Diary of a Single Woman

January 27, 2022

Dear Diary,

In the midst of worrying about my dear friend Maddi, some exciting news has reached me in the form of a text and an email. Which to discuss first?

I arrived at work, logged into my computer, opened my email to a message from my editor. Remember when I had met Lauren in New York during my Thanksgiving visit and she pitched the idea of writing about restaurants in other states, as well as adding vegan restaurants to my reviews? To my surprise, this is what the editor wrote:

Kathy,

I appreciate the constant ideas to provide a better reading experience for our subscribers. That being said, writing about restaurants beyond Oregon may not be beneficial. I am sure there are those who do travel, but we are a local publication and need to keep our focus on places and events within our own state.

However, your idea of exploring vegan restaurants is brilliant. There has definitely been more demand for plant-based food products and I feel this could open our publication to a new group of readers. If you would still like to explore these restaurants and write about them, I look forward to reading what you find.

-Beth

I was excited about visiting vegan establishments. In terms of veganism, she had been doing her homework. For example, Beyond Meat has made it’s mark in the fast food market with the Impossible Burger at Burger King. I usually order a regular Whopper, thus the thought of trying the Impossible Burger never crossed my mind. Until I met Lauren. Learning she was vegan opened my mind to different culinary forms. The restaurant we went to in New York was surprisingly delicious. I am still thinking about it while I sit in my office in Oregon. Hopefully I can find equally delicious vegan restaurants to explore and earn some income reviewing them.

Speaking of Lauren, that was my second ray of sunshine in the grey skies of relationship drama. She had sent me a text.

Lauren: Hey, long time no text. U still alive over there? Or have you been washed away from all dat rain?

Me: haha, you’re funny

Lauren: u free to chat?

Me: of course.

My phone lights up immediately with her face-timing me.

“Hey, beautiful,” she says while joy pours from her digital face.

“Hey, girl. I’m so glad you called. I haven’t heard from you in while. I figured you must be busy hustling ticket sales, right?” My weak attempt to be comedic.

Lauren laughed, “yep, you know me. So what’s been going on in your life?”

I started to wonder if I should tell her about Maddi, but decided it was not the best topic to bring to someone who I am starting a friendship with. Instead, I focus solely on work and share my editor’s approval the reviewing vegan restaurants with her.

“Wow, she approved?” Lauren throws an over-exaggerated look of surprise.

“And, the nominee for best actress during a face-time for ‘a look of surprise’ is… Lauren!” I retort, grinning.

Lauren, caught up in laughter herself, “alright, you caught me. But, I knew she would approve of it. Why wouldn’t she.”

“Yeah, I know. But truthfully, I was hoping she would go for the idea of reviewing restaurants outside of Oregon. It would be great to travel and eat in other cities for work. Hashtag, dream! Then I could visit restaurants beyond Oregon. For instance, I have heard of Capital Grille, but there isn’t one here. Furthermore, there are so many restaurants which are geographically specific. I think it would be wonderful to share those experience with the readers.”

“Yeah, but I can see your editor’s point. If people are unable to visit those states, then they would not be able to experience the venue. Besides, Capital Grill is part of a chain restaurant. It’s only a matter of time before it infiltrates Oregon’s borders.”

I was speechless for a moment. “Good point. But, you know what I mean, right?”

“Of course I do.” Lauren nodded on the screen.

Suddenly, a question I really wanted to discuss with Lauren flashed back into my mind. “Hey, I wanted to ask you something. It’s kinda personal.”

“Yeah?” as she already seems to anticipate the question.

“What made you decide to switch your diet to a vegan one?” I know she introduced me to my first vegan restaurant and we briefly shared a conversation on the topic. The experience opened my perspective on diets and how people decide on which one best fits them.

Lauren sighs a breath of relief, then smiles. “Well, like I said, it was hard at first. Like most people, I grew up eating meat. Barbecues were a staple for family gathering and that always meant…

“Lots of meat!” We laughed after realizing we said it simultaneously.

