Category Archives: Vegetarianism

I saw a classified ad in our local weekly newspaper inviting newcomers to a VIP potluck, VIP standing for Vegetarian Inclined People. At great personal sacrifice I attended in an undercover capacity. As a disguise I figured I could either go as an old hippie, or a millennial but since I really didnt fit the millennial demographic, aging hippie it was.

I used an old cap someone had given me as a gag gift eons ago that had a white ponytail sticking out the back. I wore a pair of beat up, old second-hand Birkenstocks I got at the Nifty Thrifty, crumpled cargo shorts exposing my white legs with varicose veins, and a faded Hawaiian shirt. Then I inserted myself into the combat zone wearing a wire.

I was greeted warmly by all seven of the VIPs and I think it was because I was the first new blood theyd seen in quite some time. We met in the basement of a church which was most appropriate. Id always been taught there were three primary religions in the world, Judaism, Islam and Christianity, well, I think its safe to say we can add a fourth: Vegetarianism. Granted, the veg-heads dont sing hymns, pray, or even play bingo but from what I could tell they do believe a very hot Hell is reserved for anyone who eats meat. They believe when good Vegetarians die they go to the big Vegetarian restaurant in the sky and if they dont backpedal and eat a Big Mac or a Whopper now and then, they could come back as an organic brussel sprout if theyre lucky.

The Vegetarians believe soy is the answer to all the worlds ills and that only through Vegetarianism will the human race become benign and lovely. They are ferocious in these beliefs and send out their missionaries hither and yon to convert everyone to their religion. They especially prey on teenage girls who seem to be especially vulnerable to their wily ways.

I was seated at a table with three other VIPs and began my investigation. Im sorta confused, about this Vegetarian thing, I admitted. You have your pescatarians, your flexitarians, your vegans, etc. What does it all mean?

Think of Vegetarianism as a religion, said the VIP whod brought the rice balls drizzled in soy sauce to the potluck. In Christianity you have Catholics, Methodists, Baptists, etc. Well, Vegetarianism is the same. There are five different levels. The lowest form of Vegetariansm are the Flexitarians who enjoy a piece of bacon or a Filet Mignon now and again.

Im a Pescatarian, piped up a young lady with purple hair, tattooed face, and a nose ring who had contributed Tofurkey Tetrazinni to the meal. A Pescatarian doesnt eat the flesh of a living organism but we do eat fish because fish feel no pain.

Another diner whod brought the tomatoes stuffed with zucchini and baked pears said, I dont eat anything that ever flew or swam.

Cows and pigs dont fly or swim, at least very well, I said, yet you dont eat them.

Im gonna make it real easy for you, said another VIP who was trying to give me a true taste of their religion. I dont eat anything with a face.

And yet I do see you eating things with heads, like lettuce and cabbage, I countered.

Im a LEVEL FIVE Vegetarian, a true believer, said the chef whod brought the carrot sticks and celery spears. I am A VEGAN, she said with a snobbishness that made the others uncomfortable. I dont even eat animal crackers or anything that ever cast a shadow.

Celery and carrots are capable of casting a shadow, I said. The only thing I can think of that doesnt cast a shadow is a ghost and youd starve to death eating apparitions. And what do you say to those who say that vegetarian is just another name for lousy hunter?

Very funny, said the born again VIP who never smiled.

I sensed the other VIPs were beginning to catch on to my true identity and that maybe I was a second hand Vegetarian: one who eats cows after they eat grass. Then absentmindedly I took off my cap to scratch my head, the pony tail went with it and my cover was blown completely.

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The vegan church | TheFencePost.com - Fence Post

The entrepreneurs who walk into 'Shark Tank' come with high hopes of wowing the investors (sharks), and hopefully raising some money for their business. The sharks Mark Cuban, Kevin O'Leary, Lori Greiner, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, and Rebert Herjavec, take their own sweet time to dissect the pitch presented by the hopeful entrepreneur, before deciding on whether they should invest their money in the business or not.

While the sharks have over the years have reportedly invested over $100 million into various businesses pitched on the show, there are quite a few entrepreneurs who unfortunately either failed to impress the sharks or secure the funds from sharks, but still managed to become a raging success. 'Shark Tank' has proved to be not only a perfect platform for pitching and capital for unique business ventures but also a great platform for getting the word out about your products or services. So, although the below-listed entrepreneurs failed to raise money from sharks, they however benefitted immensely from the exposure that the show provided to them, which turned them into millionaires!

