20 Questions with Kristin Lajeunesse from Will Travel For Vegan Food

1. What inspired you to adopt a vegan lifestyle?

It was my parents, actually.
When I was 16 years old they sat me down and said they'd like to become vegetarian together as a
family. This was shortly after my older brother had returned from following the band Phish around the
country for a bit. When he arrived back home he declared his vegetarianism. My parents were unsure
of it at first and did their own research on the matter. They concluded that being vegetarian was better
for health reasons.
A few years later I went off to college and remained vegetarian. My parents, however became very
involved in the local veg scene in upstate, NY (where we're from). Through learning about the health
risks, the environmental impacts, and animal suffering caused by dairy and its production, they became
vegan.
I thought they were bananas. But about two years after they became vegan I went to a talk by a
registered dietitian named George Eisman. In his Dairy Isn't Necessary lecture I finally heard what
was being said and stopped judging those around me. On that day, August 27th, 2006 I became vegan
and haven't looked back since.
2. Youve eaten at 547 vegan restaurants in 48 stateswow! What are your top 5 vegan dining
experiences?
I want to say that question is impossible to answer. There are so many factors to consider (the company
I was with, the people I met, the quality of food, location, etc.). However, off the top of my head I'll say
some of the memories that come to mind right away include:
The moment I realized I was sitting in the same booth, of the same restaurant, in the same city that my
trip began six months before that moment. The difference was, the first time I sat there, I was with a
travel buddy (someone I met only a few weeks before the trip began, and whom I'd fallen for rather
quickly). The next time I found myself at that restaurant I had just asked that travel partner to leave the
trip and that was one of my first stops in starting over on the journey. It kind of felt like I was placed
back at the beginning without even knowing it.
They meal I had at Vedge in Philadelphia was fantastic. You can actually listen my reading of that
chapter right HERE.
That time I was waiting after dinner to speak with the owner of Omar's Rawtopia in Salt Lake City,
Utah and a complete stranger (who was waiting in line to pick up her to-go order) asked me what the
stickers were I was holding. I had Will Travel for Vegan Food bumper stickers in my hand and shared
with her a little bit about the journey I was on. My mom was with me tooshe'd flown out from NY to
join me for a week on the road. She was standing off to the side and noticed the woman talking to me.
After the woman heard my story she looked down into her purse and pulled out a $20, handed it to me,
and said What you're doing is so important and I want to support your mission. I was floored. I
looked over at my mom and she was all teary eyed. It was an incredible moment.
There was a time I met a lovely young man named Issa who runs a popsicle company with his family,

called Mom Pops. I did a video interview with them to feature their popsicle making process.
Afterwards they agreed to let me park the van in the back of their lot to stay for the night. Before
settling in Issa and I put on some music and started making DOZENS of popsicles in their industrial
kitchen. Suddenly, a salsa song came on and Issa grabbed me and we started salsa dancing all around
the kitchen and even out in the parking lot. It was totally unexpected and incredibly fun.
Oh and there was that handsome Italian waiter. Oh yes. Hmm... haha.. I don't want to spoil THAT story;
but you can read about it in chapter 8. ::wink::
3. As fellow van dwellers, we wonder if Gerty ever left you stranded on the side of the road? Did
travelling solo present challenges?
Gerty's starter died once, when I was in DC. It was Easter Sunday but fortunately a tow truck driver
from AAA was available. I left her at a repair shop that night and stayed at a hotel that was within
walking distance.
I quite enjoyed traveling by myself. I had no idea I would since I never had before. But that amount of
alone time truly does give one plenty of space and solitude for reflection, inner work, and growth. Plus,
I met hundreds of people during my travels and though many meals were spent dining alone, many
others were in good company. I can't say there were any major challenges, other than occasionally
feeling lonely, or not wanting to go out dancing or for drinks by myself.
4. While traveling, whats your favorite go-to vegan snack which gets you through long stretches
on the road?
I LOVE Vega products and always carried a stash of Vega protein and snack bars with me. Anything
chocolate-y does the trick. :)
5. We love that in Chapter 11 from your upcoming book you mention your favorite vegan soul
food meal came from Detroit Vegan Soul. Born & raised and now building the Wandering Food
Pharm in metro Detroit, we are thrilled to see a plant based food revolution happening here.
What other cities are experiencing a shift in food consciousness?
I was surprised by the quality of food from the two veg places I visited in Memphis, TN. Also, since I
visited New Orleans a booming vegan scene has cropped up and I hear about new vegan options there
all the time. Houston, Texas was surprisingly full of vegan options too. Kansas City also has a lot of
fantastic options and seems to be growing.
6. If you were a vegetable, what vegetable would you be?
Haha... hmmm I'd have to go with an avocado. Because avocado.
7. Is anyone else in your family vegan? Can you speak on the importance of a support system
when transitioning from the Standard American Diet?
Yes. My Mom, Dad, and brother are all vegan. My parents became vegan before I did, actually. The
best part is that whenever I'm home or we get together for holidays, I never have to worry about having
the talk, or getting into heated discussions. We can just 'be' with everyone and food is never an issue
or topic of conversation (unless we're talking about good something is). :)

