Chicago Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants

As our time in Chicago comes to an end... we thought we should come up with a list of vegetarian-friendly restaurants that we frequented while we were in Chicago!

Starting on the South Side...

Soul Vegetarian East - 205 E. 75th St.
Soul food is something I'd never really tasted until we went to this place that offers veggie soul food! We love the BBQ twists. Healthy food and they have lots of different healthy juices and shakes.

El Faro - 3936 W. 31st St.
Not a vegetarian restaurant but they have tons of veggie-friendly/fake-meat options. We LOVE the veggie cubano torta... an amazing sandwich with egg and all sorts of fake meat and yummy goodness.

Yummy Thai - 1418 W. Taylor St.
One of our favorite Thai restaurants... dishes we enjoy: Panang Curry with veggies and tofu, Sweet Basil Tofu, Rama Tofu, Pad Thai, and Spicy Crazy Noodle.

Butterfly Sushi Bar and Thai Cuisine - 1156 W. Grand Ave. (multiple locations)
Another one of our favorite Thai restaurants... we go for the Thai food, not the sushi. Their Panang and Red Curries are awesome!

Native Foods Cafe - 1484 N. Milwaukee Ave. (multiple locations)
A completely vegan restaurant where all the food is made on-site and fresh! A lot of fake meat options. Their items are really hit-or-miss depending on what your taste is. I enjoy their Twister Wrap, Nachos, Sweet Potato Fries, and some of their burgers.

Handlebar - 2311 W. North Ave.
Not completely vegetarian because they have seafood as well, but great vegetarian options! A lot of their food is great, but we love the Buffalo Chicken Wrap... have them add avocado.

Urban Vegan - 1605 W. Montrose Ave.
We only tried this place recently and were blown away! It's a Thai restaurant but it's completely vegetarian... it has a lot of fake meat options. If you used to eat meat and miss orange chicken... this place has a great fake-meat orange 'chicken'.

Chicago Diner - 3411 N. Halsted St.
I think we've enjoyed pretty much everything that we've tried here... and love their soy shakes. This is kind of "the" place to go to for vegetarians and vegans in Chicago.

Demera Ethiopian Restaurant - 4801 N. Broadway St.
Not a vegetarian restaurant, but if you're vegetarian and you haven't tried Ethiopian food, you should! You can start with vegetarian or spinach sambussas... then get the vegetarian messob which is large family-style plate. You can get different vegetarian options on the messob... we usually get "misir-wot," "shiro," "gomen," and "kay seerena carrot tibs." Yummmy!

I-Cream - 1537 N. Milwaukee Ave.
After your meal, you have to have dessert, right? Our favorite is this ice cream shop... the ice cream is MADE right their in front of you using liquid nitrogen... you can get regular ice cream, soy ice cream, flavored yogurt, shakes, etc... whatever you want. They have soooo many flavors and toppings you can choose from! AMAZING.


Hmm... which of these should I try to hit up when I'm in Chicago for a weekend in August.....?

U of I flashback and Kickapoo State Park

I have been wanting to take Raj back to U of I @ Urbana-Champaign for quite some time now. It is where I went to college and where I pushed myself to be more outgoing and actually made friends. They were some of the best years of my life and I have the best memories associated with it. So naturally I wanted to share that experience with Raj. We finally got to go this past weekend and it was AMAZING! We decided to camp at Kickapoo State Park instead of staying at a hotel. We were planning on eating out so all we needed to pack was the tent and the bedding. So glad we decided to do this because on top of getting to reminisce at U of I, we got to stay at another great state park. We got there Friday and went running and then ate at Dos Reales...this amazing Mexican place that we always used to eat at when we were down there. Still soo good. The nacho cheese sauce...yummy!  Then Saturday morning we woke up and did some kayaking and then proceeded to the campus. I basically showed Raj all our old favorite spots...the Quad, 506, 1004, ISR, Grainger danger and the Union. We picked out where we would eat and ended up deciding on Dos Reales, Mia Za's (name changed and history of the name change/ownership is confusing but food still just as good), and Bombay Grill. For dessert we made 2 trips to Insomnia cookies. :) We took a nap in the Union like old times, did Frisbee on the Quad and went bowling in the Union at night. We also did some reading in Grainger. It was a perfect trip down memory lane. Sunday - today, we did a little mini hike in the park and then headed home. I highly recommend that all of the U of I alums make a trip back every few years cause it brings back such great memories. The campus has changed a lot...there are huge new buildings/bars but that will always happen with time. The pics from the weekend are here. Thank you to Raj for putting up with my U of I excitement. :) I-L-L. I-N-I!

Bike Maintenance 101

Raj and I have become big fans of biking over the past couple of years. We must give a shout out to the 506 crew for giving us an AMAZING gift. Probably the most used gift ever. We love exploring new places with it, it is a great mode of transportation, and I think I'm really cool cause I bike. :)

That being said....I know not the slightest thing about bike maintenance. Zero. So when Vishal Kamani invited me to join him on a bike maintenance class offered by an awesome organization called west town bikes I jumped at the chance. I had actually gotten our bikes fixed from this place before but now I got to learn all about my bike.

