On a rainy night from a little boutique hotel in the Montmartre district of Paris after a whirlwind book tour in Germany last week, I'm filled with gratitude to bring you another installment of Ask Me Anything — a twist on my normal format where Julie and I discuss issues currently on the brain and answer listener submitted questions.

This week's topics include:

* tales from Das Plantpower Kochbuch German book tour

* the Berlin vegan scene

* shopping at the world's first all vegan supermarket

* hanging out with vegan strong man Patrik Baboumian

* plant-based in Paris

* vegan birthday at L'Arpège, the #12 best restaurant on Earth

* why you should stop “dieting”

* addressing the emotional drivers behind diet & behavior habits

* plant-based on the road — tips and tools

The show concludes with Aditya, an ancient Sanskrit mantra performed by Julie — aka SriMati – musically accompanied by our sons Tyler & Trapper Piatt. A mantra intended to imbue our lives with vibrant health, the lyrics (very) loosely translated from the root Sankskrit go something like this:

Om to the solar universal energy / Protect me from enemies within and without / I chant your name ceaselessly and victoriously / I bow to you

Special thanks to everyone who submitted inquiries — keep ‘em coming!

An extra special thanks to everyone who took a moment to send me a birthday message. I greatly appreciate it. Beginning my 50th year feeling awesome!

I sincerely hope you enjoy the conversation.

Peace + Plants,

Rich