9 Things to that Inspired Eat, Love, Vegan, Recipes for Love and Life.

Where do writers get their inspiration?

I don’t know, as I can’t speak for all the writers. But I can tell you that mine usually comes from my own life, as well as from my desire to make the world a better place.

It is my deep belief that by changing the stories we tell ourselves, we can start changing our thoughts, beliefs and ultimately our actions, and the books I write reflect that. Some may accuse me of being preachy or forcing my agenda onto the readers, but don’t we all do it sometimes?

Here’s what’s inspired me to write Eat, Love, Vegan, Recipes for Love and Life and what made it into a story that it is today:

1. This is not an autobiographical story, but I share a few things with Alexandra, namely, we’re both vegan and of Polish descent. Alexandra was born in America to Polish parents, living in Greenpoint, NY; I was born in Warsaw, Poland, and came to America when I was 20 years old, leaving my family behind.  
2. My family never owned a restaurant (that idea came from number 3 below), but inspiration for Alexandra’s father is my own dad, who passed away from diabetes related heart disease in 2016. Many of the conversations I had in my head with my dad and my mom found their way into Alexandra’s head and onto the pages of this book.
3. Inspiration for Russel’s Dad is John Robbins. An American author, who popularized the links among nutrition, environmentalism, and animal rights. John Robbins is the bestselling author of Voices of the Food Revolution, No Happy Cows, Diet for a New America, and many other landmark works. John Robbins became famous with the 1987 publication of his book Diet for a New America. The Rebel Without a Cone—the young heir to the Baskin-Robbins ice cream empire (and fortune) put out an eloquent and powerful call to action against the consumption of animal-based foods.
4. Inspiration for Russel and Restaurant Xtreme Makeover show was chef Robert Irvine and his Restaurant Impossible series that I started to watch before becoming vegan.  Chef Robert Irvine sets out to salvage restaurants on the verge of shutting down with just USD 10,000 and two days to help the owners get back into business. When I went vegan, I wished Robert would make an episode (or someone would do an entire show) about a vegan restaurant.
5. The doctor who miraculously cures diabetes patients with plant-based diet actually exists. His real name is the same as in the book—Joel Fuhrman. I so wish my dad would read his books and had a chance to get better. Sadly, it was too late. I became vegan and found Dr. Fuhrman’s books I bought the book “Eat to Live” for my father as a Christmas gift as soon as I found out it had bee translated into Polish in 2015. Sadly, my dad never read it, and he died just a couple of months after that, so even if he did, it may have been too late to save him.
6. The so-called “tradition” to keep carp in a bathtub is real; I remember carp swimming in our city apartment when I was little. People don’t do it anymore, but most Poles still can’t imagine Christmas Eve without carp, so millions of animals die each year to the tune of Silent Night, just like millions of turkeys are killed to become the centerpiece on Thanksgiving tables all across America. I find it hard to accept that we choose to show our joy and thankfulness in such a violent way, without even thinking about it. It’s not that we don’t know what is happening, but most people aren’t paying attention. Humans create such beautiful myths; what imaginations they have. Surely we can come up with traditions and customs that aren’t hurting other beings, our planet, and ourselves.
7. The Prayers for Humans on Behalf of Animals came from one of my favorite podcasts, Food for Thought by Collen Patrick-Gourdau. This is the podcast I listened to religiously when I became vegan. It helped me a lot when navigating the unfamiliar territory.

• The recipes for tripe, bigos, and other Polish dishes are real and delicious, so be sure to give them a try. Be sure to try oyster mushrooms, as well.

The Great Silence by Ted Chiang

Download an excerpt of Eat, Love, Vegan HERE.

Buy the book directly from me.