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Print this pageAdventures in Veganism
We asked our meat-eating, dairy-loving editor to go vegan for a week. We wanted to learn how accommodating our community is to a vegan diet, what local resources are available and what kind of support there is for finding people to share ideas and recipes.
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This month, our cover story is all about burgers. The best ones we could find… and we had a lot to choose from. All that meaty goodness made us wonder: What’s it like out there for people who don’t have the luxury or desire to scarf down a monstrous beef patty, smothered in cheese and sandwiched into a buttery bun? There are a lot of highly specific diets out there, some born form medical necessity (like gluten-free diets) and some born from nutritional, ethical or environmental concerns. We thought, “What if we try one of those diets for a week, and see what it’s like?” We chose a vegan diet for a few reasons: It’s about as far from our cover story as we could get. It’s pretty darn restrictive. And it has the potential to be both healthy and locally focused (if you choose to buy locally grown produce).
So I went vegan for a week and set out to learn how hard or easy it is to fulfill a highly specific diet in 417-land. I searched for the best local stores for vegan grocery shopping. I tried to find vegan dishes on local restaurant menus. I cooked vegan meals at home. And I sought out support in the form of a vegetarian community in which people can bounce ideas off each other and share food and recipes.
To the Grocery We Go
First thing’s first: I need food. If I’m going to eat a vegan diet for a week, I need to break my morning yogurt habit, ignore my cravings for fish and restock my pantry. Before I can shop, I need to make sure I know the ins and outs of what vegans can eat. Vegans refrain from eating any kind of food that is derived from an animal in any way. That means no meat, of course. No seafood, no milk, no honey, no eggs, no cheese or other dairy products. While I researched the list of do’s and don’ts, I learned something new: Many vegans do not eat refined cane sugar. Why, you ask? Well, refined cane sugar (the kind most of us have at home) can go through a purification process that involves running the food through charcoal (much like how water is filtered). That charcoal is often made from bone char.
Great ShopsAkin’s Natural Foods Market |
On my shopping trip, I bought some staples that I knew I’d use day-to-day for cooking and packing lunches: almond milk, almond butter, quinoa, tempeh, tofu, faux macaroni and cheese, egg-and-sugar-free bread, faux lunch meat and a few vegan desserts. I bought some oatmeal (to try and break that morning dairy habit I mentioned) and loads of vegetables. Grocery shopping was, in a word, easy. Vegans, rejoice! If you’re interested in incorporating more locally grown produce into your diet as well, you can visit the farmers’ market in your town.
Dining Out
I quickly learned that while it’s refreshingly easy to eat vegan when I’m controlling my food options, it’s much tougher when meals rely on someone else’s menu. My fiancé discovered this at the vending machine at his office where, ironically, the only food that looked like it might be vegan was a box of animal crackers.
Chip Ballew is a vegan living in Kimberling City, and he had just returned from a trip to Los Angeles when I interviewed him for this story. He said that his vegan dining options were numerous there, with an abundance of restaurants catering to the diet. Even in 417-land, though, Ballew says he can find great meals at restaurants. Asian eateries are a favorite, with plenty of veggie-heavy options. He also recommends Planet Sub, which has tempeh sandwiches.
I grabbed my first vegan restaurant meal at The Grotto, another of Ballew’s recommendations. There they have a full vegan menu that includes… wait for it… pizza! Yes, they have a vegan version of that cheesy wonder. I ordered the spicy cilantro pizza, which was topped with soy mozzarella, roasted red peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, jalapeños and tomatoes. I ended up really enjoying the soy cheese. It was soft and creamy. It didn’t taste like mozzarella, nor did it have a similar texture. So order it with an open mind. The soy cheese seemed more like cream cheese to me, and it tasted delicious on that veggie-topped pizza and that soft-crunchy crust.
On a lunch break one day, I decided to check out the vegan options at the deli at MaMa Jean’s Natural Market. The dishes are clearly labeled with things like “vegan” or “gluten-free,” making ordering a cinch. I had the sesame soba noodles with edamame and shiitake mushrooms.
I didn’t have as much luck in other places. At Panera, for example, I thought for sure I would be able to get a salad or a veggie sandwich. But little bits of non-vegan ingredients were hidden in breads, salad dressings, toppings. I found them by perusing the restaurant’s nutrition website before I ate there. I ultimately decided on black bean soup and the Mediterranean veggie sandwich on sourdough (one of a handful of vegan bread options) with no cheese.
What I learned: If you are eating a super-specific diet, you have to do your research in advance. Local spots may not have ingredients listed on their site, so in that case: Just ask.
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