Who is the Indian Vegan?

Okay, I'm not the Indian vegan. I'm a vegan Indian. Here's a "getting to know you"-type post about the blog creator, aka Catherine Reddy.

So who are you?

I’m a 20-something living in Chennai, India. I’ve been living here since January 2012 with my Indian husband, Sriram, and his delightful family. I obviously have a lot more learning to do about this great country. I’m originally from the US—Arizona, to be specific. Like Chennai, it’s very hot in Phoenix!

Me and Sriram, wedding day!

 How long have you been vegan?

I went vegan in 2005, so, 7 years now. I’ve written about my path to veganism here, and how I practice veganism here.

What do you do for a living?

My profession before coming to India was a writer of business-related content. I went to business school in the US and got my degree in economics with a minor in international business. At the moment I technically can’t work for visa-related issues, but I appreciate this time to assess the direction of my life. I think the most important endeavor I have right now is figuring out how I fit into my amazing Indian family and the larger community. My time’s currently being spent on a bit of accounting/bookkeeping, some side writing on fiction and non-fiction, and of course, this blog. Perhaps down the line I’ll start a business. Or a non profit. Or both. Life’s full of many possibilities.

Any pets?

I love animals and grew up with every kind under the sun, from dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, rabbits, tortoises and lizards. Since living in an apartment here in Chennai, pets aren’t feasible. We’ll be moving out to ECR within a year or two, though, and there are 4 stray dogs hanging around the property we’ll be adopting. They’ll be happy, well-fed and neutered guard dogs… they just don’t know it yet.

Favorite restaurants in Chennai?

For my favorite Indian food restaurant, I love Sangeetha. My favorite Western restaurant in the city is Kryptos. I gorge myself on their vegan-friendly buffet filled with veggies once a week for date night with my husband!

My favorite Indian restaurant

Favorite foods:

Few things beat fresh in-season fruit, so sometimes my favorite food is mangos, while other times it’s pomegranate seeds. My favorite veggies as of late are pumpkin and corn. Though I don’t eat traditional Indian food often (despite it being delicious), my favorite dish is a good appam with coconut korma.

Least favorite food:

I never met a fruit or vegetable I absolutely hated, but I think apples and pears are overrated. There’s only 1 Indian food item I can think of that repulsed me when I tried it: sweet betel nut! We were given it as a palate cleanser after our meal, and it was one of the few things I couldn’t finish chewing. I’ve loved every other vegan Indian dish I’ve tasted.

If you could change something about India, what would it be?

I made a wishlist here about what I hope to see in Chennai.

Home sweet home

Anything else you want to know about me?

Ask in the comment section below!