Vegan Glory

Vegan Soup

Since I met my Canadian friend Pat in August of 2013, I've been gradually transitioning to vegetarianism. For some years now I have been migrating away from a meat only diet. 

Pat standing in front of another vegan restaurant we found during our stay in Los Angeles

Never a big steak eater, I did like pork chops, sausage and chicken.  Mostly chicken.  But one can have too much chicken too.  I think the last time I had an actual steak was when we lived in Philly in 1976.  I have cooked beef in stews and had hamburgers, but one of those big, juicy, bloody steaks that so many crave?  Not me, and besides I like my meat well done much to the consternation of some of my fellow diners who like to see a pink center to their prime rib and a slight pulse. When I eat meat, I want it dead.  Of course this rules out sushi. But I digress.

Me trying out this vegan soup at the Vegan Glory restaurant - I forget what was in it now but it was good

Meeting Pat and being exposed to his vegan only diet I have been experimenting with a vegan/vegetarian diet.  And I have to say I like it.  I don't think I'll ever go totally vegan (no dairy products) like Pat but I seem to be morphing into being a vegetarian although still like white meat chicken, but only small pieces and mixed with vegetables.

"Yum! This is alright!"

I listen to my body/stomach these days.  I know if I stuff the usual artificial trans fat foodstuff down my pie hole my stomach rebels. "What are you doing to me?" it asks.  We in our culture have been brainwashed for so long that food that is jacked up with preservatives (to extend the shelf life and thus the profits of the big food companies) and artificial ingredients (to fool us into thinking we tasting real food) and colors (to look pretty to entice us to buy their damn junk food), that we don't think we have a choice.  Well, we do folks.  I see the cultural shift in our society by the ever increasing demands for natural, real "natural" foods.  They taste better and they sure are a lot healthier for your body.

My stomach sending me a message "Thank you!" - happens every time I eat food that is fresh, natural and wholesome

Well, I'm starting to sound preachy now and I promised myself I would refrain from proselytizing and complaining in my blog posts so I won't belabor this subject.  But I do want to say that I feel a lot better, a way lot better when I eat food that is freshly prepared and not loaded down with sugar and salt and fat.

My delicious entree at the Vegan Glory restaurant - fabulous!

When Pat and I travel together on one our our adventures, we seek out the vegan and vegetarian restaurants. This isn't too hard of a task in big cities like Toronto and Los Angeles.  Of course in a small, backwater, pseudo cool place like Rehoboth Beach, it's almost impossible unless you consider a wedge of iceberg lettuce a sufficient vegan meal.  That's about all you're going to get where I reside now.  

Pat's entree - also delicious!

Oh I know what you're thinking you Rehoboth readers "There goes Ron again, bashing Rehoboth Beach and the surrounding communities Lewes and Milton, Delaware."  Yep, that's what I'm doing folks.  Seriously my Rehoboth Beach friends, how many more restaurants do we need bragging about their crab bombs and restaurants with "Fish" in their names?  I get it, I get it . . . . seafood all the time.  That's all fine and well if you love seafood.  Me personally (and Pat), we hate seafood.  It's very simple with me, I just don't like the fishy smell.  And the residual mercury? Don't need it.

Seafood - this makes me queasy just looking at it

Now to be fair I hear there is a vegan restaurant in Rehoboth beach, who name I will not mention because any names I mention in my blog in a negative light I usually get a blowback on, but this particular vegan restaurant is expensive. Apparently they view a vegan menu in the caviar category.  I just cannot find a restaurant in the area where I live that offers a vegetarian meal with reasonable prices.  Although I do hear a falafel hut is going to open on the boardwalk.  I'll believe it when I see it.

To some this looks delicious and they could eat it all, to me it looks pre-barf

The only problem I find with a vegan or vegetarian diet is that preparing the dishes take a lot longer than throwing a slab of meat on the grill or in the frying pan. 

So there you go folks, that my little screed for the day. Hope I haven't offended all you seafood lovers but you really should consider taking a break from your mercury intake.

Toronto - Here We Come

A selfie of Pat and his friend "Rob" last night

Just finished talking to Pat on FaceTime.  Only two weeks to go until I fly the Big Bird north and land in Tornonto (via way of Buffalo, New York).

Pat laid down a "Vegan Challenge" to me: only eat vegan while I'm in Canada.  You know folks?  I think I can do that without too much sacrifice.  I'm pretty much doing it anyway now. 

Cherry tomatoes freshly picked (about 1/2 hour ago) from my compost pile tomato plant

Pat wasn't sure I would be able to manage two weeks without meat or dairy products.  You know what folks?  I think I can do it!  Oh yes.  

I just made a fresh tomato/cucumber/red onion salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Wow!  SOOOOO GOOD.  

When I make good food like this I think of all those years I ate processed food junk.  All that trash in my body.  It's a wonder I made it this far. Not that I don't have problems but it's a wonder I'm not worse for all the chemicals and preservatives I've ingested just so food manufactures can have a long shelf life in the food stores to make MORE money.

By the way, I told Pat that the selfie he took last night with Mayor Ford cutout looks so real.  

Going Vegan?

Last night I had dinner at Stripper Bites in Lewes with an old friend.  Hell, we're both old but that's another blog entry but back to my original programming, we had dinner at this fish place.  Since I'm to a fish eater I got my usual hamburger with :

lettuce
onion
tomato
cheese
and yes bacon.  