Chef Big Shake

Mark Cuban has over the years invested in several businesses pitched on the show, and made a lot of money. However, the 'Dallas Mavericks' owner to date regrets not biting into one particular pitch. Back in 2011, Shawn Davis came on the show and pitched for his specialty seafood burger business. Davis asked for $200,000 for a 25% equity stake of the company. After his daughter turned to vegetarianism, Davis realized that there was immense potential in the vegetarian market for foods with a seafood base instead of traditional meat sources, and he wanted to tap into it. Unfortunately for Davis, although all the sharks (except for Barbara) loved his burgers, they thought that his business venture was very risky and decided to pass on it.

But things turned around for Davis after his appearance on 'Shark Tank'. Davis's product- Chef Big Shake caught angel investors' eyes, who offered him $500,000. Soon the company grew from $30,000 in sales to a projected $5 million in just a year. In an interview, Mark admitted that he regretted not investing in Chef Big Shake.

Copa Di Vino

James Martin, the CEO and founder of Copa Di Vino, an individually packaged wine by the glass, appeared on 'Shark Tank' not once but twice, unfortunately, he went back both the times empty-handed, but fortunately found success outside the show. Martin first appeared on Season 2, when he came in with a pitch for $600,000 and offering a 20% stake in his business. Aside from Kevin, all the other sharks passed on the opportunity. Kevin found the idea of packaging wine by glass interesting, so he offered the requested $600,000, but in exchange for a 51 percent stake in the company. Martin wasn't happy with the offer, so he turned down the deal and walked away.

But his appearance on the show worked in the company's favor, as they made a record $5 million in sales that year. Copa Di Vino began growing at a great pace, so the producers reached out to him and asked him to come back on the show again. So, in 2012, Martin once again came into the tank, but this time with the hopes of raising $300,000 for further expanding his business. Unfortunately for Martin, his return to the show wasn't well-received by the sharks, who felt that he was being arrogant. So, yet again, Martin left empty-handed. Despite not raising any capital from the show, his business managed to thrive, just based on his appearance. According to estimates, Cop Di Vino sold 48 million glasses of wine and hit $250 million in revenue!

Rocketbook

When Joe Lemay and Jake Epstein, the CEO and co-founders of the reusable notebook Roketbook came on the show during Season 8, the sharks were far from impressed with the duo's pitch. They all roasted the entrepreneurs for their idea of producing a reusable book that needed a microwave to wipe clean the contents of it, and reuse it again. Kevin openly wondered the point of making a product like that, as there would be no returning customers for it. After plenty of criticism and harsh judgment, the entrepreneurs went back without the $400,000 they were seeking as capital. But after the episode aired, over 500,000 Rocketbooks were sold by major retailers and the company hit $10 million in sales. It also became a top-selling notebook on Amazon.

'Shark Tank' Season 12 premiers on Friday, October 16 at 8/7c only on ABC.

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'Shark Tank': A look at pitches that were a dud on the show but became raging success outside of the tank - MEAWW

As Lucien Elsen gears up to mark 30 years of his Mesa Verde restaurant, we look back at how the city has changed and the lost innocence of those pioneering times.

Lucien Elsens career in the catering business started rather modestly as a street vendor selling organic whole-wheat pasta. Bitten by the bug, he decided to get the best training available and spent four years learning his craft in speciality restaurants, doing everything from prep cooking to dishwashing, before finding his true calling--macro-biotic vegetarian and fish-based Japanese cuisine. He opened a restaurant, Shanti, catering to what was initially a very niche crowd in Brussels. The makeshift restaurant, which Lucien bought for a song, was small but cosy and furnished with upcycled chairs and tables. Lucien focused on local produce and while the restaurant was humming along nicely, a glowing review in the media suddenly propelled Shanti and Lucien into the spotlight and the venue became a hit.

That success allowed Lucien to fulfil another of his dreams--to study food design in San Francisco. But while there he became aware that a space was available in his home town, and he seized the opportunity to open Mesa Verde in the rue du St. Espirt in the government quarter of the capital city in November 1990.

The first meat-free restaurant in Luxembourg, Mesa Verde was initially shunned by many at the time--they called us rabbits, he says of the derision piled on the place by people who, years later, would rave about vegetarianism when it became trendy.

But a small and enthusiastic crowd were attracted to the restaurants innovative menu, cool dcor and relaxed atmosphere. It was even named best new restaurant in a poll conducted by the now defunct Luxembourg Business magazine in 1991. Lucien hasnt looked back since, and, indeed, the menu hasnt changed in 30 years. Vegetarian dishes such as Greek style crpes with ricotta, feta and spinach or an escalope of seitan with a mushroom sauce remain popular. Luciens grilled salmon in teriyaki sauce is divine and the Kyoto Dream menu, featuring salad, miso soup, scampi tempura and grilled fish is a winner every time.

But Mesa Verde has always been so much more than a good restaurant. Lucien is renowned for hosting brilliant parties, and in the early 90s he was responsible for bringing pioneering DJ Maxwell George to Luxembourg. The success of the parties led Lucien to open Subterranea in a location just 50 metres along the rue du Saint Esprit (the venue is now de Gudde Wllen) and that proved to be another success that attracted international and local DJs and world music stars.

