Vegan Engagement Party

Today I held an engagement party for some vegan friends of mine. While I am not a vegan or a vegan sympathizer, I do have enough respect for other people's morals to attempt something like this. My only rule for hosting this event was that there be no substitute products used. I refuse to use Earth Balance, soy milk as a replacement for real milk or cream (you'll notice I did use coconut milk, more on this further down), fake cheese, textured vegetable protein, or anything else designed to replace animal products as direct copies. I did this because I believe that if an ethical diet pattern is healthy, you will not need substitute products. Had I truly stuck to my feelings about veganism, I would have refused to use anything that could not be grown in Oregon but since I have not come close to implementing localism in my own diet, I wasn't going to force the issue here.

Here is what I served tonight:

Black bean veggie patties
I used the recipe for veggie burgers but didn't make actual burgers out of them (no buns, tomatoes, etc. just a veggie patty)


Hummus
I will say that while the recipe claimed this would be restaurant style, it was not. Not even close to the hummus I can get at a few local Lebanese restaurants.



Chickpea Vegetable Curry



Hasselback Potatoes
On this one I left out any butter or cheese it called for. It would have been much better with some dairy products but it was fine without.


You'll notice two things: first, most of these dishes are world foods that have always been vegan. This meal was (if I do say so myself) delicious and satisfying and it accomplished this without substitutes created by chemists in labs. I would even say that the only reason it was satisfying was because it was made without the help of modern food technology. Had there been any TVP or soymilk, I would have felt cheated out meat and milk. Second, most of these dishes, with the exception of the obvious non-traditional food of veggie burgers, are side dishes. This is because it's easy to have a vegan side dish. That is where I will leave that train of thought. I think it speaks for itself.

As to the coconut milk, to me this does not count as a substitution because coconut milk-based curry dishes are traditional foods from places that mostly do not use real cow dairy and the dishes are not meant to taste as though it were made with milk or cream. The only objection that I have to using coconut milk and curry is that these foods are not local, which means that if one were to try to live a vegan life without the help of oil-based infrastructure, it might prove impossible. Or at least impossible without going to the hospital for nutritional deficiency-related matters frequently. It's all well and good to be a vegan when the world is rich and fat and you can get anything you want and need from the furthest reaches of the globe, supplemented with the furthest reaches of a food chemist's imagination. Not being a franken-eater, I try to stick to traditional eating philosophies. And enjoy my oil infrastructure while I still have it. One additional note about this meal is that there was no added soy anywhere. I have begun trying to wean myself off soy products, no matter how much I like many of them, because I have realized just how much of my diet is made of chemical soy derivatives. Not being comfortable with that much of my diet being made of one thing (corn is another example) I have made serious efforts to cut down not only on processed foods but also on things I love, like tofu and soy milk, simply to bring some much-needed diversity into my diet.

I have to say that this was the best, most satisfying vegan meal I have ever had, and it was fun to take on the challenge. I learned that making good curry is not nearly as intimidating as I had thought. It was so easy and idiot-proof. I loved coming out of my normal habits and learning new things. I definitely wouldn't be a vegan for any reason, but I can rest easier knowing that if the zombies showed up and took away all the animals, my suffering would be slightly less than I had previously imagined. But only by a little.