Growing up, my family and I ate at...▪︎Ruby Tuesdays ▪︎Outback Steakhouse ▪︎Red Lobster ▪︎Olive Garden ▪︎TGI Fridays
Very American style restaurants (I still love Olive Garden tho) that used the 3 portions of a meal: meat 🥩, starch 🥔, and veggies 🥦

Same as we had at home. I used to not be able to have my food touching, preferred the sectional plates, and ate one portion entirely before the next.


Sure we had Chinese food, but beef and broccoli still wasn't that far from what I was used to.
And my pizzas consisted of pepperoni or cheese.
It wasn't until Chipotle that I tasted multiple flavors and multiple textures all in one dish and all in one bite.

Chipotle drastically changed my tastebuds and inspired exploration into eating more foreign cuisines as well as bringing mindfulness to my eating.
Then I worked at Tropical Smoothie in college and my manager was Indian. She would make her lunch from the ingredients there which besides the "salsa" was still very American. She took a flatbread, added red onions, tomatoes, banana peppers, mozarella cheese, red peppers, and pesto. So many colors, tastes, and textures!

Now I live in Oakland, California home to so many different cultures and therefore so many different cuisines. We don't even have those big chain restaurants here that I grew up eating at.
My new favorite cuisines:♡ Eriteran/Ethiopian ♡ Mexican♡ Indian♡ Greek/Mediterranean ♡ Vegan/Vegetarian ♡ Soul Food ♡ Italian
Honorable mention to Thai and Vietnamese cuisines and Caribbean specifically Jamaican cuisine, as well as West African specifically Ghanaian or Nigerian food.
I will be traveling to Guyana with my partner in January so I will get to taste that style of Caribbean food.
And I definitely miss Seafood now as many of those cultures don't offer seafood regularly.
Because I'm a Pescatarian/Vegetarian/Vegan now (a vegetarian who is lactose intolerant lol and also likes seafood at times) I've had to scrap the 3 portion meal concept I grew up with, as meat the significant portion was now missing, and relearn how to cook.
I am constantly learning, trying new things, and widening my perspective. Food is an essential part of culture and I love eating!! 😋🤤