Karen, All Vegan, & El Zerape (San Diego 1 of 5)

Here's Art and I on August 22, 2007.













***FLASHBACK!***

And, here we are August 22, 15 years earlier.










In honor of that, we put the girls in the loving hands of CA G'ma & G'pa so that we could go celebrate.

Back to where it all began.... in San Diego.








Going to San Diego also means cultivating new relationships. Like hanging out with Karen and enjoying a vegan meal together. So far, she has introduced me to three awesome eateries Sipz, Kung-Food, and now, El Zerape.

I love this photo of Mattie, Karen, and I because we all have the same "I'm so happy to see you!" expression.




But, before lunch, Karen took me to All Vegan across the street from the restaurant. I've been wanting to visit this cruelty-free store since I read about it in VegNews.

It was smaller than I anticipated, but jam-packed with loads of vegan goodies like shoes, bags, shirts, and snacks. We had a great conversation with Karen's friend who works there, and I bought a couple "beans wax" candles and picked up some flyers & stickers. We both noted the Everyday Dish DVD on a display as well as a copy of Vegan Lunch Box.






Then, we walked across the street to El Zerape. Karen said she likes to get the soy protein burrito without cheese, so that's what we both got.

We walked to a pretty nearby park with the burritos, marinated carrots & salsa in hand to enjoy on a shady picnic table. At one point Karen says, "I don't know what's in this burrito, but it's really good!" We laughed and puzzled over it for a bit. What was it? The only thing we knew for sure was that it was plant-based and delicious. In the end, that's all we needed to know.

Thanks for introducing me to cool places and taking time to hang out, Karen! I thoroughly enjoyed it. :)