Vegetarian discussion (Split from May Dinnermeet)

[Star Wonder]

lol Sairys.. Come on Foundation! >:D

sorry Im not a fan of vegetarian dishes I tend to stay away from them due to nasty experiences with nasty tasting food. *goes back to read the reviews* I have a feeling Iam going to be sitting there with only a coke.

When was the last time you tried REAL vegetarian food? Kithop and I cook vegetarian food you'd never know was vegetarian. Plus about every ten months to about two years vegetarian food makes a huge leap due to wonderful scientific advances. If you tried it a year ago, it wouldn't be the same today. Besides, you can do what I did at the Red Robin meet. I went and had nothing and sat with friends. Red Robins has nothing vegetarian but I still went to enjoy my friend's company. And when you go with a bunch of people to a vegetarian restaurant, you can try a whole bunch of different things from their plates! Plus they will serve things you'd eat normally. Fries, nachos and cheese, etc.  ^_^

PS you should come over one time and try our veggie food. Honest! We had vegetarian Poutine and Kitten, Red, and Dman Mike all loved it! Home made fries and everything!

[Tamaska]

lol Sairys.. Come on Foundation! >:D

sorry Im not a fan of vegetarian dishes I tend to stay away from them due to nasty experiences with nasty tasting food. *goes back to read the reviews* I have a feeling Iam going to be sitting there with only a coke.

When was the last time you tried REAL vegetarian food? Kithop and I cook vegetarian food you'd never know was vegetarian. Plus about every ten months to about two years vegetarian food makes a huge leap due to wonderful scientific advances. If you tried it a year ago, it wouldn't be the same today. Besides, you can do what I did at the Red Robin meet. I went and had nothing and sat with friends. Red Robins has nothing vegetarian but I still went to enjoy my friend's company. And when you go with a bunch of people to a vegetarian restaurant, you can try a whole bunch of different things from their plates! Plus they will serve things you'd eat normally. Fries, nachos and cheese, etc.  ^_^

PS you should come over one time and try our veggie food. Honest! We had vegetarian Poutine and Kitten, Red, and Dman Mike all loved it! Home made fries and everything!

I don't mean to be rude here but... What is wrong with eating meat anyway?

[Acco]

lol Sairys.. Come on Foundation! >:D

sorry Im not a fan of vegetarian dishes I tend to stay away from them due to nasty experiences with nasty tasting food. *goes back to read the reviews* I have a feeling Iam going to be sitting there with only a coke.

When was the last time you tried REAL vegetarian food? Kithop and I cook vegetarian food you'd never know was vegetarian. Plus about every ten months to about two years vegetarian food makes a huge leap due to wonderful scientific advances. If you tried it a year ago, it wouldn't be the same today. Besides, you can do what I did at the Red Robin meet. I went and had nothing and sat with friends. Red Robins has nothing vegetarian but I still went to enjoy my friend's company. And when you go with a bunch of people to a vegetarian restaurant, you can try a whole bunch of different things from their plates! Plus they will serve things you'd eat normally. Fries, nachos and cheese, etc.  ^_^

PS you should come over one time and try our veggie food. Honest! We had vegetarian Poutine and Kitten, Red, and Dman Mike all loved it! Home made fries and everything!

Also what Tamaska said. And why are you being so defensive about vegetarian cuisine? >.<

I'm no stranger to Vegetarian cuisine. The Chinese know how to do tofu in ways that make it very palatable while still remaining in the confines of it. As well as other vegetarian dishes in general (just look at Buddhists, they've got a 2000 year head start). But... in the end I still don't feel complete after a meal without something that contains a bit of meat in it.

Ruling out meat removes so many possibilities from dishes. Nothing within vegetarian cuisine will ever create a peking duck's texture and skin from roasting... or the firm, yet delicate flavour of yellowtail... or the juicy/savory aspects of a rack of lamb. If and when vegetarian cuisine can recreate these qualities... I'll be more than willing to give vegetarian cuisine a try again.