I went yesterday and it was AWESOME. I learned what the different bike parts are called...front derailer, back derailer, tire, tubing, the list goes on. I learned about the different kind of bikes - road, mountain, hybrid.I learned how to take out my tire and check out the tubing and check for leaks. I'm in no mean a professional but I will no longer be the girl that goes into a bike shop that goes....uh something is broken. As long as I remember. I've always wanted to be a mechanic or a wood shop person and this was an awesome exposure to that. As always some pictures below. What do you guys know about your bike? Take this class if you can!

Chicago Bucket List

As most of you know, Raj and I are leaving Chicago for California. It is bittersweet. I will always miss family and friends here...it has been my home and always will be. But it is a chance to get closer to more family and friends and it is California. Lots to look forward to! But in that leaving, we've created a bucket list of things we want to do before we leave. Who is in? We'll let you know when we are doing what and I am going to post and update when we do something on this post. The things in bold have been completed.

The list:
1) Kayak in the Chicago River - awesome Saturday morning w/ Karishma Desai :) Pictures below
2) Need to make a trip to U of I -Awesome, awesome, awesome...think I'm going to write a separate post about that one
3) Beach Volleyball - happened June 16th! awesome group...good times but so hot!
4) Shawnee National Forest - may happen with U of I - not happening - too far

5) Garfield Conservatory  - went with Raj...so pretty!!

6) Bike ride the bike trail to the Chicago Botanical Gardens on the North Branch Trail - Happened on 6/21 with raj - the full 30 miles! One fine day also happened w/ Sonz but we were silly and didn't realize the Botanical Gardens was across the street from where we thought we got lost.

7) Late night bike ride - Farah, Taham, Arpit, Shraddha, Bhavna, Sheel, Almae, Farah's family...great group and so fun! Had some mishaps with the bike and a little crowded but still worth it once.

8) Family picnic - the classic w/ the Sehgal's and Puri's - usually Bhav and Shilpa tag along

9) Movie night at Grant Park - We watched Hugo at Harold Washington Park...so fun!

10) Bike to Naperville - this is an ongoing joke but we'll see if I can make it happen

Work, Hike, Garden, Ishan!!

Raj and I were talking this past weekend and day dreaming about California...he threw out an idea that all we will do in California is - work, hike, garden and hang out w/ ishan baba. Then he added the caveat that we will be taking Ishan hiking and have him gardening with us, so technically it could be 3 things. So this entry will be themed around that...

"Work"
As I have mentioned before, I am currently at the Core Center - an outpatient clinic that takes care of 6,000 HIV positive patients...basically the largest in the country. Also, after this month (which will end way too fast) I have 5 months left of residency. It has definitely been a journey...one that has spanned 2 states, lots of self-doubt, some scheduled and unscheduled breaks...and at the end of it all, I've learned what type of doctor I want to be. I still don't know exactly what I will be doing but I know the direction I am heading in which is a start. Which leads me back to "work." I am back at square 1 in terms of the job search but I can definitely see what type of setting I would want to work in. During this month, I have realized that I really do love taking care of the HIV patient population. It is an unfortunate epidemic and it is DEVASTATING how many young lives here and across the world are taken from this disease. Every effort at prevention and education is time well spent. That being said...there are about 34 million that are affected worldwide and about 1.2 million here in the U.S. The amazing thing is that the history of this disease has come such a long way. It was a death sentence at one point (and it still can be for those without the resources) but now it doesn't have to be. With the proper medications and follow up...people can live normal, healthy lives. I have realized I love learning all the things that are involved in taking care of an HIV patient. It is and has to be holistic in its approach because it affects every aspect of an individual's life. I love building trust with my patients (although that is needed regardless). I think it is a constant reminder at the disparities that exist in our current health care system and pushes me to bring to light all the social conditions that are so deeply connected to this disease. Addiction often goes hand in hand with this disease and it allows me continue to work on offering different options to people struggling w/ substance abuse. And in this day and age because of the medications, in a well controlled patient, people end up usually having lots more primary care issues then HIV issues. All in all, while I wish HIV didn't exist, it does and I have found something that I feel passionate about.

So as I start my job search...I am really hoping to find something that mixes primary care and HIV. I feel like I could get really engrossed in the patient care, the community and the continual learning that would need to take place (because there is so much to know!). I have seen some AMAZING doctors at the Core that really just give their all to their patients and make themselves so accessible. They have been with some people since the 90's. I want to be that and I hope I get the opportunity to try. If any of you have any contacts...please let me know - this would be for the Bay area.

Hike
 You all probably already know we love to hike. My love of nature has definitely grown since I've been with Raj and I could truly spend every weekend on a new hike. Being out in nature calms us, calms the brain and California has such awesome hiking!!!! So many different trails, so many different terrains. Our plan is every Saturday is going to be join Raj/Astha on a hike. Who's with us? Adding some pics of our latest hiking adventure - in Palos Hills.Yay for Bhavna for joining!














Garden
Too tired to type more but main points - year round gardening because the weather allows it!!!! How exciting. Yummy fruits and veggies from our own backyards and the yummy meals that come with it. Our garden thus far...

