The other day we met friends from Las Vegas in Santa Fe for a quick catch-up and some lunch. Paul Graham and I went to high school together, although we only became friends in the past couple of years. The connection - we're both vegan, and found each other on Facebook. Paul writes the wonderful blog, Eating Vegan in Vegas, which you really ought to check out, even if you don't have plans to go to Vegas. The idea behind it is that if he can consistently find good vegan food in Las Vegas, it can be found just about anywhere. I think he's right, and I'm setting out to prove it here in Taos too. More on that soon.
Our lunch at Annapurna's was delicious and comforting as always. The healthy Ayurvedic theme of the restaurant, combined with beautiful decor and good friends made for a perfect meal. They also offer cooking classes, which has my attention in a big way.
We decided to pop over to Mama Pacha, a nearby raw vegan spot, for dessert. The lemon cheesecake and fluffy tiramisu were beautiful to look at, and even better to eat.
All the food was wonderful, but my favorite part of the day was having a vegan ally to hang out with. I don't know many people who really understand why I eat the way I do. Rick does, of course, but like Paul's sweetheart, Theresa, he's not quite a devoted full-time vegan like I am. Maybe I'm more like obsessed. I know some people think so. I'm kind of all-or-nothing on things like this, and since I'm here talking about it all the time, it's important to me to walk my talk when I'm out in the world, away from my computer. Paul is kind of the same way I think, and so we had a lot to talk about in a short amount of time.
Fortunately, Rick and Theresa were okay with chatting between themselves, as we leaned in over our bowls and jabbered non-stop over lunch and then dessert. I used to do this with bead friends, back when beads were my world. Rick is a very understanding and supportive guy, and I feed him well, which I think he likes much better than being decorated with beads all the time.
I look forward to our next trip to Santa Fe, and also to our next visit with Paul and Theresa. Who knows, maybe someday we'll have a vegan restaurant in Taos I can take friends to. A girl can dream, right?
