Cooking is fun. Discovering new products, new flavors is a challenge. At Groenten Zonder Grenzen you are forced to think creatively because you have to cook vegan with the products you get from the market or supermarket, and you have to do that for a group of about 35 people! 

I think the vegan aspect is important. That’s how I ended up at Groenten Zonder Grenzen. Do you know Happy Cow? That is a platform for vegans and vegetarians from all over the world. I travel a lot: I have lived six times abroad for six months in the past four years. For me, that platform is a way to quickly find the vegan hotspots. That’s how I found Groenten Zonder Grenzen when I moved from Zaandam to Rotterdam a few years ago. It also seemed like a nice way to get to know people. I think the message of veganism is well propagated by Groenten Zonder Grenzen. 

Sometimes it is quite difficult to eat vegan, you often have to justify yourself and you are the exception. Groenten Zonder Grenzen shows that vegan food is not a constraint, but that it is very tasty, fun and challenging. I also always get positive reactions from the visitors, who are not necessarily vegan at all. Then, it’s nice to cook food and then to hear from people that they liked it: like the other day when I made blueberry pancakes. At the same time I also always learn something new, such as how to make falafel. 

That’s the nice thing about this group and cooking and eating together: topics such as food waste and veganism are highlighted all within a very positive atmosphere. We have nice conversations about the food, but also about where people do come from and what they do. I’ve had so many conversations at the tables of GZG. As a result, you really get to know a lot of people from Rotterdam. 

And you know, I’ve never worked with people who have such a good heart. Everyone really wants the best for each other.