Ekatva

It is truly amazing to notice the difference in my mental state if I am not on a ridiculous month of residency. I finished the ICU on Thursday and I have been able to do SO much. Life had definitely been put on hold and I am thankful to live it fully again.

This past weekend was the Ekatva Oneness Show in Chicago. Raj and I have been trying to help out as much as our schedules allow it and it has been an awesome experience. A little background info...This past summer in Inspire, we met the kids of Ekatva during the trip. All the people in Inspire paired up with a kid and went to their homes in the slums of Amdhabad (I always spell it wrong so apologies in advance). I stayed with Dipmala and Raj stayed with Dharma ji. They lived in Shankar Bhavan and once we got there we found out that the government of Gujrat was kicking them out of their homes. It was crazy to think that these people that had been living their for years could get kicked out so easily. They were being offered places to move to but from what we learned along the way it seemed to be 1) very expensive 2) completely away from the lives that they had created for themselves. Despite the chaos that existed in these people's lives, they welcomed us with such warmth and love. The resilience of these kids and families is incredible. I know I left feeling infuriated at a system that values malls over people's livelihoods/existence, feeling a little powerless to the system, and knowing that my way of existence is connected to the injustices that exist.

At the time we were there, they were talking about doing a tour across the United States. Flash forward to now...they are here and it is actually happening. The first show was yesterday and it was phenomenal! Raj and I got involved in helping coordinate the logistics of them coming and helping spread the word. The Manav Sadhna family (the organization that has brought these kids here and works with the slum community in Amdhabad) is huge in Chicago. It is always a struggle to get involved with things outside of residency due to time constraints, but we both showed up when we could. I will say there was so much more that I could have done but that being said I feel blessed to be a part of the family. We got to meet so many new faces and with each meeting, there was a little bit more of a connection. Everyone had their own personal link to these kids and the energy was just so great. It was a reminder on the Manav Sadhna spirit and that we all have the potential to connect to any human being around us...it is just a matter of taking the time to do so. Seeing the kids again was a treat.

I've struggled a bit when describing what exactly I have been "promoting." I didn't want to label these kids as slum kids but part of the what catches people's attentions is that they are coming from the slums. We asked the kids what was happening in Shankar Bhavan and two of the kids homes were torn down. I want people to share this incredible experience that these kids have created and I truly believe in the message of oneness and love but I always wonder where will it all lead to? These kids are seeing "America" but will return to their own realities. Their families will still continue to live in the slums and what does that mean? I think the fact that the Manav Sadhna team is continuing to keep them grounded in their daily routines and connecting them to various organizations here is going to help them see the various realities of America as well. In the end I think I've realized that these kids internal experience has changed and will continue to change by being part of this group. They will be inspired and inspire those around them and the ripple effect will lead to unexpected connections. All the people that hear their stories will be affected and in turn carry their own message. It will inspire us to fight against the disparities that exist here and across the world. And if I get to be a part of that...I am thankful for the experience. I have been touched by these kids and hope that you guys will be too. They are still touring all over and need your support..please continue to help spread the word and come see their show. 

Some pictures of the show from yesterday...didn't take many            

An attempt to return to the blog!

Wow, it has been a very long time since I've posted. I am finally on a month that I can enjoy and breathe at the same time....hence an attempt to bring back the blog. I am really looking forward to this month and I have a lot planned for myself in my head.

I am going to be at the Core Center doing outpatient HIV stuff. I am also getting a chance to actually practice Suboxone induction - which is an alternative to methadone for people that are heroin/opioid addicted. I have my weekends off!!!! Which means lots of nature activities and long bike rides. Spanish class needs to come back...its been on hiatus because I was in the ICU. And cooking. And gardening. And exercise and being healthy again. Those are the goals for the month and I'll blog my progress :)

A few updates....Raj and I finally made a decision on our next steps...we are moving to California. Sad to be leaving family and friends here but excited to build deeper relationships with the people out in California. And of course the Dhinglu meister!!!

Some pictures from the garden...

Going to put another plug for the Ekatva show here...the show is this Sunday...truly an amazing story...buy your tickets now!

Spanish with Salas!

My next project is going to be diving into fully learning Spanish. I have taken Spanish all four years of high school and somehow the basics stuck. Then in medical school I had to use it and somehow I am able to communicate with my patients today without the use of a translator. My no means is my Spanish perfect. Actually it is probably disrespectful in I definitely never use the right tense but always start off by telling my patients that its not good Spanish. They are cute and they tell me its fine but that is just because they are sweet souls. BUT I want to get better. And I want to be able to express emotion well. While talking to an attending I worked with at the jail for future prospects...he told me I should look into enhancing my skills so I can use it for a future job. Then I started looking up classes and realized that Rush will pay 90% of the class. I am going with this guy named Christian Salas. I ended up convincing a co resident to take the class with me and we went to our first demo session today. Our first official lesson starts tomorrow! And then I go to Mexico for a week. So here is to a new adventure en una idioma nueva (a new language). We'll see how it goes.

And still no decision on our future life plans. We are confused souls.