museum, or fun park, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an oddly amazing art center centralized in West Bretton in Wakefeild. Well, I don't really know if it is centralized in West Bretton because I don't really understand addresses in England, but it is in West Bretton.

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park is on Bretton Hall. Bretton Hall was an 18th-century estate that later transformed into a college in the mid 20th-century. Established in 1977, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
became well known for its installations from famous artists like Ai Weiwei, James Turell, Andy Goldsworthy, and Nigel Hall.

My dad had talked on and on about this place for the last couple of years and like any normal child I tuned him out. Only until I hiked its path last month was I able to understand how cool it was. 

The whole area contains a beautiful juxtaposition of nature and art which was occasionally hidden from the naked eye. As you meander through this "other world" you would always turn a corner to see a beautiful statue looking down at you. This park was something unique. Something that should definitely be seen.

I think a lot of the artists were inspired by the concept of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The area seems quite in tune with the layout of nature. When you're walking around you never really feel like anything is out of place, instead you feel a sense of calmness and wonder on how such a large amount of land could possibly be a haven for art and artistic interests a like.

I had previously mentioned that there has been some major improvements of Yorkshire and Barnsley and the Yorkshire Sculpture Art Park is a grand example of that. While I had previously seen Yorkshire as an wasteland of what was once profitable in the 1970s, now it seems to be a growing vibrant entity evolving into a area of art and beauty.

Inspired by Scandinavian
nature goddess 

I'll write more soon...

My Trip to England

So I went to England.

That happened.








However let me start from the beginning. I am English. Well, I'm actually half English, half American. I'm not one of those people that say "I'm English" even though my family history spans farther than the history of America, I'm actually an English citizen. I have family in England, and I have an English passport.

I've been going to England since I was a baby. I, however, have not really gone to any fun part of England, nor have I been enjoying my experiences in England; I have been going to Yorkshire England.


Warning: These are the thoughts of me alone and do not in any way mean shit. I had bad experiences in England, sorry.

See as a kid, going to England was the most boring thing in the history of the world, which ironically, is where most western history has come out of. I had no one to play with, and I had nothing to do and no where to go. The scenic views of England were nice, but I cared less. Being a 8 year old child and trying to distract me with the beauty of England  was as successful as making Zoom work as a mp3 player.


Everyone I knew "oohed" and "aaahed" at the concept of going to England but they never, NEVER, got the chance to see it through my eyes. I literally, for two or so weeks, would sit in front of the tv and wonder when in hell was I going home. These were my trips to England. This was the reason why I didn't like to go to England. I experienced the real England, not the tourist England.






So this year was another year of going to England. Another year of doing nothing. Another year of having to deal with family that I couldn't stand. However this year I decided to document it. I think I will stretch this out for a couple of posts. I'll try to make a video, for those that don't like reading, and I'll give some tips on how to survive England, or, how to survive having to spend time with your family.





Enjoy!

My Trip To San Francisco and The Vegan Meals I Had

Last week I went to San Francisco for a work related trip. I managed to travel a bit on my free time, and I also was able to try a few vegan eateries.

In San Francisco I stayed in the East Bay in a hotel called Hyatt House. The hotel is a adequate hotel located in Emreyville, California, right next door (literally) to the train station. The premise of the hotel is to be your home away from home with a kitchen and everything which meant that there wasn't a need for room service. What they had however, was the "H Bar Sip + Savor".

In the "H Bar Sip + Savor" there was a wide selection of comfort foods. Vegan wise, there was sort of one item.

What they offer vegan wise is the "H Bar Fries". The "H Bar Fries" is a chipotle seasoned french fry that came with a mayo chipotle "ketchup". 

On one brutal night when I came home at 9:30 pm and crumbled at the idea of going out again for dinner, I ordered this as my meal. The french fries were good, I was just disappointed that the ketchup was a joke.

The first vegan meal was a failure.

           

I was feeling a bit down about not getting what I thought I was getting. Northern California was always considered to be the haven for vegan health. It was the hippy nation, so why wasn't I able to get a dish? I had began working for a couple of days having to omit lunch and breakfast, and having catered plain salads for dinner. My goal of finding Northern Californian vegan meals were not happening.

That was the case until I got to have Shangri-La Vegan.

After one night of my jobs I was allowed to go home early. Since I was staying in Emreyville I looked up vegan foods on yelp. About six or so miles away from the hotel there was a place called Shangri-La Vegan.

Shangri-La Vegan is a organic vegan only hideaway located at 4001 Linden St, Oakland, CA 94608. It is a relatively big building situated in a residential district of Oakland.

Inside, the decor has a semi-Asian esthetic. The chairs and tables are plain, but there are some tapestries on the door and some pictures of Asia. There is a big counter in the front where you can order your food, and a nice little man waiting for your order.

Truth be told I can't tell you what I ordered. There seems to have had a massive communication error between us because by the time I came to order, the man already did it for me. The only thing I can tell you is there are two size options, medium (which is massive) and large (which could probably feed a family of six).

The meal is what I believe vegan meals should be however. As much as I love comfort food I have a hard time seeing the point of eating fake meat. If you want to be a advocate for animals, why subjugate yourself into eating fake meat? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

This meal is a concoction of vegetables to create an erotic surge of health and flavor in your mouth. The meal is that sort of meal where you feel satisfied with your life right after. It has the feeling of a salad without having to EXPERIENCE a salad. 

So far I was successful with one meal.

There was a place I went to which I never took a picture of. It was a great example though of the level of vegan acceptance San Francisco has. 

At the Westfield Mall on Market Street there is a Loving Hut. Loving Hut is a vegan franchised fast food industry all over the world. I have been to a couple when I used to live in Korea, so I was excited to see one in San Francisco. 

