Penelope Everall Gordon
On a tour of China in Fall of 2014, out of 24 experienced travelers I was the only one who did not experience some form of gastrointestinal distress. As I was handing out items from my personal travel kit* along with advice to my fellow travelers, I realized that the kit was the food business idea for which I’d been looking; I wrote the first draft of the Nutriate business plan October 31, 2014 en route to Hong Kong.
* I’ve been a vegetarian for over 20 years, making the switch coincidentally shortly after I moved to Austin, Texas. My primary motivation was to reduce my environmental footprint by eating lower on the food chain. Since I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area eating a variety of ethnic cuisines and a diet rich in vegetables and fruits, dropping meat from my home cooking was easy; not so easy was maintaining a healthful diet while traveling. I quickly learned that the ubiquitous plate of steamed vegetables and plain pasta could be greatly enhanced with a little balsamic vinegar, spices, and flaxseed meal; thus the progenitor of the Nutriate Business Travel Kit was born.
My favorite meal in China: food performance art at a Buddhist restaurant in Beijing, our first night in China.
Dad’s favorite meal in China: a big bowl of noodle soup for less than US$1 in a cafeteria-style restaurant in Guilin