Edit:
Also: dug up reviews for the top most voted restaurant - I wouldn't eat there: http://dinehere.ca/vancouver/foundation-the - horrendous service, chef doesn't know his way around sugar (everything seems to be oversweeted), and it's just vegetarian fare.

[Star Wonder]

I don't mean to be rude here but... What is wrong with eating meat anyway?

Also what Tamaska said. And why are you being so defensive about vegetarian cuisine? >.<

I'm no stranger to Vegetarian cuisine. The Chinese know how to do tofu in ways that make it very palatable while still remaining in the confines of it. As well as other vegetarian dishes in general (just look at Buddhists, they've got a 2000 year head start). But... in the end I still don't feel complete after a meal without something that contains a bit of meat in it.

Ruling out meat removes so many possibilities from dishes. Nothing within vegetarian cuisine will ever create a peking duck's texture and skin from roasting... or the firm, yet delicate flavour of yellowtail... or the juicy/savory aspects of a rack of lamb. If and when vegetarian cuisine can recreate these qualities... I'll be more than willing to give vegetarian cuisine a try again.

Edit:
Also: dug up reviews for the top most voted restaurant - I wouldn't eat there: http://dinehere.ca/vancouver/foundation-the - horrendous service, chef doesn't know his way around sugar (everything seems to be oversweeted), and it's just vegetarian fare.

I'm defensive because no one seems to understand it. At all. And every year more and more progress is made about turning tofu into things even meat eaters love. There are people who love meat but are allergic to animal, and they have to eat substitutes but don't want to give up meat. Tofu and stuff are perfect for them. Every year tofu is improving. More and more and more. In five years who knows, they could perfect your so called yellowtail and what not. I'm not telling people to not eat meat. I'm telling people to stop isolating vegetarians and veggie cuisine based on a past experience and boycotting it entirely!

[Tony Greyfox]

As a confirmed carnivore, I'm fine with vegetarian food - I cook veg stirfry now and again and have used tofu. I'd be fine with a reasonable vegetarian restaurant (when I can get over the whole anxiety thing and get to a meet again =P ), myself.

I think Star's being defensive because there's a lot of 'vegetarian? ick!' kind of sentiment in this thread. that seems to happen when vegetarianism comes up amongst meat-eaters. Good chefs can do good vegetarian meals, tofu- and other meat replacements have really matured.

Simple fact is that some people do eat vegetarian, whether it's a personal choice (I've got three of those in my office that I know of) or a dietary requirement. It's worth considering it in these polls - if a veg. restaurant turns up as the winner once, then give it a shot, and next month vote for Spike's All-Meat Bonanza Buffet or something. =)

[Tamaska]

I'm defensive because no one seems to understand it. At all. And every year more and more progress is made about turning tofu into things even meat eaters love. There are people who love meat but are allergic to animal, and they have to eat substitutes but don't want to give up meat. Tofu and stuff are perfect for them. Every year tofu is improving. More and more and more. In five years who knows, they could perfect your so called yellowtail and what not. I'm not telling people to not eat meat. I'm telling people to stop isolating vegetarians and veggie cuisine based on a past experience and boycotting it entirely!

I was really asking your reason... if your allergic then all the power to ya!  but... if your not... Why not just eat meat?

[Rift]

I've had a good number of vegetarian friends, and I've always noticed that they get defensive whenever the subject comes op for one specific reason: people are always questioning them on why they are vegetarian, and pushing them to eat meat.
Whether it be dietary restrictions or personal choice we each eat what we do for our own reasons.  I'd love to see some vegetarian choices on the poll.  I'd be more inclined to go to a meet at a place like that over Red Robins myself.
I'm not vegetarian myself, I'll eat just about anything I can get my hands on, I just really like their style of cooking.  Mind you, the only thing keeping me from becoming one is my love of blue steaks.  They figure out a way to mimic that, and I might just shift.

[Acco]

I mean, given that star seems to be environmentally conscious, I'd say her noneating of meat stems from that...

And, not in a hundred years will they be able to make synthetic fish that tastes the same as the real thing...