8. Do you have the ability to prepare to vegan meals in Gerty?

No. I didn't have a stove or refrigerator or anything like that. I would just eat left overs or snack foods
if I wasn't dining out.
9. What famous vegan, dead or alive, would you most like to break bread with?
Ellen. Is she still vegan?
10. Can you sum up your personal health pre-vegan & post-vegan?
I was vegetarian for 8 years before going vegan. And 4 of those years I was in college so my diet was
primarily pizza, pasta, and bagels from the dining hall. I didn't really go grocery shopping or research
health related things. Or even really know why I was living vegetarian. It was just a thing that
defined what I ate.
Post-vegan I fell in love with food. I fell in love with the cause and the reasons behind living vegan. I
can't say I noticed majored health changes really maybe because I transitioned both to vegetarian and
then vegan at relatively young ages. But I definitely feel healthy today, as an active 32 year old. :)
11. In your opinion, what are the main advantages/disadvantages of a vegan lifestyle?
Advantages = Doing as little harm as possible, not contributing to killing innocent sentient beings,
lightening my carbon footprint, being very aware of what I put in and on my body, having a better
understanding of where my food comes from and why voting with my money is so crucial to
economic development.
Disadvantages = Having to answer the same questions over and over and over again, from non-vegans.
In addition to that initial look of, Did I hear you right? after someone learns I'm vegan and are likely
making assumptions about my character or personality, because of it.
12. Knowing you typically visited vegan restaurants, we wonder if your travels included farm visits
or meeting farmers along the way?
I stopped at some farm animal sanctuaries, but didn't visit any farmers, no.
13. Best advice for shopping vegan in the conventional grocery store?
Fresh fruits and veggies are usually always available. As are accidentally vegan things (like chips,
hummus, guacamole, some breads, and snack bars/candy). Just take time to read ingredients and you'll
quickly know what to look for and where, without any worry.
14. What is the most memorable location you and Gerty visited?
Do I have to choose just one?! :) I'll go with The Badlands National Park. It was completely
unexpected, awe inspiring, and we got to camp out while listening to coyotes howl us to sleep one
night. Not to mention the prairie dogs, the bison, long tail deer, and other incredibly beautiful animals
that were roaming the lands. It was one of the first times during the trip that I remember being grateful

for being alone, in every sense of the word.

15. What is one food item you cant live without?
Spinach. I use it for everything (eating raw, in smoothies, sauted.. if there's a way to eat spinach I'll
find it). :)
16. You recently ate Chicago deep dish pizza for the first time in more than 8 yearswe have to
ask, did all that cheese cause any, er, digestive issues?
Nope! On a weekly basis I'm eating plant-based meat and dairy substitutes so my body is used to it.
Then again I only had one small slice because it was so thick. I couldn't eat much of it in one sitting.
17. Speaking of digestive issues, Chapter 9 makes us wonder if you installed a toilet in Gerty?
Haha.. no. Thankfully I didn't have any issues like that afterwards. I simply carried a GoGirl and a
canteen around for late night pees. :)
18. Where can readers find your book?
On Amazon.com and on VeganPublishers.com.
19. Whats next for Kristin and the Will Travel for Vegan Food project?
I've dedicated 2015 to promoting the book. So I'll be at a number of veggie festivals and other events to
speak about my journey and share the book. Then in February 2016 I'm co-hosting a lifestyle retreat in
Nicaragua with my dear friend Grace Van Berkum. She will be leading the group through daily
meditation and raw food classes while I take the group through business management classes. In
addition, I'd love to spend most of 2016 traveling internationally, reporting on vegan food finds
wherever I may be.
20. When can the Will Travel for Vegan Food project and the Wandering Food Pharm meet? Our
GMC SaVANa, Pocahontas, is dying to meet Gertrude!
Sad news on the Gerty front: I sold her right after my trip because I knew I wasn't be traveling as much
and didn't want her to rot away in my parent's driveway. She was purchased by a WTFVF follower who
has since sold her off for parts as she was beginning to break down.
But of course I'd be delighted to meet you whenever the timing works out.