“Yea,” she continued, “so growing up eating meat was not a problem. I loved ribs, chicken, and hamburgers, of course. During my college years, I took a course on nutritional health and started to learn about protein alternatives. There has been so many historical advancement in plant-based products, it’s astounding. But, most importantly, the benefits of going vegan are very eye opening.

“Many people are unaware of how much water is needed to sustain regular production of meat. Cattle alone uses up to 450 gallons of water to process beef from one cattle carcass. And that’s not including the water needed for the plants that feed the cattle. In the end, when you think about it, humans are over-using the planet’s water resources for meat processing. Meanwhile, plant-based meats use up to 3,000 liters of water for 200 pounds of ‘beef.’ When I thought about it long term, it seemed like a no-brainer for me. If I decide to have children in the future, I want the planet to still be here for them.”

I was taken aback by what she shared. I never thought about how much harm humans were causing the environment for daily life consumption.

“So, the fact you’re trying to preserve the planet, makes you quite the environmentalist,” I say with tongue in cheek.

Lauren giggled. “Kath, you’re so funny. I feel we should all care about our home planet. If it’s gone, we’re gone, right? I mean, just because I think about the future of the planet, wouldn’t put me in the category of ‘tree-hugging.’ It’s not like we’re living in the 60’s or 70’s or whichever year that term emerged from.”

“It was actually coined in 1730,” I claim, seizing my turn to educate.

“What?” Lauren had become silent.

“Yeah, so, in 1730, about 300 Hindus wanted to save their village from being destroyed, so they literally hugged the trees surrounding the village to protect it. The modern term is geared towards environmentalists and no longer meaning a person who hugs trees. But, obviously, you knew the modern definition,” I explained. “But yeah, I know some stuff too.”

Lauren seemed flabbergasted by the random fact bomb that had exploded. “What are you a walking wikipedia or something? That’s so random.”

We both fell into hysterical laughing. I have to admit, I felt like I was in high school again, spewing random researched facts to my friends. Back then, I was always consider more of the intellectual type. Brains and beauty, minus the beauty.

“Anyway, that’s not the reason I wanted to talk to you,” Lauren said. “I’m planning to go to Oregon next month and I was wondering if you’d be interested in meeting up?”

“What, you’re coming here? I mean, of course I want to meet up! What brings you out to Oregon?” I felt like an elementary school girl who had just learned her friend was given permission for a sleepover

Lauren must have read my excitement. “Well, you came here for vacation, so I thought I would take a look at the West Coast for a change of scenery. Do you have any recommendations to where a girl can escape and rejuvenate from the hectic daily grind?”

“I can look into some places, if you’d like. Or, you could always stay at the lodge I stayed during Christmas. I loved it, and you might too. When are you planning to come?”

“The weekend of February 10th to the 15th.”

“Do you know that’s…”

“During Valentine’s day, yes I do,” Lauren completed. “Only, I like to call it Gal-entine’s day. Honestly, I really just need a small retreat.”

“Oh, okay, let’s try to meet up. I’ll see if I can rearrange my schedule to stay with you. You’re going to love this lodge. It’s so relaxing with so many amenities,” I pitched like a travel agent.

Lauren beamed. “Awesome, we’ll plan out more later. I need to get some sleep. Busy day tomorrow.”

“Gotcha. We’ll talk later then.”

“Cheers.” Lauren disconnected.

Lauren was coming to Oregon. What great news is that? It would be the perfect distraction from the Maddi dilemma. With face-timing Lauren, it had wrapped up a perfect week for me. Now, I was in countdown mode for Lauren’s visit.

Kathy

Note from Author.

Thank you all the readers of this mini-series, and to any new readers. As I continue moving forward with Kathy and her adventures, I have decided it would be helpful to have a little table of contents, especially since future entries of her diary will refer back to other entries. I have created a link sheet for your convenience. Please feel free to go back and revisit past entries to help you stay fresh on Kathy. Table of Contents