It’s so funny to read over these old posts and see how new I was to the whole vegan thing! In this post I had my first (of many) vegan picnics, and have trouble finding a restaurant to eat at. This isn’t a problem anymore- most restaurants have a salad dish that I can fall back on. Ahhh, it’s so nice not to be in that ‘unsure’ phase anymore!
That said, I do still make mistakes. Yesterday, for example, I bought some almond cheese without looking properly at the ingredients. I checked- but only quickly. I began cutting it up after work today and when I tasted it I couldn’t believe it wasn’t real cheese. Something wasn’t right. Then, when I checked the ingredients properly I found that it had casein in it, which is a protein derived from cow milk. D’oh! I trusted that the almond cheese would be vegan because my almond milk is. I didn’t beat myself up over it- that’s another difference between the ‘unsure’ phase and now. I used to get so upset whenever I made a mistake! Now I learn from the mistake and move on. I’m just glad that I tasted it before I actually put it in my dinner!
Anyway, on to the post!
Vegan Picnic (written July 22, 2010)
I haven’t updated in a few days, so I will try to remember everything!
I had that picnic in Central Park and I went to Whole Foods to get all the food: salad, a vegan patty, a vegan pastry bundle with potato and curry inside [samosa], and some garlic and chili tofu with some green beans. I noticed that the vegan dishes were quite spicy, which seems to be the case with a lot of vegan alternatives that I try! I think I will get used to it pretty quickly. I am noticing that I prefer foods and drinks hotter in temperature now than I did before, I’m not sure why. I prefer that to adding things like salt for extra flavor, though! I do add salt but I am trying to minimize this as much as possible.
The only problem we had at the picnic was that my friend had made a carrot cake to bring before I had warned her about me being a vegan now, but I was happy that she bought it anyway because my other friend enjoyed it with her! [At almost every picnic we've had since then my beautiful friend has made me some kind of vegan dish, including cakes. She doesn't have to do it, but she insists that she wants to! Isn't she fantastic?]
Yesterday I went to dinner with Toby and we walked for several blocks before we found a restaurant that I could eat at without the price being out of control. [I've gotten a lot better at spotting vegan meals since then!] I really wanted pasta! But we eventually ate at a diner which is a good option for me in the future because the menu is so comprehensive- though, the quality of the food was not so great! I had a tomato-based pasta with garlic and it was nothing special. It came with a choice of soup or salad so I chose minestrone, but as I look it up now I see that many minestrone recipes call for butter, parmesan, and sometimes bacon (though the one I had last night had no meat- I checked before I ordered). So, next time I will choose the salad. I am yet to find a good alternative to ranch dressing, though, so I will make that my next mission! [I now love, love, love balsamic vinaigrette or just a simple olive oil and sea salt mix]
