vegan – Page 6 – The only certainty is bad grammar

so how long before EVERYONE is a raw vegan?

Published: April 4, 2009 / Updated: April 14, 2009 Crystal humor, medium, Uncategorized, vegan

Because for some reason, my friends love me way more than necessary, I some how convinced a couple of them to go to a raw vegan restaurant in Chicago today with me (despite their typical meat-eating ways).

Don’t fret, i haven’t gone raw myself — it was just the closest vegan restaurant to my friend’s house. We made our way to Cousin’s Incredible Vitality and well, it didn’t suck.

I’ve never been to a vegan-only restaurant so I dived in with an open mind and the glass of warm water the waitress had given me (apparently, aside from avoiding fire, raw vegan also don’t use ice).

And I apologize in advance that the pictures are blurry, but they were taken with my cell phone. Yes, Sandy B., I know you do not approve, but it’s MY blog. so deal with it.

I ordered the sampler platter (pictured above), which included three appetizers:

Mini Flax Pizzas
Luscious Pizzas with almond cheese, marinara, olive tapenade avocado, love and gratitude.

Triple Taco
Mango salsa and refried beans” on three romaine taco shells.

Spinach Delight
Savory creamed spinach, shallots, fresh herbs, sundried tomatoes, and love dehydrated to perfection.

I’ve learned that you can’t go around expecting vegan versions of things to taste like whatever they’re imitating, but I have to say, none of these were even close to what they said they were. Don’t get me wrong, I liked them, but I did not feel like i had eaten pizza, taco and spinach dip at the end of my meal.

The “tacos” had lettuce instead of regular shells, but they also had crap tons of flavor and were probably my favorite thing. However, I should point out that I did appreciate the “love dehydrated to perfection” in the spinach delight.

One of my friend’s orders is pictured above and I think it was the following:

Mediterranean pasta 9
zucchini noodles with choice of marinara or pesto sauce and pine nut parmesan

I’m pretty sure she really, really, really wanted to heat it up in some fashion, but other than that, I think she liked it.

My other friend’s order is pictured above:

Ravioli á la Turka
Cashew ricotta cheese folded into a delicious beet pasta shell smothered in spicy marinara.

He raved about it like there was no tomorrow, but I’m not sure whether he really liked it or whether he was just trying to make feel better about the fact that I had dragged two of my friends to a raw vegan restaurant.

He and I also got dessert, which I really did think was AMAZING, and he at least said was AMAZING, but again I couldn’t be sure if he really liked it or if he was just trying to ease my concerns. Both where cheese-less cheese cakes. Mine chocolate and his chocolate banana.

I have no freaking clue how any of these dishes were made, but I have to say, if I lived within a 15 mile radius of this place, I could see myself eating there on a regular basis.

So, does anyone know of any other good Chicago vegan restaurants?

just a couple crazy vegan things

Published: March 28, 2009 / Updated: March 28, 2009 Crystal humor, medium, vegan

Lets talk about how people think they can relate to me because sometimes they eat vegetables.

There are some things we need to clear up.

Guys, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but having macaroni and cheese for dinner every Friday night doesn’t make you a sometimes vegetarian. look. I’m GLAD you found a way to sacrifice your love of dead animals for one little meal, but PEOPLE, that does. not. count. the whole point of veganism or vegetarianism is that i make daily, routine, constant decisions to avoid animal products every. single. time. i eat.

every meal. every snack. every drink.

that means, when i eat noodles and marina for dinner, that’s it. im done. i don’t get to go to mcdonald’s a couple hours later or the next morning and reward myself with a big mac. i don’t get to have a glass of milk. i don’t get to go out to dinner and order the chicken.

I get to wake up and make the next meal i eat vegan.

Also, while we’re on the subject, I would like to point out that i do in fact LIKE meat, and cheese, and dairy. that’s kind of the reason this is a sacrifice.

and if I didn’t like meat or cheese or dairy, then i’d have been a vegan for like 25 years by now. so don’t say to me “i’d be vegan, but i just like cheese too much.”

that’s just not how this works.

instead say “i’d be vegan, but i just don’t have as much will power as you do” or “i’d be vegan, but im just not bothered by the animal slaughter industry and don’t see any reason to be” or “i’d be vegan, but i disagree about your belief that humans were never meant to drink milk from another species.”

and just so we’re clear, if you just read that and once said to me “i’d be vegan, but i just like cheese too much” and therefore assume i’m talking about you – im not. im talking about you AND the 73 other people who’ve said the exact. same. thing. to me.

also, please don’t be offended. kind of like, i don’t get offended when you tell me im a crazy vegan.

a round of random thoughts

March 20, 2009 Crystal short, vegan

1. i don’t understand why people are grossed out by vegan foods. really? that tofu dog makes you nauseous? im sorry, do you not know what goes into a REAL hot dog? that’s right. ground up rat hair. true story.

2. i love, love, love NCAA march maddness. it’s fun because people who know NOTHING about basketball can totally win the whole thing because brackets have hardly any rhyme or reason, and it’s winner take all, so if your precious Duke gets knocked out in round two and you had them going all the way, i win. i know. fun times.

3. hi brett! or should i say, miss. manners?

4. grey’s anatomy sucks now. seriously, what the heck happened to that show? the dialogue is predictable and one-note, the characters make the same stupid mistakes over, and over, and over. and for crist’s sake, are derek and meridith EVER going to get their crap together? come on. it’s been YEARS. figure it out and start having babies already.

5. i wish i was as amused by looking out with front window as my roommate’s dog is. it’s like tv for him. my understanding is that old people also are facinated by looking out windows, so maybe this an activity that will grow on me.

6. while visiting my family in byron this weekend, the news anchor told me that rockford has a 14 percent unemployment rate. that’s crazy. and sad. and crazy. seriously, i really thought obama was going to fix all this by now.

7. this site is hilarious. for journalists. “overheard in a newsroom.”

8. i just realized that my vegenaise (vegan mayou) expired in Jan. i still put some on my tofurkey sandwhich last night. do you think that the lack of eggs means the expiration date is more of a suggestion?