Thursday, November 10, 2011

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is - Support Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants

I'm feeling a little like Andy Rooney this week. (RIP) Ranting about things that might be insignificant to other people but tend to bother me.

But anyway...

I've been a big supporter of Cleveland food trucks since the day Dim and Den Sum rolled into a field near where I work.  Chef Hodgeson has been more than accommodating to vegans and vegetarians (despite expressing his love for butchering pigs on The Great Food Truck Race) and frequently offers vegan and vegetarian options on both of his trucks.  Many other trucks have followed suit, and I'm always happy to get to try out inventive vegan and vegetarian grub on my lunch hour.  Some trucks are more hesitant about providing vegetarian options.  And I get it.  Trucks are small.  Some truck operators are afraid vegetarian food won't sell.  But I think the business savvy food truck owners "get" it.  If you build it, they will come.  Offer up vegan and vegetarian food, and the vegans and vegetarians will come to you.

There's one truck in particular - The Nosh Box - that makes frequent trips to my workplace.  A workplace full of vegans and vegetarians.  They occasionally bring vegetarian food, but I like to nicely ask them before they head to where I work - via Facebook - if they can bring something for my brethren.  Sometimes they say no.  Sometimes they say they can make accommodations.  An I thought that was fine until I saw a snarky post that they made the other night on Facebook.

"And today's Vegan option is...a 16 oz Porterhouse Steak! yum!"

Maybe I'm being a little overly sensitive, but 1. I feel like that's a little insulting to vegans and 2. possibly a dig at me. 

What was more upsetting about this to me is that I thought The Nosh Box was one of the "good guys." They encourage customers to bring their own containers to be green.  They're cooking up meals for the homeless on Thanksgiving.  But I don't know if I can support them if they're going to make fun of a food movement that's near and dear to my heart.  I like to put my money where my mouth is - I go out of my way to eat a vegetarian friendly restaurants.  I blog about vegetarian friendly businesses in an attempt to make more people aware of them.  To me, this comment on Facebook was the equivalent of putting chicken stock in something because, "You'd never even be able to tell it's in there."  When in reality, it's sickening.

Am I over reacting on this?  Or is it important to support the businesses that support your beliefs?

P.S. Tonight is Washington Place Bistro's inaugural vegan and vegetarian night.  They'll be having vegan and vegetarian specials every Thursday.  Please check this out if you have a chance!

4 comments:

  1. That's really crappy. I don't think I'd be able to support them any longer. What a shame.

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  2. That's obnoxious. I tend to temporarily boycott places like that or places that are't flexible, especially when calling in advance.

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  3. I'm completely with you, I wouldn't support them anymore with an obnoxious and immature comment like that.. would they also make a joke about someone's religion or race in such a way? no, or at least i would hope not.. so it should be no different

    and yes, whenever possible I do try to support strictly vegetarian/vegan establishments, or at least those that are openly friendly to and cater to those customers.. and little by little more and more places are getting it

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  4. Nah you are good. So many people belong to the Cult of the Dead Cow and are brain washed into thinking those that aren't must be inferior and subject to ridicule. They are fools though.

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