How I Became a Vegan (Part 1)

This is the story of a girl who discovered the true meaning and effect of conscious eating. This is not a top 10 bullet list or an argumentative essay with the thesis of converting people to veganism. This is simply a story, hopefully a story that people can connect with and be entertained by.

I’m Chinese, specifically a Chinese that was born in Taiwan. There is a saying that I heard that goes something like this: “The Chinese will eat anything with the back to the sky.” Although this may sound extreme, as far as I remember, there really wasn’t anything that the Chinese won’t eat. Frogs, snakes, dogs, pig blood, chicken liver, pig hooves, cow tongues, and chicken claws are just some of the most common foods that Chinese people eat pretty much on a daily basis. And yes, I’ve ate all of these before. It wasn’t a big deal! Having chicken intestines for dinner in a Chinese home is equivalent to having spaghetti in America. It’s simply a way of life and a culture that has developed for thousands of years, as absurd as it is.

When I was 9-years-old, my family immigrated to Los Angeles, where I was told that the ground was paved in gold, only to find that it was neither golden nor commutable without a vehicle. Within 5 years of coming to the States, my dad went from owning his own business to being bankrupt and bedridden. That’s when my mom discovered Buddhism, which lent her a spiritual support that she desperately needed at that time. As she became more devout, she vowed to never eat meat again. At the age of 15, I ate what my mom cooked, so when she asked both my brother and I to be vegetarians with her, we mindlessly agreed. Little did I know that it was to be the best gift my mom has ever given me.

Now let’s travel in light speed ahead to 2007, after I’ve been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 9 years. It was a perfect summer day in LA, so I decided to treat myself to a book under the sun. For really no good reason other than curiosity, I picked up Skinny Bitch at Barnes and Nobles and proceeded to finish the entire book in one sitting all while laughing out loud at the mall patio. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s not embarrassing that I have to say the word ‘bitch’ every time someone asks me how I became a vegan, but there is no denying that Skinny Bitch deserves all of the credit of how I discovered veganism. I’m sure I’ll eventually write a review on this hilarious, no-BS and immensely informative book, but now on to my vegan journey...

***Stay tuned for Part 2!!***

The Eggplant Experiment Take 1

I love eggplants. I think it's a very unique, exotic, and delicious vegetable. Nothing else tastes or feels like it. I don't think I've ever not liked something with eggplant in it. Every time I see eggplant on a menu, I almost always have to order it as it somehow stirs my innate food curiosity. The only problem is that I don't really know how to prepare eggplants. The only thing I've ever done with eggplants was to just stir-fry them, which is delicious, but I feel just stir-frying these wonderful violet vegetables would be not only boring but a dint on my cooking rep.

Max and I have been getting a lot of eggplants at our farm share. Apparently it's eggplant season! They have all kinds of eggplants, from the Japanese long and slender ones to the big round and dark Italian ones to the cute white-striped rosa biancas. We always get at least 2 eggplants, but I never know what to do with them, so I've decided to do some experiments on eggplants. Here's one of them.

The inspiration for this experiment came when I was at Trader Joe's, where I almost bought their Indian Fare Punjab (eggplant) instant curry packet. I looked at the ingredients on the box, which was so straightforward: eggplant, tomatoes, onions, sunflower oil, pumpkin, garlic, salt, coriander, chilies, cumin, ginger, turmeric, cloves. I've got almost everything (except the pumpkin) in my pantry, so there was no reason why I should spend $3 on a pre-packaged food instead of just making a fresh homemade dish.

Eggplant Experiment Take 1: Indian Eggplant Curry. It didn't turn out exactly like TJ's. It was better. It was one of the best eggplant curries I've ever had! I couldn't believe how delicious it was! It was packed with so much flavor, and the freshness of all of the vegetables really brought our the true taste of nature in every bite. To complement the curry, I made a brown basmati rice pilaf, which was also delicious.

Eggplant Experiment Take 1: success! Now I'm thinking an eggplant soy parmesan for Take 2.

brown basmati pilaf and indian eggplant and tomato curry