Let me begin this article with a few disclaimers: I like steak. I also like hamburgers, all sorts of chicken, and shish kebabs. I am not a vegetarian, and I honestly don’t know if I ever could be one.
And even the thought of veganism makes me want to cry—mostly because I can’t stand the idea of giving up Gruyère, Gouda, or mozzarella sticks. In fact, the closest I’ve come to vegetarianism is buying my close friend (vegetarian for four years) consolation chips so that I wouldn’t feel guilty about swallowing down a delicious cheesesteak right in front of her face.
Despite all of these truisms, I have started to see the upside of meals without meat. To be quite honest, the biggest factor in my gradual warming to the idea is not—to the disappointment of the vegetarian community, I’m sure—a sudden, life-altering wave of compassion toward other creatures. I’m a nice person, but that’s not it. What has me opening up is the combination of two recent eating experiences, one right on campus, and the other just a few blocks off of the 79th Street subway stop.
Vegan is a word that has many negative connotations—unwashed, badly dressed überliberals, health-crazed dads that forbid TV watching, raw carrots, and uncooked tofu. And though some of these stereotypes may sometimes apply, there is a lot more to eating vegan than we nonbelievers may assume.
Take, for example, the newly opened Peacefood Cafe, located on 82nd and Amsterdam. On the entire menu, which consists of salads, soups, sandwiches, paninis, pizza, and side dishes, you will only find two raw options. One of them is a deliciously tart, smooth, and sweet key lime pie, while the other is a walnut pâté with a vegetable sushi roll. Neither of these is bland, boring, or annoyingly healthy. Other choices to opt for include the tempeh avocado sandwich, which strikes a nice balance between savory and light with the marinated tempeh (a type of soybean cake), creamy avocado, pickled radishes, and the salty chickpea fries, which are fried but lack the huge layer of grease that comes with the fast food, white potato version. Among the salads, a great pick is “The Other Caesar,” made with the usual Caesar salad ingredients (substituting smoked tempeh for grilled chicken), red onions, and a secret dressing. The café offers a wide variety of teas and unusual hot drinks, such as orange apple cider, gingerade (lemonade with a hint of ginger), and Brazilian nut chai.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is very soothing—the lighting is dim, water is abundant and free, as is the Wi-Fi, and the servers are energetic, friendly, and ready to explain all aspects of the menu to a wanderer. This should come as no surprise considering that the owner, Eric Yu, opened the place up specifically in order to “benefit other people.” Himself a vegetarian for 10 years, and a vegan for three, Yu said that “everything I like to eat, I put on the menu.” His Asian background adds a twist to all the dishes, setting them apart from other vegan offerings.
In my introduction, I mentioned two experiences that have affected me recently. The second can be found much closer to home—a meal with the Bhakti Club, which seeks to bring more of the Indian culture to our campus. Whether you’re into Hinduism, yoga, and meditation or not, there’s no way you could resist the charms of their cooking.
Every Tuesday, the Bhakti Club hosts a well-known vegetarian cooking class, during which about 100 or so people are shown the proper way to make a specific dish, and then fed by the monks performing the demonstration. The food is incredibly flavorful, with delicious sauces made from the vegetables being cooked and fresh rice to accompany them. No meat is involved, and yet each time, I am utterly astounded by how many servings I eat. Not much, in terms of food, is better to look forward to than a “home-cooked,” healthy meal right in Lerner Hall.
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