i can has philly

Food. Education. Community health. Thoughts of a New Yorker with a California influence living in Philly. East coast, west coast, I can has it all. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-37481779-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

[icanhasphilly]

Ants on a log #throwbacktreats

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#supreme #grapefruit #nofilter

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Baby living greens from Mill Creek Farm in West Philly

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#Dessert on the fly? Teeny tiny #strawberrypie

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First time trying daiya cheese courtesy of Blackbird Pizza! #vegan #fungi #pizza

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#phillybread: the trailer, the boule, the baker, the concept. #whyilovephilly #phillyphood

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Beautiful sourdough baguettes from Philly Bread #nofilter

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Weekend brunch. #tamale #grapefruit #avocado #yum

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Dear mayor nutter #whyilovephilly

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Here’s my small ode to #whyilovephilly

I spent my first 2 years in Philly being utterly confused saying things like, “Does the Broad Street line take me uptown?” and was too bashful to say words like Schuylkill and Moyamensing out loud. Now almost 5 years in, if you catch me at the right time of night, I can say Passyunk with the secret “sh” included.

With time, lots of patience, and endless questioning, Philly now has become a magical place that breeds serendipity, bizarre experiences, and coincidences. Examples: (1) The person at the Genius Bar who revived my dying laptop looked familiar because I saw him at a poetry reading the week before. I later learned that he used to write spoken word poetry in New York City with my big sister back in the late 90’s. (2) I had my wallet lost, returned, and then stolen at a café called “Good Karma.” (3) My coworker rents her apartment from my friend’s brother who then became my dentist and also shares the same birthday as me.

All this to say that Philly is a city that makes no sense at first because it’s hungry for your own interpretation. My ride has been memorable because there have been bona fide good peoples at each step. We’ve taught each other and schooled each other (because there is a difference). We feed each other and nurture each other. We cook, fail, and grow. Philly has given me the space to discover myself and the opportunity to create community.

I never thought a New Yorker like me, who fell head over heels for the west.coast.best.coast, could get those butterflies again.

Here’s my small ode to #whyilovephilly.

(Those are the feral cats who run my backyard. They stood absolutely still like this, purring, for at least 2 minutes straight this morning.)

[icanhasphilly]

Found this at my door. #whyilovephilly #southphillylove

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#peanutchews #oldschool #vegan

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This dessert is safe for #vegans

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#veganchallenge day 34 craving #Mashedpotatoes. This meal is sponsored by #earthbalance. #vegan

[icanhasphilly]

The Vegan Challenge is Over!

And I’m still vegan.

Hmf. I guess I should try to explain myself.

At around week 3, I started to think, “Hey, this ain’t so bad.” Though I certainly had cravings and a minor vegan accident, I found this month to be totally manageable. In fact, it almost feels anti-climatic because I actually free pretty normal and very much the same. A friend of mine who is a vegan-gluten-free-anti-packaging-DIY guru said, “Welcome to vegan energy boost land!  Get ready to move mountains.” Another friend who appreciates the vegan lifestyle, but has a soft spot for cheese said, “You will feel as light as a feather!” I didn’t get that spike of energy.

I also still got sick (but at least it wasn’t the terrible flu), had terrible allergies, got the occasional headache, and my skin isn’t glowing. To be clear, I did not do the vegan challenge because I expected veganism to be a panacea, but many cite these positive effects, and I’m well…still the same.

On the flip side, I’ve cooked with new foods (e.g. lemongrass and enoki mushrooms), explored new menu items at my neighborhood favorites (e.g. the seaweed and soba noodle salad at Royal Tavern and vegan french toast at Green Eggs Cafe are delicious and satisfying!), tried new restaurants (my goodness, the fingerling potatoes at Vedge are out of this world! How can the worcestershire sauce be so creamy?!?), re-ignited my love for hummus (so rich, filling, and luxurious in texture), and baked bread on a weekly basis (get to have full control over the ingredients). I’ve learned a ton about food preparation and the manufacturing process (gum isn’t necessarily safe-for-vegans if there’s gelatin). Lastly, I've upped my ability to meal-plan and have an even greater appreciation for the foods I can eat, without feeling like I'm missing out on the ones I can't (at least most of the time). 

Being vegan has provided an interesting filter to see the world and also has influenced the way I am seen. (I’ll leave this as a value neutral statement for now- I have a blog idea brewing for later.)

With all that said. I’m not quite ready to stop.

Still have some questions.

Still have some vegan cookbooks to read and recipes to try.

Still have some food joints I want to check out.

So cheers to Day 31.

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(Okay, let’s be real...maybe I’m still vegan because I have 3/4 of a tub of Earth Balance left and why would I use that if icanhasbutter? :P)

[icanhasphilly]

#complementary colored #tea

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Tea time with mom. #greentea and #rosepetals are safe for #vegans