This is why I wanted to live independently...

...so that after a long day of French indulgences, I can come home and cook like this:

One onion, one bell pepper, two carrots, one zucchini, a handful of almonds, and a fistful of fresh spinach (not pictured), tossed into a sautée pan with a healthy drizzle of olive oil and simmered to perfection while Esperanza Spalding sings from my computer. One very content vegetarian.

Sometimes travel abroad means learning about new cultures and adopting new customs and traditions for yourself. But sometimes it also means realizing what you value about your own upbringing in your home country. And this vegetarian, Californian, hippie food child, is quite content to keep certain family traditions going!