I'm Back!

Since my last post, work got incredibly hectic and I had to pretty much cut out all the extra stuff I was doing in my life (school, band, blog). I've had a lot of great vegan eating experiences during that time, though, so I'm going to try to get back up to speed.

"Food in the kitchen"

That's a phrase I hear with some regularity at my office. Working in a radio station, one of the perks is that restaurants often bring in food for the airstaff and we get to eat the leftovers. EXCEPT....that food is usually meat, and almost never vegan.  Today it's burgers and fries. Not that it really bothers me that much that everyone else gets free food and I'm left out. Being vegan is my choice, I don't hold it against anyone else.  It just makes me kind of sad and a little sick to see everyone hovering over it like vultures.  I did think that since everyone else was getting a freebie I'd take some company time to blog about it. There. Done.

Vegan Test

I experienced a real test of my resolve as a vegan this past weekend. A friend of ours who is an incredible pastry chef is opening a restaurant in town later this year, and she was having a photo shoot of her creations for their website. Naturally that meant making a lot of food, and I was one of several lucky people invited to help eat the extra.  While most pastries are not vegan,  she tries to cater to all tastes and usually she has vegan options, so I broke one of the cardinal rules of vegan life and I assumed there would be something for me to eat there. And I was pretty darn hungry when I got there at 10am after a 6 mile run and having had nothing to eat yet that day.

After a little while sipping coffee and cocktails, out came a huge platter of cheddar chive scones, chocolate croissants, "egg yummies", pecan rolls and these fruit filled pinwheel things, but nothing vegan yet.  A little later there were assorted sandwiches (meat and cheese). Then squash soup and salad -- yay! Wait, chicken in the salad and cream in the soup. Then there was the cheese course. And for dessert? Chocolate mousse, creme broulee and toffee cakes with ice cream. Yep, nearly 3 hours of gourmet food streaming out of the kitchen, and the only thing vegan were some olives (and some foccacia bread slices that I'm pretty sure were supposed to be just for decoration). 

So how'd I do? Well, maybe I was sufficiently distracted by the cocktails, nice weather and good friends, but I wasn't even tempted to taste any of those non-vegan foods. Since I have decided to be vegan, I find animal products to be no more appetizing than the plates and napkins they share the table with. I guess when you truly change, there is no need for willpower or resolve, the desire just goes away. I'm happy to be at that place. And don't worry, when the restaurant opens there will be vegan options. They weren't on the short list of items that looked the best for the pictures, but I've had her vegan pastries and they lose nothing by being prepared without milk and eggs.

Market Bagel N Deli

If you can disregard the proprietor's political leanings (conservative, but they don't shove it in your face) and the inefficient service setup (I guess the crowded counter kind of makes it feel more like New York), the Market Bagel has the best bagels I've found in MD. But are they vegan? Well, mostly YES!

Our bagels are PARV Kosher, so there is no dairy in them...EXCEPT...the Egg bagels and the French Toast bagels. The Honey Whole Wheat has honey in it 

I have a part time weekend employee who is vegan and eats our bagels.

Hope that helps and hope you can stay a customer.

Sincerely,

Randy McClement

Owner

Don't know if they have any vegan toppings. Probably peanut butter? I usually take a dozen home, where I can shmear them with tofutti imitation cream cheese (which is surprisingly good), hummus, peanut butter, or earth balance.

Il Forno

You'd think that by leaving off the cheese, pizza would automatically be vegan, but you'd be surprised. Some places use eggs and milk in the crust, and cheese or meat stocks can hide in sauce. I have started checking around to see if my favorite pizzas can be made vegan, and I just got good news from Il Forno. Here's the email I received:

Our pizza crust is [vegan] but our sauce is made with parmesan cheese.  We do however have a homemade marinara sauce (used for pastas) that is cheese free and can gladly substitute if you request at ordering.

I love his honesty and willingness to help. I'll be going back to Il Forno soon!

