1.0HappyCowhttps://www.happycow.net/blogH2OAddicthttps://www.happycow.net/blog/author/h2oaddict/rich600338<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="MGiZ1BJ3hn"><a href="https://www.happycow.net/blog/stay-vegan-western-china/">How I Stay Vegan In Western China</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://www.happycow.net/blog/stay-vegan-western-china/embed/#?secret=MGiZ1BJ3hn" width="600" height="338" title="“How I Stay Vegan In Western China” — HappyCow" data-secret="MGiZ1BJ3hn" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script type="text/javascript"> /* <![CDATA[ */ /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); /* ]]> */ </script> https://www.happycow.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Vegan-Ramen.jpg32642448As a China 22 (the cohort year) United States Peace Corps Volunteer, I knew that being vegan in another country would sometimes be tough. The first thing we do here in China is live in a hotel where breakfast is provided, and I ate most of my calories during morning meals during that time. In the beginning, due to culture shock and language barriers, I was afraid to venture outside of the hotel for food. I even contemplated forgoing veganism for a while to completely embrace the food culture and stop worrying so much about what was on my plate. After moving in with my host family and simply feeling sick from consuming food cooked with animal products, (I simply picked out the vegetables) I realized that culture or not, it wasn’t for me. Not only did I feel awful, the guilt sat on me like a blanket. I guess once you go down a path of an ethical nature, it’s hard to stray, and I’m happy about that. I’ve always enjoyed junk food, but I’m a healthy food girl at heart, and I had to return to a whole food plant based diet just to keep my energy levels […]