[Tamaska]

I mean, given that star seems to be environmentally conscious, I'd say her noneating of meat stems from that...

And, not in a hundred years will they be able to make synthetic fish that tastes the same as the real thing...

I don't know about that, Science is amazing.. We can grow meat already... it just comes out as a sorta... protein jelly :(

[Carthage]

There are people who love meat but are allergic to animal,

I work in a restaurant Star, and as such I deal with some pretty rediculous allergies. In seven years not once have I heard of someone being allergic to an animal. Shellfish sure, that's a well documented allergen. Pork is a common religious taboo, but not an allergy.

I would very much like you to provide a documented case of someone being -allegergic- to an animal other than fish or shellfish. If you're going to be making a statement like that one, that's the least you could do.

[Acco]

There are people who love meat but are allergic to animal,

I work in a restaurant Star, and as such I deal with some pretty rediculous allergies. In seven years not once have I heard of someone being allergic to an animal. Shellfish sure, that's a well documented allergen. Pork is a common religious taboo, but not an allergy.

I would very much like you to provide a documented case of someone being -allegergic- to an animal other than fish or shellfish. If you're going to be making a statement like that one, that's the least you could do.

s'like, hypersensitivity to wifi signals! :p

[Grace]

Not to barge in, but proof of meat allergies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_allergy#Rare
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/meatallergy/

The first is an obligatory Wikipedia link. The second is a UK government health website. Sure, it's a rare allergy, but it's not impossible.
I also know two people who are allergic to eggs, which are technically a meat product.

[Carthage]

Not to barge in, but proof of meat allergies:
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/meatallergy/

I don't recall saying anywhere that it -couldn't- happen. Only that I had never seen or heard of a case, and that I wanted to see evidence. So far all this shows is that the uk health authority thinks that a meat allergy can cause all the same reactions any other allergy can cause. Keep trying.

And eggs are an animal product, yes, but are not considered a meat product by anyone but the strictest vegitarians and vegans.

[Grace]

I don't recall saying anywhere that it -couldn't- happen. Only that I had never seen or heard of a case, and that I wanted to see evidence. So far all this shows is that the uk health authority thinks that a meat allergy can cause all the same reactions any other allergy can cause. Keep trying.

And eggs are an animal product, yes, but are not considered a meat product by anyone but the strictest vegitarians and vegans.

I admit that eggs aren't always completely considered a meat product by most people. As for the rest of your statement, well...

Pork is a common religious taboo, but not an allergy.

This is saying straight-up it doesn't happen (for pork, at least), which is pretty much the same as saying it couldn't. I don't know if you intended for it to come across that way, but, well, there it is.

I would very much like you to provide a documented case of someone being -allegergic- to an animal other than fish or shellfish.

You said that you wanted proof of it happening, which is what I provided. Level of severity was not requested. However, even if it only causes "all the same reactions any other allergy can cause," that's still not something most people would want. "Any other allergy" can cause all sorts of incredibly unpleasant experiences -- hives, nausea, light-headedness -- the list goes on. I doubt there are too many people out there who'd be willing to eat beef, for instance, knowing full well that they'll be covered in an unbearably itchy rash shortly thereafter.

I'm certainly not trying to get on your case; I just find it rather frustrating when people attempt to argue a point without checking their facts. In this instance, a meat allergy could very well be a reason for someone to turn to a more vegetarian-inspired diet, even if it's only the 1 in 1000 (or whatever the statistics may be) who's allergic to beef, pork, and chicken.

Getting a bit more on topic, this discussion stemmed from restaurant choices for a Vancouver dinnermeet, correct? Is there a particular reason that the restaurants chosen for the meet can't be those that offer both vegetarian- and omnivore-friendly dishes? I mean, even White Spot has vegetarian alternatives.

[Kitten]

Just to let you know that most vegetarians eat eggs, dairy and fish but its vegans that eat NO ANIMAL products including dairy and eggs

And @ carthage no to single anyone out but there is a local furry that is allergic to/unable to digest meat protein.