Pretty Kristin in my kitchen with our fav magazine!
I seem to have “I like connecting with people on the internet” ingrained somewhere in my soul. I also seem to have “I want to talk about fellatio” and “I like men with mommy issues” written on my forehead, but those are stories for different days.
A while back, I interviewed Kristin LaJeunesse, the founder of the vegan wedding portal RosePedals, for iEatGrass.com. Kristin also happens to be the wanderlusting vegan foodie behind WTFVegan Food, or Will Travel for Vegan Food, the Kick Starter funded food project she set out on a few months back with the goal to sample as many vegan eateries as possible in an epic cross country trip.
After our September interview, I told Kristin to let me know when her trip takes her through Connecticut so that we could meet up for some grub. I also extended my futon. (Sorry, Dad.) Flash forward 6 months and voila! Kristin, and her awesome van Gertrude aka Gertie, pulled into my driveway to stay for a few days. I told my room-mates we “met on the vegan food circuit,” a half-truth that would save me from being judged for inviting a complete stranger into my living room. Enter couch surfing, vegan style! Cruelty-free couch surfing? I smell a new niche market!
Kristin crashed on my heinous baby-pink futon for two nights, where she fell in love with my cat, Zucchini, and chatted with me about life, love and her experiences following her passion for food across the country.
Here is an interview, which I sprung on her at 8 am Wednesday morning before her and Gertie rolled onto their next destination—Long Island. What a good sport she is!
Kristin and me at my fav coffee shop, Las Vetas Lounge
ST: If you could think of three words to describe your trip, what would they be?
KL: Exciting, entertaining and terrifying.
What is the best part about being on the road?
Feeling empowered. Traveling as a woman, there are certain assumptions about safety that are made. I love making my own decisions about where to go, and when to go, without having to take anything else into consideration. The opportunity for self exploration is amazing.
What is the hardest part?
Pushing myself to reach out to people I don’t know, and going outside my comfort zone, especially when looking for places to stay. But it has resulted in some great new friendships, and so far I haven’t had any negative experiences.
What has been your favorite city so far?
Portland, Maine. This is where I started and I actually revisited it recently.
What about your most memorable meal?
Definitely the chocolate ganache at Blossom. I had a mini-orgasm while eating it.
You’re a hopeless romantic, right? Your trip smells like the making of a Julia Roberts rom-com. Do you think you might meet someone special on your voyage?
Totally. I don’t have any set expectations but knowing the nature of the journey, I am completely open to it. I am excited to meet new people, even if they end up just being friends.
Tomorrow on my column, The Lusty Vegan, at iEatGrass.com, I will be talking about compatibility, and sharing a bit of the conversation Kristin and I had on finding and dating other vegans.
Don’t forget to check in with Kristin at WTFVeganfood, and RosePedals!
Kristin made me a montage of me and Zucchini!
Love, love, love!!
<3