12/26 World Peace Cafe
While in Atlanta we had the opportunity to visit the World Peace Cafe. The Cafe is a vegetarian/vegan restaurant owned and operated by the Kadampa Meditation Center of Georgia. It is staffed by volunteers that share the vision of compassionate living through vegetarianism and meditation.
The day we joined them they had the disposition of people that had just left a really inspired yoga class. They were radiating with calm and kindness despite the business of the lunch rush. It had a great vibe. Their menu was eclectic, but familiar enough to entice my 79 year old in- laws to join us for lunch.
We ordered the Tempeh Reuben, a Jamaican Peace Burger, Butternut Squash soup, Mushroom Lentil Kale soup and potato wedges. We nibbled, shared and tasted our way through this enormous meal with such delight. I ordered a mock Mint Julep that was crafted with ginger soda, lime and fresh mint.
The atmosphere was light, airy and contemporary. The sandwiches were over-sized. They filled our hands and our bellies with great joy. I consumed about ten bites too many, then left with a raspberry walnut cookie for later.
I also purchased a gorgeous, hand crafted shoulder bag. The bag was made by artisans in the Marwar region of India, using fair trade, sustainable dyes and materials. It was the kind of gift that you give yourself when you really want to say I love you.
The World Peace Cafe is not exclusive to Atlanta. Followers of the New Kadampa tradition have opened World Peace Cafes across the globe in an effort to spread the message of better living through compassionate cuisine and meditation. The proceeds from their cafes are used to support classes and events at their meditation centers. I was delighted to read that their two largest cafes are in Atlanta and Hong Kong. Lucky us.
It was such a nice experience. The cafe was about 25 minutes away from my in-laws house. We would have never known it was there had I not looked up veg restaurants on Happy Cow.net, the resource for finding veg and vegan restaurants while traveling. I am so very glad I did. What a find.
Tags: HappyCow, Kadampa Meditation Center, vegan restaurants Atlanta, vegan travel, vegan wannabe, World Peace Cafe, World Peace Cafe Atlanta
