Ithaca's Moosewood Restaurant and Gyros in Albany

     Continuing my college quest brought my dad and I through the gorgeously green hills of upstate New York, and the funky little town of Ithaca. Of the multiple vegan friendly recipes I found, courtesy of the app urban spoon, we chose to eat at this one because my dad recognized the name from a cookbook that was apparently popular c. 1960.  

    Anyway, it was quite tasty.

Golden Lentil Soup

The Mexican Plate tortilla chips, quacamole, tomatoes, lettuce -- a little dissappointing, strangely I think it would have been more exciting in a salad bowl, or something that gave it a little more depth and layers.

Vegan Chocolate Cake -- oh my gosh good!

The Moosewood Restaurant 

215 N Cayuga Street, Ithaca, New York

     And on the way home, as quick stop off the high way, we stumbled upon a vegan Gyro Station. Gyros are one of my favorite non-vegan foods, and I haven't had one since being vegan. 

     For those in the dark, a gyro is a pita wrap with beef, lamb, fresh tomatoes, sometimes lettuce and tzatziki sauce. What I had was a falafel gyro, so everything in an original, but substitute the meat with falafel. It was so, close your eyes and sigh, good. 

     I had tucked it away before realizing I should have taken a quick snapshot to immortalize its goodness. But it's just as well, because also in the shot would have been my bare feet on the dashboard and the absolute mess of trash on the floor that always comes with a road trip. It was the perfect car food, and to my veg-sensibilities. 

The Gyro Station

185 1/2 Lark Street, Albany, New York

Binghamton's Whole In the Wall

     While my spring vacation readily disappears, I am on the hunt for a college that excites me among those that I have been accepted to.
     The search has brought me to Binghamton, New York.
     Here I ate a completely vegan meal upon arrival around dinner time at The Whole In The Wall.

the Miso Soup Bowl and a side of Fried Rice with scallions, onions and garlic at

The Whole In The Wall

43 S Washington St. Binghamton, NY

     I'm sure it was delicious, but I couldn't really tell -- the early pop of spring has triggered my full on sniffling-sneazing-earpopping-itchyeyes-scratchythroat allergies. The menu had a host of delicious looking options from vegan grilled cheese with mushrooms and tomatoes, pizza and enchiladas to more wholesome stir fries and tempeh dishes as well as enticing tempura -- all of which left me cursing the ragweed and pollen Gods, but not wanting to waste deliciousness on my lame taste buds. 

     The restaurant does not only prepare vegan meals, the rest of the menu has fish and poultry entrees, and select non vegan items have a vegan and gluten free option. So, it is a safe place to take non-vegan friends. 

Maki on the North End

     This afternoon my dear mother treated me to a delicious, light yet filling meal at Billy Tse, a Chinese and Pan-asian restaurant, on Boston's North End.
     After Searching for vegetarian friendly venue, and coming up with zip, this quite little restaurant was the best choice. We were first seated toward the front of the building--a classically Boston brick building--looking out the window and near the bar, where three good old boys sat behind us yakking in thick Boston accents about women and liquor. We asked to move, and ended up sitting in a quite, softly lit corner.
     As for the food, my mom and I shared an order of vegetable tempura, avocado maki and cucumber maki. It was ver tasty.

Billy Tse

240 Commercial Street, Boston, MA

A view from our scenic walk back to the red line commuter rail.

The Upcoming Voyage for this Vegan

     This coming summer I will be jetsetting off to Seoul Korea for my first experience abroad whilst trying to maintain a vegan diet.

     Now, I don't even know if it is a possibility to stay vegan in Korea. I do know that meat plays a very large role in Korean culture, but that is no different from America. I also know that there are such things as vegetarian Koreans, so it can't be unimaginable that there will be vegetarian options for me --  it just may take some serious digging. 

     More on the probability of my efforts paying off, as I come closer to takeoff.

On My Menu

     On many an awkward occasion, after stating to an acquaintance -- whether we are familiar or unfamiliar -- that I follow a vegan diet, I find myself having to answer the question "What do vegans eat?"
     No matter how many times I have been asked this question, I feel that I am never fully able to answer it justly. I can tell the asker what I eat, but to speak for all of us vegans is not something I can do, because we don't have a club, I don't attend online vegan forums, and there is not vegan Book of Books. Veganism is not a cult, it is not a religion, if anything closely related, it is a philosophy, but most often it is a lifestyle. 
     Every vegan has their own levels and interpretations of a vegan lifestyle, whether they are a tofu-tempeh-seitan-meat substitute kinda' vegan or a whole foods-raw-veggie kinda' vegan.
     In an attempt to partially answer this common question I can introduce three foods that are most generally integrated into the diet of a typical vegan.

Tofu

Also known as bean curd, it is a delicate, mild, white cheese-like product made from soymilk instead of cow’s milk. A curdling agent is added to soymilk; the resulting curds are then pressed into blocks.

Tempeh

It is made from hulled, cooked soybeans that are fermented and compressed into a cake. Indonesian in origin, tempeh is a good source of high quality soy protein that is both satisfying and savory.

Seitan

Also known as ‘wheat meat’, it is made from cooked gluten, one of the concentrated proteins in wheat. It is succulent, hearty and chewy. Used since ancient times in China, it is believed to have been developed in the 7th century for Mahayana Buddhists monks, who are strict vegetarians.

     The other side of that question really can't be answered because every vegan has their own approach to their own diet and nutritional needs, not unlike any omnivore.
     I personally try my best to balance the meat substituting, soy ice cream eating vegan and the holistic, leafy green chomping, food group balancing vegan that both reside within me. I did not make the choice to "go vegg" easily. I grew up an avid burger eater and was a cheese fanatic. I have always been quite the foodie as well, so this was never about depriving myself either, because if it was my choice be vegan would not have lasted the first week. 
     I primarily made this choice because I became disgusted by the way humans recently approach the treatment of animals in the food industry -- but that's a discussion for another day -- also, I have an inexplicable fondness for all farm animals, and secondly for health reasons. In my early teens I became very passionate about nutrition and a holistic, somewhat eastern approach to health... and my interest in a plant based diet quickly followed suit.
     To wrap up this rant, I'll finish by saying that I hope to offer various angels on veganism through this blog and most importantly bring it down to an accessible level for those who are already vegan, for those interested in possibly becoming vegan, or for anyone simply looking to get healthy and incorporated more veggies into their diet!

What Is a Vegan Voyage?

vegan |ˈvēgən; ˈvejən|     noun     a person who does not eat or use animal products : I'm a strict vegan | [as adj. ] a vegan diet.
voyage |ˈvoi-ij|     noun     a long journey involving travel by sea or in space : a six-year voyage to Jupiter |figurative writing a biography is a voyage of discovery.