I believe that the meat and dairy industry is the modern equivalent of Slavery. Animal testing and experimentation is unnecessary and cruel. Why does society seem to accept that any amount of animal suffering is acceptable if it marginally advances human objectives? Only because it’s hidden from view and the practitioners are numb to the injustice. We all vote with our dollars, so let’s spend our money supporting cruelty-free entrepreneurs who stand up against speciesism! To that end, I’ve been vegetarian since age 6 in 1097, and vegan since 2012. I use HappyCow to find vegan restaurants everywhere I travel and the App has helped me discover amazing food in the farthest-flung corners of 5 continents and counting! My personal food preferences favor authentic cuisine from nearly every culture, especially spicy, bold flavors and vegetable-forward dishes. I’ve come to reject the fallacy that a strict vegan diet precludes experiencing local specialties. With a small amount of effort, HappyCow can help you uncover restaurants around the world veganizing traditional dishes while preserving authentic flavors. I’ve also found that in almost every country people have been eating more predominantly plant based food for many centuries and only relatively recently have shifted to diets overly-reliant on meat, eggs, and dairy. From Mexico to Ecuador to Honduras to Spain to Italy to India to China, I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to meals cooked by families who commented that the food they’re making for me is what would normally be considered peasant food! But it was always delicious, healthy, and completely lacking ultra-processed ingredients. By the way, if you get to know people whose socioeconomic status forces them to consider meat a luxury, meaning that much of the time they are unwitting vegans! I don’t generally get excited about restaurants who rely on Impossible or Beyond products. No judgment to you if you like that stuff, but I’m not looking for food that simulates an experience of meat that’s so realistic you can’t tell the difference. If I’m going to have a veggie burger, I want a burger where I can see chunks of carrot, broccoli, and garbanzos please!