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guest blog: summer traveling with the spork foods sisters

Jul 28, 2011 at 12:00pm by Alicia Silverstone


Sisters Jenny and Heather have a website called Spork Online, where members can view lots of cooking demos. They also teach live classes in LA. Anywho, I'm happy to present their guest blog about vegan travel to you. Enjoy!

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Spork Sisters Abroad!

By Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg

Whether you're planning a road trip or an international voyage, vegan travel can be easy and fun if you know where to look. On our annual sister trip, we have traveled to many different places with vastly different cultures. In all parts of the world, from Hawaii to Costa Rica, Japan to Jamaica, and Greece to Canada, we've always found the most incredible vegan restaurants and communities.

The saving grace for most vegetarian travelers is Happycow.net, which lists vegan/vegetarian friendly restaurants and health food stores worldwide. If you can call some of the locations ahead of time, go for it - in our experience, places have often moved or closed, so it's best to find out the deets before your trip.

And if you're gonna hit this big world, hit it cute: there's no excuse to dress like a dork just because you're on the road. Show the world how adorable you can be without harming a creature! For some rad walking shoes, check out Saucony.com, which has women's and men's shoes, veg of course. Our personal fave are the Jazz Low Pro. And you'll probably need a backpack for all the goodies you'll buy along the way. If it were up to us, you'd get this one from Matt and Nat. It's made from recycled bottles, and it's adorable!

In the off-chance you can't find great eating options as soon as you arrive at your destination, be sure to pack a few snackies, like mixed nuts or vegan food bars. We aren't huge fans of dry snacks, but a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do!

When we travel, although we do plan where to eat, the rest of our time is spent getting lost and venturing into a new environment without a solid game plan. One of our favorite tricks for eating well is to look for colleges and universities, because we always have luck finding vegan or vegetarian restaurants close by. In Kyoto, we found insanely delish vegan black sesame ice cream, and in Jamaica we found Ital food, which is usually vegan and super pure. And when you are sitting down to your amazing meal, start up a convo with some local peeps and you may find out about other vegan options in town.

If you really want to know how to order like a pro but you don't speak the local language, Google Translate is your new best friend! It translates anything right on the spot, and you can even learn how to pronounce the words. In Japan, "Watashi-tachi wa gandesu" (We are vegan) really saved our little buns, and helped save a few animals. We also enjoyed the food in Buddhist temples, where vegan options abound and are made with positive energy and devotion. A loving meal while traveling makes you feel so comforted that it's worth trekking to remote temples for the experience.

Another travel secret is discovering that there are ton of subcultures or religions that have naturally vegan cuisine or promote eating vegan foods at certain points in the year. While in Greece, we learned that Greek Othodox beliefs indicate fasting on particular religious holidays - and lucky for us, Greek Orthodox 'fasting' really means abstaining from eating animals and dairy, so this culture is quite familiar with vegan cuisine and knows how to prepare it well.

If you aren't planning a big summer getaway, we have just the thing. Our website, Sporkonline.com, brings our cooking classes with recipes inspired by all corners of the world, right to your computer, whether you're on an island or on your couch! In this membership-based website, we teach a different themed cooking class each month, with archived classes for you to watch whenever you want. You can download our recipes instantly, and you can ask us any kitch questions you may have. In August, we'll bring Greece to you by teaching you to prepare Seitan Souvlaki with Tzadziki Dip, Greek Lentils with Olives and Pine Nuts, Skordalia (delish garlicky potato dip), and more!

And, we're giving away a free six-month membership to a lucky winner through The Kind Life - we wish you luck! To enter to win, just leave a comment below telling us about the best vegan dish you've had while traveling.

Spork Foods is a Los Angeles-based gourmet vegan food company owned and operated by sisters Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. They offer live cooking classes in Los Angeles at Spork, online vegan cooking classes at www.sporkonline.com, one-on-one in-home healthy pantry makeovers, and recipe development/trainings for chefs, food companies and colleges. Their cookbook, Spork-Fed, will be released in October 2011, with a foreword by fellow fans and sisters, Emily and Zooey Deschanel.

*Update: We've chosen a winner! Congrats Beth!*

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    53 comments

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    • Melody Asbury
      Melody Asbury
      Jul 10, 2012 at 7:38am
      0 0

      If you happen to visit Reading, Pa., there's a wonderful little place you must not miss - Good Eatz Cafe - http://www.goodeatzgreencafe.com/about.html


      They serve lots of healthy food and many options for vegetarians and vegans. They also have dairy-free and gluten-free selections.

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    • Beth Mickens
      Beth Mickens
      Aug 2, 2011 at 7:02am
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      Thank you so much!!! Super excited! I'll be checking it out this evening after work!

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    • CaperGal
      CaperGal
      Aug 1, 2011 at 3:24pm
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      During a recent trip to Toronto, my boyfriend and I used "VegOut" an iPhone app from HappyCow to find a vegan restaurant for brunch. We ended up walking further than we had anticipated, but had the most AMAZING meal at FRESSEN (478 Queen St W). We are still talking about it and looking forward to going back! Thanks Jenny and Heather for the other tips and advice for travel!

