Through my internship this semester, I have been able to connect with and learn from a lot of people. At the beginning of the semester, I still got jitters about speaking in front of class. Now I have had the opportunities to teach hour-long nutrition classes to both kids and adults. Without the help of the paid nutrition educators, I would have never been able to step out of my comfort zone.
I learned that one of the educators, Rebecca Kilmartin, is also a vegetarian so I thought it would be perfect to tell her about my blog. We had a good chat over lunch about restaurants around town and the increasing amount of vegetarian options available. It was also a great way to wrap up my internship, but I will miss everyone so much. I revisited Tea Bar & Fusion Cafe with her, mostly because it is really close to the office. The first question I had for Rebecca was pretty unoriginal. I asked her about her favorite restaurants in Chico.
“I am obsessed with Sin of Cortez. I go there with my family and friends for breakfast and lunch. It’s great because they also cater to gluten free people,” she said. I ended up Googling Sin of Cortez later and was surprised that I had never heard of it. Guy Fieri was just there this month! I must be living under a rock. I somehow always miss that guy.
Later on, I asked how finding vegetarian food has changed throughout the years. “Being vegetarian used to be an actual diet restriction, kind of like how gluten-free is seen now. You actually had to make plans around being vegetarian. Now, you don’t have to even think about it. Every restaurant has an option for us. Vegetarianism and veganism is super common nowadays,” Kilmartin said. I can definitely agree. When I became a vegetarian in middle school, my parents got so frustrated because it was so drastic. It was like everything changed. Now, they barely even meat themselves.
Eating out has been such a new experience for me since I have moved out of my parents’ house. It used to be just something I did at the end of the day with my family after school. I’d be tired and wanting to go home. Now, it is a whole new world. I can spontaneously meet with friends at restaurants within walking distance of my apartment. We can discover new favorite restaurants together and have so much fun.
Hopefully, this blog has helped a few vegetarians in their quest for finding new restaurants. Also, I hope any non-vegetarians who read this will use my restaurant recommendations in the future. I am travelling and couch-surfing this summer so I won’t be able to explore what’s to offer in Chico but maybe I will revisit this blog next year when I am a senior. There are still a lot of places for me to try.
