The obvious:
St. Louis likes meat. St. Louis Ribs, for one, have been - albeit sometimes poorly - imitated throughout the country. We've got stockyards and there's barbecue places in most urban neighborhoods. I grew up eating most parts of the pig in bbq form.
Why I made the switch:
For various life reasons, I ended up eating mostly fruits and veggies for a big part of my teen years. As a result, I was way more used to culinary wizardry with vegetables than with meat products. After being introduced to vegan eating and seeing I was lactose intolerant and not a big fan of eggs anyway, I figured this would probably be the best way to go seeing that I knew, now, where to get my protein.
So first, let's start at home.
No, I don't grow plants in my apartment that provide me with all the fruits, veggies, and the like (although, that wouldn't be a bad idea). My bun would get to them first, anyway.I have a few staples that I keep because I'm always on the go (I work 5 days a week... well, really almost 7). I don't have time to cook a full meal and sitdown dinners with delicately sliced and garnished nom noms.
Soo... I pack my pantry with things like Luna Bars, instant oatmeal (and some regular kind on standby), bananas, dried cranberries, cereal, and maybe a few instant coffee single-serving packets.
{Also see: Accidentally Vegan at http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/accidentally-vegan.aspx }
* Quaker Oats oatmeal
* Chiquita Bananas
* Craisins (I think from Ocean Spray)
* Kellogg's Rice Krispies
* Starbucks Via packets
* And... these bad boys:
(yep, they're vegan, too)
Any of that sound familiar??
I shop at Schnucks and Shop 'N Save like the rest of you. The only difference is that you'll probably see me standing in the middle of the aisle reading through the ingredients list.
How long does it take me to read the ever-growing list of things on the back of a package? Usually a couple of seconds. I've gotten good at this. I've been reading labels for almost 8 years now. I know how to easily spot a milk or meat product right off the back (pardon the pun).
Most brand names won't change their ingredient lists - for obvious reasons. As a company, you want to maintain the taste and texture that your consumers have grown to love. It's a waste to change it just because you wanted to "test them out". However, I am happy that Pepsi has brought back the Throwback (ahem... in your local Target stores... ahem).
So, outside the house. Do I have to go to some fancy-schmancy special eatery place?
No.
How about this list:
* Taco Bell
* St. Louis Bread Company (Panera, for the lot of ya)
* Qdoba Mexican Grill
* Chipotle
* Noodles & Co.
* Crazy Bowls and Wraps (these are quite hard to find)
{More fast-food lists at http://veganeatingout.com}
I'll just stop there. These are all fast-food or fast-casual eating establishments. All of these places I can walk into with my tattered jeans or sweatpants (usually, sweatpants) and order up whatever I want without getting a dirty look from the employees there.
If I do want to do any "fine dining", I usually find an Indian, Vietnamese, Thai, or other ethnic restaurant and eat there. Usually, I can find something vegetarian on their list that I tweak just a bit to make it vegan. Basically, I say "No cheese or egg"... voila, it's done!
Even if I'm stuck eating at a fancy place that doesn't know the word "vegetarian"... I usually just ask for the pasta with marinara sauce... and maybe some grilled veggies on the side and start off with the house salad with oil and vinegar. By the way, spaghetti noodles usually have no egg in them.
So what about ordering out?
Simple:
* Papa John's
* Pizza Hut
* Local Chinese restaurant
* Jimmy John's
{Also see Vegan Eating Out at http://www.veganeatingout.com for area-specific places}
I love PJ's for the simple fact that they have vegan breadsticks and don't use butter in their garlic sauce (yum)! Most pizza places have either regular or thin crust dough that is void of egg or milk. Any pizza can be ordered without cheese. Chinese take-out and delivery places almost always have tofu you can add to their vegetarian dishes for an extra charge (I normally ask for the amount of tofu I want in $1 increments) - even if it's not on the menu! Jimmy John's is simple. If I don't want to go with the bread, I have an option of choosing the lettuce wrap ;-)
So being vegan hasn't been all that bad. Yes, I do make the shopping trips to Trader Joe's and WholeFoods for specialty items. But as more and more people are starting to "watch their calories and cholesterol", I'm starting to see vegan alternatives offered in more quantities at the local grocery store.
Let's not forget the produce stands with low-cost fruits and veggies as well as the clearance areas of some grocery stores (sometimes a vegan item doesn't do so well on the shelves, so I stack up).
Oh, and there's the proverbial, always-vegan peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yes, white bread is vegan. No, they probably didn't do it on purpose. Yes, I'm taking full advantage of it.
On a whole, I can go shopping for a month and not spend more than $100 on groceries. If I'm REALLY good, I can make it down to about $70 for the month. If I actually used coupons, I could probably spend about half that.
Shopping in St. Louis for grocery items and living a vegan life (that's just the food, there's the whole clothing aspect that I won't get into) is not very hard if you know where to look and don't mind reading some labels.
I hope I've given you an itty bitty insight into my vegan world and a few links to help out when shopping for your vegan friends.
Have a great day :-D
No comments:
Post a Comment