My Vegan Diet Isn't for ME

I love my friends and know that when they say they made a dish for me, they have the best of intentions.  But I wish they understood that my diet isn't about me. 

I'm often in the awkward position of hearing the apology   as I did at a pot luck dinner last night, "Oh, I forgot you were coming, or I would have used Earth Balance instead of butter,"

It sounds too grandiose to say it's for animal welfare and for the environment, and I want to sound just the right amount of grandiose.  But here are a couple of concepts:

1)  Fair Trade coffee isn't something we buy to please our friends who drink only fair trade coffee.  "Oh, here's Fair Trade coffee for you, Jane.  And the rest of us can have the kind we prefer."

2)  When African-Americans sat down at the lunch counters in the 1960's, it wasn't because they wanted a sandwich.  It was to create change for the better.

In any case, I didn't suffer, and what came to my plate caused minimum animal suffering and harm to the environment.

Why Is Progress' Slabs of Meat Featured in an article on Green Bay Area Chefs?

I am now packing my own mug (the ceramic one) so as not to contribute to waste, so I'm glad Chef Dominique Crenn is encouraging that, according to Janelle Bitker's article "Bay Area chefs wowrk to beome even more green" on June 21.

  I wish the report also mentioned that she doesn't serve meat at the restaurant that won Michelin stars.   

But how can Progress, whose slabs of skirt steak are featured above a picture of Chef Crenn,  be called "green"?

Granted, Progress deserves more credit than Arby's, whose marrot has zero merit.  

"Carrots for carnivores: Don’t expect better eyesight," July 19).

  Unlike  Arby's  with its meat-filled carrots, Progress is not defiantly opposing all positive changes brought about by environmental organizations and those concerned with alleviating animal suffering.

David Yaffe-Bellany's article on Arby's arrogance and stupidity cites climate experts' finding that switching over to plant-based meat could help the environment by eliminating thousands of tons of carbon emission.

Bitker's article on Bay Area chefs points out that agriculture contributes to 30% of greenhouse gases, and we should remember that animal agriculture uses about about 70% of agricultural land and is one of the leading causes of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution.

"Bay Area chefs work to become even more green" should feature plant-based dishes, not slabs of meat.

The Inspired Cookie Brownie Bliss

Brownie Bliss:  The Inspired Cookie

I'd been wanting to go to a cafe on Powell really close to the BART station because they were among the first to have a sign out for the Impossible Burger.  Yesterday after seeing the Playwrights Central playoffs, I invited Beth there, and even though neither of us was hungry enough to order anything substantial, I did get a Brownie Bliss Inspired Cookie--the first of that brand I'd ever had--and it was delicious!  I looked up the Inspired Cookie Co., and this is what I found:.  

https://www.theinspiredcookie.com/about-us

Frida Cafe in Bremen, Germany, Is Vegan!

Ana Luengo, a friend, writer, and professor in the Spanish Department of San Francisco State University, posted this on Facebook, saying that it was waiting for me!

It's anice coincidence that Mia Katz, one of Jutta's friends from Bremen, is now in SF. and can take back our diary, so I can include this picture!

Open Letter to Soleil Ho in Response to Prairie in Barbecue Special in Food Section

Dear Soleil Ho,

Thank you for including vegan dishes in your review of the Prairie Restaurant in the Barbecue issue the Food Section today.

I'm assuming that they didn't find a way to corrupt a grilled avocado, though I see they put bonito flakes on the top of the sweet potato.  From what you say in the side bar about their willingness to take away offensive components (the animal products that cause human and animal suffering and environmental degradation), I suppose they could leave off the bonito flake fluttering.  What could they do to spare the cabbage dish?  Use Earth Balance or olive oil instead of butter for those crevices?  And, yes, let's hear it for Kombucha.  

Could you coax the SF Chronicle into always showing at least one picture of a plant-based entree and making it look good?

Your faithful but under-represented reader,

Tina Martin

A Further Plea to Soleil Ho, Restaurant Reviewer for the SF Chronicle

Thank you so much for your response.  I really hope our message is being heard if not acted upon.  

I'd be even happier if the SF Chronicle would act upon it and address the ethics of a plant-based diet.  I really don't think any discussion of ethics and food should be made without making the point that having a plant-based diet (or at least moving towards one) is the single best thing we can do for animals, the environment, and people.  

As for recommendations, I like both Millennium and Shizen, which you say didn't merit inclusion in the list.  Why not?  Whose palate judged that?  Did you know that Shizen was voted Readers' Favorite Japanese restaurant in 2016?  Not just best vegan Japanese restaurant!  

I liked the way you let the "elite" restaurants compete with each other instead of with the more affordable ones.  Couldn't you add to the list the best vegan restaurant?    Just always have that category?

As for the Millennium, I had a superb Thanksgiving dinner there two years ago.  Occasionally, I've been disappointed.

Encuentro pops up from time to time, and my family and I love their food.

Have you tried Gracias Madre?  Cha-ya?  

I worry that if you didn't like Millennium or Shizen, you're not going to like any other vegan restaurant.

I know you're open to restaurants that have comfort food rather than "fine dining," so have you tried Cybelle's Front Room on 9th near Judah?  They have an extensive vegan menu because the manager's daughter wanted to enjoy all the taste sensations she had before she became a vegan and created dishes (or had them created) to satisfy her own cravings.

Have you tried the Golden Era on Golden Gate near the Civic Center?

Some of my vegan friends like Enjoy, which has two locations.  I like Loving Hut even though I wish they didn't have that "Supreme Master."  When I invite friends to the one on Irving, I seat them facing away from the TV promoting her.  

Thanks again for paying attention to a minority that really needs to grow for the good of the planet.

Tina

Soleil Ho Replies

Ho, Soleil <Soleil.Ho@sfchronicle.com>

To:Tina Martin

Jul 1 at 12:26 PM

Tina,

Thanks for writing. I hear you! And to be honest, I was also disappointed to not find a single, exclusively vegan restaurant that merited inclusion in the Top 100. (Happy to take suggestions! I went to a few pop-ups, trucks, and to restaurants like Millenium and Shizen.) I’m hoping that changes for next year.

Soleil Ho

Restaurant Critic

Pronouns: she/her/hers

soleil.ho@sfchronicle.com • @hooleil