I got the WORKS!  And French Fries (of course).  Yes, the hamburger was good, well done just the way I like it with a hint of charbroiled taste.  LOVED IT!  But when I got back home and was talking to my vegan friend Pat on FaceTime I confessed to him that my stomach was churning, trying to process that beef in the hamburger.

My friend Pat is a vegan.  Not a vegetarian which is different but a vegan.  From what I understand a vegan not only doesn't eat meat, they don't eat any dairy products or eggs.  Pat is a vegan.  A vegetarian doesn't eat meat but will eat dairy products and eggs.  

Like most of you, I grew up in a household of meat eaters.  That was all I knew.  Beef, pork chops, hamburger, chicken.  My father was a hunter and he frequently brought home squirrels and rabbits which my Mother would make into squirrel dumplings, head and all. Yum!  Suck those squirrel brains out through their empty eye sockets.  In fact one of my favorite "meats" was scrapple which is nothing but corn meal and all the scraps left over from a butchered pig except the squeal.  I still like scrapple, properly prepared of course which few know how to do.

My 23rd birthday dinner with my friends Ed (on the left,t he same "Ed" I had dinner with last night) and my late friend Ron Hampton on the far right - that demure young man in the center is yours truly - 1964 - a typical meal back in 1964 - meat, meat and more meat

So where am I going with this discussion? The past several years my body has been telling me "Enough is enough!" after I've fed my pie hole with meat.  I think last night was the topper.  I did so enjoy that hamburger with all the fix ins but man oh man, did I ever pay the price for hogging down all that red meat, well done yet.

Pat in the center of Lewes, about a hour after I met him.  We were looking for a vegan friendly restaurant.

This past August a follower of my blog came down to meet me in Lewes.  His name is Pat.  Pat is a vegan.  We had dinner in Lewes.  He told me he was a vegan so I picked a place that specializes in vegetarian dishes.  We chose Cafe Azafran in Lewes. 

Pat and I at Cafe Azafran - our first meal together - vegan all the way - not bad!

For several years I've been trending away for having so much meat in my diet.  The only red meat I've had is round steak in my Swiss Steak recipe and an occasional hamburger when I went out dining with friends.  My main meat lately has been boneless chicken breasts but I'm even getting away from that.  I used to love pork chops but I just can't handle pork meat anymore, I get terrible indigestion. No more pork for Ron.

So what to do?  The standard salads served with restaurant meals bore me.  Always the decision "What kind of dressing do you want?"  However, I do love Eggplant Parmesan.  Properly prepared of course.
  

 The next night Pat and I went out, I suggested a Mexican restaurant that I liked in Millsboro. Acceding to Pat's desire for a vegan dish, we ordered grilled veggies. As the video above shows they arrived HOT. And they were delicious!  Of course the frozen lime margarita I had helped (I was on my second one folks).

Of course the all to frequent question to vegans is "Where do you get your protein?"  Folks, veggies have a LOT of protein.  

Pat with his smoothie at Nectar in Lewes - Pat is GREEN

Smoothies, that another thing I'm into now.  I have one every night, thanks to being introduced to them by Pat.  They are DEE-LICIOUS!  For any of you attending next March's Bloggerpalooza in Lewes, smoothies will be served at the Hospitality Suite along with Anne Marie and Sassy Bear's Cosmos and whatever other libations are on the granite counter.

Pat with his Three Berry smoothie at the Marathon Grill in Philadelphia during our November visit

I'm hooked on smoothies now folks!  I make a Three Berry smoothie every night for myself to put me to sleep.  Frozen raspberries, strawberries and blueberries with almond milk and two dollops of vanilla yogurt.  

The line at the Dairy Queen in Lewes this past summer - where I got my last Blizzard shake

Way better than one of those artery clogging, who knows what chemicals are in it? Dairy Queen Blizzard milk shakes (and cheaper too)!

Folks, I know it is somewhat late for me to get all healthy but better late than never.  After my numerous health crises last year (kidney stones, prostate cancer), I'm attempting to add a few more bonus years and extend my stay on this planet.

Pat and I enjoying yet another vegan meal at the Cafe Azafran in Rehoboth Beach this past August

I was so disappointed in myself last night that I fell back on my old habit of ordering a hamburger with cheese, bacon that was no good for me.  My body let me know because I suffered mightily before I went to bed last night.

My breakfast at the Marathon Grill during our Philadelphia visit - that was a veggie omelet - I'm half way there to a vegan meal - I have to give Pat credit because he doesn't preach but I can tell by his look that he is questioning my choices

Will I ever go "all the way"?  Maybe but it's going to be a gradual procedure.  I do like my creamed soups and butter and milk although I am becoming very used to Almond milk.

Pat and I at the Agave restaurant in Lewes - great salsa!

This one thing I do know though folks, is that when I eat a vegan or vegetarian meal it is fulfilling and my stomach doesn't suffer afterwards.  But can I ever give up chocolate chip cookies made with eggs and butter?  Hmmmm.

Pat, my vegan mentor, putting the finishing touches on a vegan meal he prepared for me

But folks, you know the best reason for a vegan meal other than your health?  It is the health of the millions of animals who are slain to feed our voracious appetite for "protein."  

So folks, I may soon be one of THOSE FOLKS who, when you dine with them, asks the waitress "What do you have on your menu for vegans?" 

Oh yes, I will again be the black sheep in the group and LOVE IT!