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03/16/2022 07:00 AMAny discussion of the kitchen used by Lynne and Owen Charles has to start with the fact that it is tucked into their converted Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, their primary residence since, after living in Madison for 17 years, they sold their big old house in June 2021 and hit the road.
Their tiny van kitchen includes a dorm-size fridge, a hand-pump sink with 10 gallons of water underneath, and about two feet of counter space that runs from the sink to a two-burner, propane-powered stove. Owen says it’s a nicer counter than they ever had in the Madison house. One thing that’s missing is an oven, so there are no cookies, or brownies, or even roasted veggies. Also, the kitchen is also the dining room, the mud room, the family room, and the living room.
But just because the kitchen is small doesn’t mean they can’t have fun with their food. Their go-to meals includes salads of all kinds, lots of soups (especially when it’s chilly outside), all sorts of variations on beans and brown rice, vegan mac and cheese, and one of their most favorites, vegan sushi.
Owen Charles says sushi is great either as a snack or as “an elegant and light healthy meal.” He’s been eating sushi since he was a teenager growing up on Long Island more than 40 years ago. He’s been a vegetarian since he was 17, so he’s been ordering veggie tempura and vegetable rolls for a long time.
He traveled to Japan about 10 years ago for work, but shied away from sushi since it was hard to explain he didn’t want fish. But, over the past eight years, he and Lynne became active in vegan communities when they were living in Madison, and they started experimenting with vegan sushi while they lived here.
Zen Attitude Required
Making it, he says, is relaxing and enjoyable, requiring many side steps and a zen attitude. He says their black Lab loves it, too, because he knows he’ll get all the carrots, cukes, and rice that hits the floor. He says making it is a bit like rolling a spliff. “The seaweed is your rolling paper, the rice is tobacco, and the filling is the pot,” he says.
He also loves the accoutrements, including “decorative sushi boats and platters, beautiful carved and inlaid chopsticks, neat little decorative dishes to serve the sushi, soy sauce, and wasabi” which “can be found at Asian stores usually for reasonable prices.”
As for ingredients, he says it’s important to use the right kind of rice. He uses nishiki, a premium, medium-grain variety that is fluffy and slightly sticky when cooked. You’ll also need nori seaweed, which can be found for a reasonable price at most Asian markets, and many other specialty food markets. You’ll also need rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. And this is where the fun starts, he says: You’ll need fillings.
“I had always learned early on from eating in American sushi restaurants that the only vegan rolls traditionally would be vegetable [carrot, avocado, cucumber], avocado, and maybe oshinko [pickled ginger] and that was it,” he says. “But nouveau sushi has morphed into more modern and delectable ingredients like certain exotic mushrooms and fish replacements like tofu or other soy or vegan products. Personally I don’t like to push this envelope too far and I am not into ridiculous ingredients like cream cheese or peanut butter, otherwise I guess you could have Taco Bell serving sushi rolls filled with refried beans and jalapenos,”
He also loves sushi because, while it feels like a luxury, it doesn’t have to be expensive.
“While we tend to think of sushi as an expensive dining experience, it really can be made fairly economically and can be quite elegant, and I always feel good after eating it. I hope if you haven’t already, you may try and enjoy the variations of vegan sushi,” he says.
A Great Meal, Even On the Road
He says he and Lynne are enjoying living the nomad life in their van. They were recently at the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, the same as the one featured in the movie and book Nomadland, an event where they picked up lots of essential tips about how to live life on the road. After that, they stayed in the Quartzsite, Arizona area and joined up with the smaller Rolling Vegan Rendevous, a group of nomadic vegans who meet up annually in the desert.
“After a potluck the other night, I was asked to write out a recipe/guide for my vegan sushi to share with the group,” he says, adding that he and Lynne thought I might like it, both to try it myself, and to share with our readers. He sent it at a time when we here in Connecticut were weathering a big snowstorm.
“We are actually getting a huge dust storm today that is part of the same system, so have vacated our desert site for the day...for a bit of shopping and wifi and chores, since it is not a day to go outside in,” he reports. “It’s kind of like an Arabian sandstorm going on, if you can imagine.”
Other than that, the weather has been pretty great, he says, about 75 degrees during the day and about 40 to 50 degrees at night. After leaving Quartzsite, their plan was to head out to Yuma and then west to Los Algodones, just over the border in Mexico, where low-cost medical care is a draw for van-lifers.
Packing up and leaving Madison was a bit of a process, he says. The family, which includes three kids who are grown up and out on their own, had to get rid of about 95 percent of what they owned. They gave away their favorite books, records, and CDs. Lynne, an artist, had about 200 works of her art, most of which she gave away.
They scanned letters, poems, pictures, and some of the artwork. Some of the most precious items were boxed up and stored in Lynne’s parents’ garage. There was an estate sale.
“Then, finally, the junkmen cometh,” he says.
Living the Dream
Living the van life is fulfilling a dream Owen had about 35 years ago when he yearned to live on the road.
“But then came a phase of 25 years during which I got married, became an EMT, an RN, got an MBA, worked at hospitals, and then corporate jobs, three kids, dogs, houses, cars, etc.,” he says.
He and Lynne come back to Madison every now and again to visit friends, and they look forward to visiting again sometime in the future. Other than sometimes missing their friends here, he says, the minimalism of van life suits them. He loves being able to take most days as they come, with as little planning as possible.
His life has allowed him to return to his pre-corporate, pre-suburban, “pre-lower-upper-middle-class striving self.” It’s been “a return to the things of youth that fed my soul: boundless travel, music, art, writing, poetry, and soaking in the beauty of the wilderness that abounds throughout our lands.”
If it’s a nice evening, they might move the sushi-making operation outside to a couple of folding tables they borrow from some camping neighbors down the way. Lynne says they have pared down their belongings, but that they do make space for things like sushi-rolling mats and other essentials including martini glasses.
“You realize quickly what your priorities are. Necessity decreased our spice rack from dozens of jars to perhaps eight, but fresh onions and garlic are always on board,” she says.
Lately they’ve done a lot of their food shopping in a grocery store that is housed in an oversized tent. What they eat is often dictated by what they can store. And they’ve become very good at making the best use of the water they have available.
“We’ve developed a hyper awareness of our water use, especially since we carry only 13 gallons at a time for all our cooking, washing, and bathing needs. Rather than a sinkful of soapy suds followed by a rinse, what might easily use a couple of gallons, we wash dishes with a spray bottle filled with a mixture of 1/1 vinegar and water,” she says. “We spray the dishes with the mixture, wipe them down, and we’re done. Clean enough, at least by van standards. Dogs get any water left over from steaming vegetables or cooking ‘boil-in-a-bag’ rice.”
If it sounds a little like pioneer days, she says, that’s because it is, “which makes one appreciate so much more extravagances like sushi in the desert.”