Anyone who knows me knows I love food. One of my favorite ways to de-stress is to look back at pictures of meals I’ve eaten and reminisce about how good they were. I love that travel exposes me to so many different types of foods. Many Americans are accustomed to viewing food through a Western lens: as fuel necessary for life. But in my maternal Colombian and Mexican cultures, food is so much more: how we show our love for each other, how we stay connected to our heritage and ancestors, how we celebrate, comfort, and commiserate. My parents raised me vegetarian out of a deeply held belief of not wanting to kill and eat animals, and I took that belief a step further in 2022 by going vegan. Many people think that eating vegan has to mean a life of unseasoned iceberg lettuce salad, but I’m here to show you that vegan food is DELICIOUS.
Merida, Mexico January 2025. When Americans think of Mexican food, they think a ton of cheese–but that is a very Americanized version of dishes that date back thousands of years. In Mexico, they still use cheese, but it’s WAY less cheese than in Mexican restaurants in the U.S. In fact, cows and their cheese did not even arrive in Mexico until a handful of centuries ago. While there are many meats that are native to the Americas, you might be surprised to learn that many of the most popular plant ingredients in Western foods today are all native to Latin America: beans, potatoes, quinoa, corn, avocado, tomato, chocolate, vanilla, cashew, peanut, chili peppers, and more. Did you think tomatoes were Italian? Potatoes were Irish? Chocolate was Belgian? Think again. Here were my favorite things I ate on my Merida trip:
I went for a mix of traditional vs. familiar when I visited Merida. The top left is a traditional Maya dish from the Yucatán Peninsula called Panuchos–corn tortilla stuffed with black beans and topped with avocado and vegetables. My grandpa was born in Tamaulipas, which is in the central eastern part of Mexico, so I have very little knowledge of food from the South of Mexico; the panuchos were a really cool experience. Top right: Yes, I am an average white girl who loves avocado toast, but I will also say that I resent the idea that avocados are a white girl thing when they’ve grown on trees in Mesoamerica for the last 10,000 years, and gringolandia MAYBE started to think about putting avocado on bread in like, 2014. Bottom left is a loaded veggie pizza. Right is veggie tacos. Both delicious !!!
Bogotá, Colombia. July 2019.
I’m actually kicking myself in the fucking face right now over the fact that these were the only pictures I took of food while I was in Colombia. What you gotta know is I ate a lot of bandeja paisa and arepas with avocado (I explain what both are in my Miami food section).
The top left pic is an arepa (savory corn cake) with black beans and hogao (tomato-onion sauce). My mom made this for me all the time for breakfast when I was a kid. I absolutely love this dish. Then came the potato and cheese empanadas (back when I was still vegetarian) with some little chips and guac, which was also delish. The fruit on the right. I cannot remember for the life of me what this fruit was called, but I do remember feeling like I was chewing on a spider’s nest when I tried it. The gag is that I was the only one of my cousins who volunteered to try it. I did this in order to impress my grandma, who is convinced all 6 of us are too Americanized. She was not impressed when I spit it out.
Los Angeles, California. Home sweet home. Probably the easiest place ever to be vegan.
My mom and I went to Little Tokyo for Ocean Vuong’s book tour of Emperor of Gladness in Summer 2025! We found this ramen place, Daikokuya, that had a TON of vegan options. My mom and I still talk about this white-bean, veggie, & tofu ramen at least twice a month. We absolutely loved it. The avocado rolls were really good, but it was pretty much what you’d expect from avocado rolls. The tofu nuggets were fire, but my mom didn’t like them because she’s healthier than I am. Also, Ocean Vuong talked about what it means to be a citizen of the world, what it means to forgive, what it means to clear your mind, how art is the root of all true connection, and the unexpected ways that trauma manifests. So, in other words, my mom and I were in actual tears by the end of what was one of the most profoundly spiritually moving experiences ever. This second set of images is mostly from 33 Taps, which is another restaurant I brought my mom to. 33 Taps is a chain sports bar with many locations across L.A., but we went to the downtown one because it was right across the street from the convention center for the AWP writers’ conference (Spring 2025). Ultimate staycation! Such a fun trip with my mom. We would take classes on creative writing during the day, and I would sell copies of my first book at one of the booths, then at night, we would go hog wild on the vegan junk food (banh mi fries w/vegan “chicken,” vegan spicy “mayo,” cilantro, pickled vegetables, and sweet thai chili sauce. We also talk about these fries once a month. I had to inherit my love of food from someone. The other things are a loaded vegan burger and spicy buffalo cauliflower wings), and then yap in the hotel room for hours. The other two pics, bottom left was a surprisingly great option at Universal Studios City Walk (spicy cauliflower, potato, onion, & cilantro tacos with black beans) and vegan miso “sushi,” at a small Japanese place right outside Universal Studios.Noticing a pattern here: the vast majority of my favorite restaurant meals in the L.A. area are with my mom… she’s fr the best restaurant companion. There is nothing worse than going to a restaurant with someone who doesn’t care about the experience of cuisine, tasting each other’s dishes, comparing and contrasting the flavors together…lol. Anyways, the top left is at Snooze Eatery. It’s a tofu scramble with vegan “sausage,” spinach, red pepper, mushrooms, avocado, and hashbrowns. This is my mom and I’s go-to brunch spot. Now our go-to dinner spot is either Kaju Soft Tofu (Korean) or Seabirds (vegan). That leaves the top right, which is my favorite cafe to get work done: Millcross. That beauty is a tahini and avocado toast. Almost makes the suffering afterward worth it (I found out I’m allergic to gluten this year, but sometimes, it’s too good NOT to eat). Bottom left is a, get ready, chocolate peanut butter Oreo cookie donut (and it’s vegan) from Voodoo Donuts–yes, we have Voodoo in L.A. and not just in Portland!