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    • mn
      mn
      Aug 1, 2011 at 8:54am
      0 0

      I would have to say ANYTHING vegan from The Chicago Diner. Delicious food, GREAT desserts, and easily made GF as well as vegan (they also have vegetarian food, but have been "Meat free since '83"). It was awesome going into a restaurant and having SOOOOOOOO many choices, not having to figure out what I can eat or may be able to eat. So novel =)

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    • Erin Bartnett
      Erin Bartnett
      Aug 1, 2011 at 8:32am
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      I'm always on the lookout for a hearty vegan sandwich. When I was in Ottawa recently I went to Wild Oats Bakery & Cafe and had the "East Meets West" sandwich-- marinated tofu, pesto, carmelized onion, tomato, lettuce and avocado on whole wheat bread and then grilled on a panini press.

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    • Heather
      Heather
      Jul 31, 2011 at 10:09am
      0 0

      Some dear friends of mine in the midwest were nervous about hosting me, so we looked for restaurants with salad bars so they and their kids could eat what they were used to, and I could eat without a fuss.


      The first night was a bust because I took a chance on a hot vegetable plate in a mainstream chain and despite explicit instructions, butter was dropped in somewhere and I was ill almost immediatey.


      The second night we did Jason's Deli, which is a "safe" staple at home, and they did a delicious hot spinach and avocado wrap -- grilled w/evoo instead of butter and it was yummy.


      I've flown/travelled three times this year, and the safest thing for me is to have a couple of meals and munchies prepared and in my carry-on so I have something to eat on the plane and when I have layovers and when I arrive at my destination.


      I have a mini soft cooler that fits into my tote bag along with my notebook PC, and so far, knock wood, nobody in TSA has made me dump the food at security -- I've packed hummus, couscous, tofu/buckwehat noodle stir fy, and rice cakes and gotten them all through.

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    • M J
      M J
      Jul 30, 2011 at 5:44pm
      0 0

      I had the most amazing mac and "cheese" at Plum Bistro in Seattle. I haven't been able to find mac and cheese that is quite like the real thing, but this was better than the real thing and even better was 100% cruelty free! I also recently the BEST peanut butter chocolate pie at Freshies in South Lake Tahoe- it's rare to find dessert at a restaurant when you're vegan, so that was really exciting for my husband and me!

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    • Victoria Maxfield
      Victoria Maxfield
      Jul 30, 2011 at 1:41am
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      While visiting Traverse city (there are not a ton of vegetarian dining options) we ate at the Boathouse restaurant. When I told the chef I was vegan, he whooped and said "vegan is the easiest thing to make!" He made me my own custom dish: flatbread with spinach, chanterelle mushrooms, red peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, avocado and caramelized onion. For dessert he brought me home made cotton candy sprinkled with pop rocks! It was one of the best meals I've ever had.

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    • Jennifer Handy
      Jennifer Handy
      Jul 29, 2011 at 11:40am
      0 0

      Black Bear Bistro in Warrenton, VA has some great vegan menu items that change seasonaly like Shepherd's Pie, Sloppy Joe's, Tofu Green Curry, fried green tomato sandwich,Chickpea Jambalaya, and one of my tried and true favs, a simple homemade hummus sandwich piled high with fresh farmer's market veggies and avocado on local artisan wheat bread. Yum : )

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    • Louis Campagna
      Louis Campagna
      Jul 29, 2011 at 9:53am
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      cute

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    • Veggie Kids
      Veggie Kids
      Jul 29, 2011 at 9:40am
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      Yay! What a fun giveaway. I'm a fan of the Spork sisters! The best vegan meal I had while traveling was...salad. I know, sounds boring but it was sooo good! It was an entire meal in itself with strawberries, sprouts, fancy string beets, carrots and zucchini with some sort of fresh lemon herbed dressing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!


      Sarah


      Veggie-Kids.net

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    • Megan Hollomon
      Megan Hollomon
      Jul 29, 2011 at 8:38am
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      I am a sophomore at University and last Spring I studied abroad in Granada, Spain. When I arrived and hit the town with my vegetarian roommate in search of delicious vegan fare, we were quite intimidated by the vast number of bars with Iberian ham hanging from the ceilings and walls. That however, didn't stop us! Granada being a college town full of locals and Irasmus students, we knew there had to be animal-free food somewhere near. Happy Cow's website, my linguistic proficiency, and my curiosity lead us in the right direction. After opening our eyes a bit wider for possibility, we realized just how veg-friendly the city is! My favorites Ecotiendo (Eco food store) was 'Ecotienda Umbela' on Calle Varela. The store owner was very nice and super knowledgeable. Feaux meats were rather expensive so I rarely indulged, however the produce was always local and fresh! Piano--an entirely vegan restaurant had amazing food options/meals for such a fantastic price (4.95€--3 sides, 'postre' & drink). My favorites were the dhaal, falafel, hummus, bolitas de maiz (hushpuppies) and jade salad. They taught classes, sold cookbooks, and hard to find goods (rice flour, vegan chocolate, gluten-free stuff etc...). Cafe Mundo Manila is a must! It's a vegetarian cafe/tapas bar with many vegan options. You can stop for a quick bite, tea, late night tapas, dinner, or even a glass of organic wine. The staff is also really friendly. I often went there before classes for breakfast or just to study. They have free WiFi! I had an amazing time getting to know the food and culture in an animal friendly way.

