Welcome to Veg World Kitchen!

I'm so glad you are here. Like you, I'm a wanderlust, a foodie, and love learning about different cultures. I've visited 40+ countries and as a lifelong vegetarian, have never once had a problem eating while traveling. Okay, maybe just once. That was in France!

The inspiration from this blog came from watching travel shows growing up and then traveling myself. I never saw myself represented in those shows. For example, Anthony Bourdain would eat the "craziest, weirdest" foods to show how different our foods are. Whereas, when I traveled, all I saw were similarities in our food. Food is a connecter, not a divider.

Too often, I meet travelers, volunteers, and students on gap year, who tell me that they are vegetarian but had to give up their diet because of their travels. I am here to tell you that you do not have to compromise who you are, your diet, or your values because you are venturing to a new place. First, people are honored that you are left your home, your family, and your friends, and that you are spending your money and time to come visit them. Hospitality is a big cultural industry, and people everywhere will accommodate to make travelers feel at home. Second, people enjoy sharing their vegetarian recipes too! They may not think of it as "vegetarian", but they do think of it as "traditional". For example, because a host knew I was vegetarian, she prepared an eastern Ugandan speciality that is a greens and bamboo stew. She was so excited to make this for me as she had never served it to a foreigner before. Imagine all the delicious new food out there to try when you open your taste buds to new spices, vegetables, and grains.

I am not a professional chef, not even an expert cook. I am not going to adapt authentic recipes to be more palatable to western taste buds, nor will I be able to "veganize" traditional meat dishes. I unfortunately do not have the skills for that, nor is that my goal. I am also not going to show you how to make an "Indian, Mexican, Chinese version of a pizza" because authenticity is the goal of the World Veg Kitchen experience.

The intention is to build a community of vegetarian and vegan travelers, showcase delicious authentic plant based dishes from all over the world, recommend amazing restaurants that I have personally visited, and to invite you to experience and share the magic of global cuisine!