The Loving Hut is not a fancy place, but not a lot of the places I've went to were fancy either. However, Loving Hut is a place to go to when you want cheap, easy, comfort food. For the size of a small child you pay around $8.00 for food. 

I enjoyed Loving Hut so much that I had it twice. It really offered a substantial amount of food for a reasonable price.

I should mention that throughout this whole trip I had to rely on one major company as a large provider of food source for me...

That's right. Trader Joe's was right next door to the Emeryville Hyatt House. As much as I have a hard time with Trader Joe's I had to put my prejudices aside and accept that I had a place that could provide me vegan options.

What I relied a lot on was the Trader Joe's Veggie Wrap. Even though earlier this year Trader Joe's had a massive hummus recall, the wrap was good. I also had almond milk, onion ring chips, guacamole, and vegan cookies. When I needed something, I had trader Joe's to rely on.

While Trader Joe's might have a hypocritical premise, it does provide cheap options for food diets and health. While in Emeryville I have to say that Trader Joe's was my go to place. 

                                                                                 

Near the end of my trip I managed to make it to one place that was a normal/vegan hybrid. 

Super Duper seems to be on Mission and Market. It seems to be a comfortable burger/sandwich joint. 

I ordered their veggie burger and it was ok, just ok. It was a rice-ish burger with bits of corn and onion inside. I omitted the thousand island dressing and cheese and put in a mashed avocado. The flavor was alright, but not powerful. I feel like at home I can make a better burger. New article perhaps?

However the atmosphere was great. It had a real bustling crowd with a soft sound of music. It was a good place to kill time and people watch.

Food wise I have to say I wasn't astonished with the grub but I think I have come to a conclusion. There is no denying that San Francisco/ East Bay is a very liberal area. It has been since it was established. While in Los Angeles the vegan diet has been glamorized to a beautiful delicacy, in San Francisco/ East Bay it is as average as white bread. The vegan lifestyle has been in the San Francisco/ East Bay life forever so it isn't as magical as it is in Los Angeles. They have elite vegan, fast food vegan, good vegan, and crap vegan. While I wasn't impressed by the food here, I have to say that coming here I never dealt with any major issues with my lifestyle.

Trip wise, my experience in San Francisco/ East Bay was different than what I expected. Truth be told I wasn't on vacation so I feel like I can't be so critical. However I did have some moments that I felt I should address.

One of the major things I think you should not bring or rent is a car. If you are planning to do both San Francisco/ East Bay then you will probably need the car for the East Bay, but in San Francisco cars are so pointless they should be banned. 

Most of the people in San Francisco are so (I assume) tired that they should not drive. In one day I witnessed five people drive through red lights. I saw one man cut off me and another man just to block us. Driving is insane and is nearly impossible for a town like this.

Even my Siri was going insane...

San Francisco seems to have changed a lot since its flower power persona in the 1960s. Hippies as well as the homeless (which in truth is basically the same thing) are mean and aggressive. I've seen several homeless people get into fights with others, including me, on the street, and I had one hippy try to shoot me, while I was driving, with a Nerf gun. Maybe because the weather is so cold, but the people here are mean. 

However in the end I got to go home. I had dealt with a week of San Francisco/ East Bay. Even though I it wasn't so bad, I felt had conquered a big hurdle.

Going to Massachusetts Tomorrow

So tomorrow I'm going to Massachusetts to see a friend! 


I'll write about what it is to be a traveling vegan in massachusetts!

Yay!

Vegan Miscellaneous Things

So before my massive post on Cambodia I was looking at smaller things to talk about. I found three things to discuss. One was Coexistence Vegan Cafe in Dapsimni. 

Coexistence Vegan Cafe is basically what it is in the title; it is a cafe that offers vegan goodies. It is very close to where I live and I absolutely love it! The ladies are nice and the food is decent. They have a simple menu so they could focus more on quality over quantity, and they seem to portray a love for animals and a love for vegan culture. I think restaurants like these offer a bit of humanity to the lesser known and less popular parts of Korea. Dapsimni isn't like itaewon or hongdae, so there isn't a large foreigner base or even a liberal viewpoint. Having Coexistence Vegan Cafe in Dapsimni is like finding a designer bag at a discounted store, or finding a great book at the library. Coexistence Vegan Cafe is a great place and I highly recommend it. Go out of exit four and walk down the street. Turn left at the fruit seller guy and go straight for about four blocks. Coexistence Vegan Cafe will be on your left. It is a fun bright yellow building. Also there is an animal rescue right next door so you should check it out.

Cafe Sukkra is a jazzy little cafe in Hongdae, and proves the point that Hongdae is actually good. While there might be a huge uproar on this confession, i feel like to should make it, I personally did not like Hongdae. I always figured it was an area for wannabe hipsters and huge fraternity assholes. However there is a calmer side to the district. Going left, from exit nine you can see a more relaxed setting. Cafe Sukkra exemplifies that feeling. It offers a healthier meal set, with large vegan options to make you feel comfortable and less processed. The better thing is that Whole*istic provides their cooking there. So you can experience the deliciousness of raw vegan food. There is even vegan hot chocolate which is rich and delicious all at the same time.

For some strange reason I forgot that there is very few vegan or even healthy items in South Korea and convinced myself at the notion that I can cook totally gourmet vegan meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have become a lot wiser to that foolish thought but beforehand I managed to scrounger up a chia seed pudding for one of my breakfasts. The chia seed pudding is very easy to make. Basically all you need is....

1/2 cup of chia seeds

a smidge of maple syrup

a smidge of cinnamon 

1 cup of soy milk

Mix that shit all together, keep it in the fridge for about 12 hours, and there you have it.

I'll try to throw up some more posts soon!