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    • Laine
      Laine
      Jul 29, 2011 at 8:02am
      0 0

      You spork sisters are so darn cute! I am just getting out of a relationship where we didn't travel at all-- and am now thinking about traveling solo! One stop that's not too far from where I live is New York City-- going there, you can find lots of amazing treats. At Babycakes I had this chocolate chip scone that was gluten free, soy-free, vegan (of course) and agave-sweetened. It was to die for. :)

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    • Nancy Bond
      Nancy Bond
      Jul 29, 2011 at 4:24am
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      I was in Boston for my Son's college graduation. My daughter, my son and I ate at the Elephant Walk restaurant. The Cambodian cuisine was amazing. So flavorful and delicious we couldn't stop eating! I ordered the "Napolean de tofu et legumes au curry" I think it was the best thing I have ever eaten. I ordered their cookbook but unfortunately that is one of the recipes they don't publish. It is a must go to restaurant if you're in Boston!!! enjoy!!!!

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    • Kayla Coleman
      Kayla Coleman
      Jul 28, 2011 at 11:52pm
      0 0

      One of the best things I've had is the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Shake from Chicago Diner when I went there last fall. SO GOOD! It's a milkshake...in peanut butter cookie flavor. I had this as my dessert after their Vegan Rueben and the whole meal was just amazing.

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    • shelby weis
      shelby weis
      Jul 28, 2011 at 11:43pm
      0 0

      well i just had an awesome vegan pizza at a micci in danville ca. i

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    • Michele Perri
      Michele Perri
      Jul 28, 2011 at 10:41pm
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      I ate the best vegan food at Green's Restaurant in San Antonio, TX. In fact, my son and I loved it so much that we ate there three times while visiting the Riverwalk.

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    • Angie V
      Angie V
      Jul 28, 2011 at 9:46pm
      0 0
      Gracias Madre in San Francisco was the best vegan food we've had. Everything we ordered was awesome!
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    • Debi Walker
      Debi Walker
      Jul 28, 2011 at 9:32pm
      0 0

      The Four Daughters Kitchen in Mahattan Beach on Highland is the vey best !!!!!!!!!!!!LOVE LOVE LOVE Their curry tofu breakfast scramble. Their food is like art on a plate. I like to take pics and enjoy with my eyes first! Great outdoor tables with views of the beach. PERFECT ~

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    • Rebecca
      Rebecca
      Jul 28, 2011 at 8:30pm
      0 0

      Chasing my toddler around hasn't left much time for travel but when we visit my parents at home in the D.C. Metro area I love to eat at my old fav The Vegetable Garden in Rockville, MD. The all-vegan menu at this Chinese food restaurant is so very good that it was my favorite restaurant for years- long before I was vegan. Just thinking about the moo shi cilantro rolls and veggie duck hot pot brings a tear to my eye. Might be time to go drop in on the parental units....smiley-wink.gif

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    • Ang
      Ang
      Jul 28, 2011 at 7:46pm
      0 0

      Nestled in the Rocky Mountains is this great little Vegetarian/Vegan Restaurant called Nourish Bistro. Located in Banff, Alberta. Everything on the menu looked good but I got to try the Shepherds Pie, very inventive and tasty.

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    • Danielle Pilon
      Danielle Pilon
      Jul 28, 2011 at 6:52pm
      0 0

      I haven't had a chance to travel much, but so far my favorite food in my travels would have to be the amazing vegan burrito at Laughing PLanet in Portland. The EcoTrust location is right beside Hot Lips pizza which also has an awesome vegan pizza!

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    • Sarah Haar
      Sarah Haar
      Jul 28, 2011 at 6:43pm
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      The Sweet Corn Arepas at French Meadow Bakery & Cafe in Minneapolis, MN was a welcome treat while traveling, they also have a a very delicious turtle cake!

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    • Amy Davidson
      Amy Davidson
      Jul 28, 2011 at 6:17pm
      0 0

      Galactic Pizza in Minneapolis, MN was where I had the most delicious vegan meal while travelling. I had "the shroomer" which had 3 different types of mushrooms and Daiya cheese. I also had the vegan cheesecake for dessert :)

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    • Kyle Stewart
      Kyle Stewart
      Jul 28, 2011 at 5:13pm
      0 0

      I had a really delicious vegan Mushroom Quesadilla while in New York a few months ago. I wish I had the opportunity to travel more with people willing to try out Vegan cuisine.
      (PS) I love the free videos on the website!! I can't wait for the book!

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