I was vegan from when I was about 11 to 25. My family decided to try out vegan eating as a healthy choice, in part due to my dad's high cholesterol. We all felt

I was vegan from when I was about 11 to 25. My family decided to try out vegan eating as a healthy choice, in part due to my dad's high cholesterol. We all felt more healthy and enjoyed the food we were eating. I gave it up when I started traveling to China. I decided that it was more important to me to be able to enjoy the rich culinary traditions and be a part of the communal culture than keep to my diet at the time.