On Saturday, we headed north to Wausau to celebrate my grandpa's 90th birthday. My family is spread out across the country, so it was especially great to see everyone in one place for such a major occasion. While we now knew that our favorite beers are vegan, what we didn't account for was party food, gas station snacks, and small-town restaurants. Being on the road provides some unique challenges for a vegan, but it was a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves. Here's a crash course in my dietary discoveries:
Ate leftover pad thai in the passenger seat. Hadn't even left the driveway yet. Shared a bag of microwave kettle corn on the 3-hour drive. Got to Aunt Cheri's house. Instinctively reached for summer sausage. Mentally slapped myself. Longingly gazed at the cheese tray. Ate a cracker instead. Politely declined a bowl of beef stew. Made a buzzer sound as Scott reached for ranch-seasoned pretzels. Ate more crackers. Avoided the delicious-looking chip dip. Feasted on non-ranch pretzels. Headed to the restaurant. Wondered if anyone would notice me ordering chicken strips. Ordered three sides instead of an entree. Loved it all. Hung out at Grandma's for a while. Said our goodbyes. Stopped at a gas station for snacks. Quickly realized how dependent I was on cheese-based foods. Read lots of ingredients labels. Settled for Gardettos. Also settled for Frito's Honey BBQ Twists (nope, they're technically not vegan because of the honey, but bees aren't my #1 priority and that's its own blog post). Nearly finished both family-sized bags. Blamed it on road hypnosis. Got home at midnight. Went to bed before I could make any more bad choices.
So, was the day a nutritional success? Far from it, but it did help me realize how crazy we, as a culture, are about food. The concept of an "entree" has always meant meat, yet I was completely content with my garden salad, sweet potato fries, and wild rice. I also realized that, despite my life-long assumption, I do not have to eat food simply because it's in front of me at a party. Without getting overly existential, I'll just say that we realized some stuff about our habits that changed the way we looked at food ever so slightly. That being said: I think they lace Honey BBQ Twists with something illegal, because I had to physically pry myself away from that bag of crunchy, sweet deliciousness.
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