Eating Out

One of the most concerning things about going vegan for me was giving up going out to eat, one of my favorite things to do. It has been a challenge, but while Frederick is certainly not the most vegan-friendly town to go out in, it also isn't the worst.  Here are some of my favorites:

Cafe Nola-Look, just about every restaurant has something vegan to eat even if it's only a salad, hold the meat and cheese. What sets a place apart for me is whether it actually creates dishes that are interesting and delicious specifically for vegans. Nola always has a few great options that don't sacrifice anything to be vegan. The pace is pretty laid back there, so if you're in a hurry you might want to go somewhere else, but if I want to take some time to enjoy a great meal I usually head to Nola.

The Orchard-A close second. Food is great, but the options are a little more limited, pretty much only soups and stir-fries are vegan.  But again, I really appreciate a place that creates dishes specifically for vegans.

Bangkok Thai Kitchen-the menu doesn't look very vegan friendly, but they will make most anything with tofu and veggies instead of meat, and the food is great. 

Not in Frederick, but worth the trip, Great Sage in Clarksville--there's no meat on the menu at all, and just about everything is vegan or can be made that way. Only been to brunch and lunch there, but I look forward to going back and trying more meals there. It's neither hippy-dippy nor pretentious, just a great restaurant that happens to be all vegetarian.

That's about all for places that actually cater to vegans, but there are good options at other places:

Romanos Macaroni Grill-I worked there, so I know the menu pretty well. Beware! The tomato-basil sauce is made with meat stock. The arrabbiata (spicy tomato) is vegan, though, so you can create your own pasta with that and veggies, or do olive oil and garlic.  They saute everything in butter, so request no butter.  Best of all, the rosemary foccacia is vegan.

Hard Times Cafe-I have read the vegetarian chili is vegan.

Baja Fresh-Not in Frederick, but I work in Rockville so I go there for lunch. You can do the grilled veggie burrito with no cheese or sour cream. Both the pinto and black beans are vegan, as are the tortillas. Take your receipt and do the survey online and you can get a free pronto guacamole next time you go.

As I write this, I realize I haven't been to too many restaurants since I went vegan, so I guess I'll have to update this as I get more info.  If anybody happens to stumble across this and wants to share your their opinions and experiences, please do!

Btw, I should mention that I've gotten my data on what's vegan from various sources, and while I believe it is reliable, I can't make any guarantees. If you have any concerns about my accuracy I urge you to verify it for yourself.

Becoming Vegan

Finally I'm getting around to posting something! It has taken me a while to get started because I have a lot of ideas in my head and don't know quite where to begin. Perhaps I ought to start by explaining how I ended up going Vegan.  

This is not the first time I have given up eating meat.  Back in the early 90's I went vegetarian for a year or so just as an experiment. Unfortunately, I began to fall off the wagon with fish and chicken and it progressed to the point where I was a full fledged omnivore once again. Then in October or November of 2007, my wife watched the "Meet Your Meat" video (at least the first few seconds, all that she could take), and she decided on the spot to give up meat.  I figured since I had done it before it would be easy enough to join her in her new philosophy.  

Going vegetarian was a process, as we did continue to eat fish for a while. I always expected that the process would continue and I would go vegan eventually, as I knew that eggs and dairy were not cruelty free either, but I felt I was waiting for the right time because those things had become my primary protein sources. Then earlier this year I came across Bob and Jenna Torres's  Vegan Freak podcast, and it was clear to me that the time to go vegan had arived.  They explained plainly and forcefully how vegetarianism falls short in the goal of reducing animal suffering.  So as of February 15, 2009, I am a Vegan.

I'm not here to preach or persuade anyone to go vegan (though of course I believe with all my heart that everyone can and should), so I won't go into the details about what I learned, and this blog is not here to try to convert people.  Its purpose is to record my thoughts as I live as a vegan in a predominantly omnivorous country and in a town with a decidely dead-animal based restaurant scene.  I want to discuss the challenges and the discoveries I am making and I hope other people find this blog and share their thoughts as well.  Thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts!

Under Construction

Pretty soon this blog wil be filled with posts all about living vegan in Frederick, MD. As soon as I get around to posting some. Stay tuned...