Portland, Oregon (2018-2023): definitely one of the easiest places to be vegan. West Coast is the best coast for an endless number of reasons, including this one
Portland food is a real memory lane experience because I lived here during college. Top left is my go-to order from Rose City Coffee, where I would work on my first book (Chrysalis) every Saturday morning and afternoon. Every single Saturday, I walked 6 miles (there and back) and got a poppy bagel sandwich with avocado, hummus, tomato, raw onion, and spinach, plus an iced chai with hemp milk. Next one is a vegan cashew “cheese,” mushroom, fried onions, arugula, and red aioli toast–my go-to hangover breakfast at Cafe Rowan. Third is what I ate anytime I was homesick, at one of Portland’s only Colombian restaurants, Que Bacano. It’s a stuffed arepa (savory corn cake) with red beans and a secret sauce/vegan aioli. The bottom row is the delicious garbage I ate every Friday and Saturday night when I was super drunk. The sandwich is a vegan BLT (vegan “bacon,” lettuce, tomato, avocado, & garlic aioli) at one of my fav bars, Hungry Tiger. You better believe this sandwich and the vegan corndogs absolutely hit the spot after 4 shots of tequila. Second is the fries my ex and I used to split (after we were broken up), because it’s always a good idea to get drinks with an ex and touch each other’s shoulders weirdly the whole time. In all seriousness, these fries from Bar of the Gods are THE best fries I have ever had in my entire life. The last is a deep-fried peanut butter & jelly sandwich at Quarterworld bar and arcade. I celebrated many a friend’s birthday parties here. I have not lived in Portland for 3 years, and I still think about that deep-fried PB&J every time I get my period. My hormones will forever crave it.
Miami, Florida (literally every summer). Definitely not the easiest place to eat plant-based, but also not as horrific as visiting a small town in Texas and being told the vegan option was chicken (this actually happened). Miami is such an amazing cultural hub of Latino and Jewish communities. There is a wide variety of delicious food, from Cuban to Jewish, Thai to Colombian, Italian to Greek.
Top left is the most fire cous cous, hummus, veggies, and falafel bowl ever at Motek. They also made a mean iced coffee. I was only in Miami for one week in 2025, and I got this exact bowl 3 times that week. Anyone who knows Miami knows Versailles–pretty much the only vegan things there are black beans and rice and platanos maduros (sweet plantains), but I’m a huge fan of both. I’ve genuinely eaten so many beans, rice, and plantains in my life that I think if a doctor were to cut my veins and study my blood, they would be able to tell that’s what I eat. Bottom left is a vegan burger (falafel patty) with some bomb AF fries (another one of my favorite foods). RIP 7 Spices on Lincoln Road, you will be missed as a restaurant. La Chismosa is my grandma’s favorite Colombian restaurant in Miami, so we always go there, and I get a vegan version of bandeja paisa. This is one of the most popular dishes in Colombia: red beans, rice, sweet plantains, avocado, arepa, egg, and a variety of meats. Cut the meat and egg, and you get what I had. Bottom right is tofu pad thai from Siam Rice. My grandma has been to Thailand 4 times. It’s probably her favorite country she’s ever visited. I’m dying to go.
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