In 1995, when Luxembourg was the European capital of culture, Lucien also launched the Holy Ghost Street Party to celebrate the eve of National Day. That event soon spread to take over the entire St. Esprit plateau (before the Cit judiciaire courts complex was built there) and was the focal point for the biggest party of the year. And even though that party was scaled down and moved to the corniche, where Tim Probyn and Henrik Jensen--who he counts as fellow pioneers--still put on the Elevator stage, Lucien misses the innocence of those days. He has also worked with the city authorities to put on concerts as part of the fte de la musique and he has usd his connections to bring over some excellent musicians for the MeYouZik word music festival.

But Lucien looks around sometimes and laments the slow erosion of what he calls the soul of society. To counter this, he and his partner Vanessa Buffone created a space under the tree of Mesa Verdes terrace for creative writing workshops--a project in collaboration with the cultural service of the Ville de Luxembourg and the Within association. The tree is now adorned with notes from the writers who took part and a beautifully bound anthology of their writing has also been published.

What form the celebration for Mesa Verdes 30th anniversary, which falls in 13 November, actually takes remains to be seen--much is dependent on what Covid restrictions will be in place. But as Lucien says, 30 years is far from the end, its just the beginning!

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When everything went green: 30 years of Mesa Verde - Delano.lu

On October 15th, 1995, the world watched on as two bastions of pop culture came together when former Beatles man Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda, made a joyous appearance on Americas favourite yellow family show, The Simpsons. Although it may seem like a jovial thing for the couple to do, the episode titled Lisa The Vegetarian is all about the theme of vegetarianism which provided Paul and Linda with a platform to discuss the subject in a self-deprecating, humourous fashion to a brand new audience. It spread their message with a smile.

The episode follows Lisa on her path to becoming a vegetarian after she decided she could no longer eat meat after bonding with a lamb at a petting zoo. Her schoolmates and family members ridicule her for her beliefs but, with the help of Apu as well as Paul and Linda McCartney, she commits to vegetarianism. It was a conversation that even in 1995, was barely being given any room to breathe. On The Simpsons, it was the McCartneys who found a platform.

Lisa The Vegetarian would go down as a stone-cold Simpsons classic episode that featured the hilarious You Dont Win Friends With Salad song and Homers disbelief that ham, bacon and pork came from the same magical animal, on top of the McCartney cameo. It would go on to become the deserved recipient of two awards, an Environmental Media Award and a Genesis Award, for highlighting environmental and animal issues, respectively.

At the time the episode was being written, Paul McCartney was the only living member of The Beatles who had never appeared on The Simpsons. John Lennon died before the show was created, but Ringo Starr and George Harrison had guest-starred in 1991 and 1993, respectively with aplomb.

The staff wanted to bring McCartney onto the show and David Mirkin thought Lisa the Vegetarian would be an attractive story since McCartney is a vegetarian himself. Macca agreed to appear but requested that Lisa remain a vegetarian for the rest of the series, rather than revert to meat-eating in the next episode.

The staff promised that she would remain a vegetarian, resulting in one of the few permanent character changes made in the show and McCartney has been a stickler to make sure that they stuck to their promise. Mirkin revealed earlier this year in an interview with the Radio Times that every time he bumps into McCartney, he always checks. And hes always surrounded by nine or ten lawyers so its quite frightening.

We were a bit worried that she would be a vegetarian for a week, then Homer would persuade her to eat a hot dog, McCartney has since told GQ magazine. The producers of the programme assured us that she would remain that way, and they kept their word, Macca added.

McCartneys wife Linda was also asked to appear in the episode and it was an offer she simply couldnt refuse. She told Entertainment Weekly that the episode was a chance for her and her husband to spread the vegetarian word to a wider audience. Following Lindas tragic death in 1998, The Simpsons dedicated an episode in her memory which executive producer Mike Scully said it just seemed like the right thing to do. Everyone here was surprised and saddened by her death.

The fact that the McCartneys werent willing to turn themselves yellow unless it was could spread a message that they truly believed in and devoted large parts of their lives to, speaks highly of their characters. The couple were among the most famous names on the planet at this point and didnt need the publicity that appearing on The Simpsons provided them with.

This was a compromise which literally had no negative consequences and is still as heartwarming to watch 25 years later.

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Revisit Paul and Linda McCartneys glorious appearance on The Simpsons - Far Out Magazine

As of 2020, even if you don't follow a strictly vegan or vegetarian diet, you've most likely considered cutting down on your meat consumption at some point or another, whether it was for the sake of your health, for the sake of the environment, or both. Even longtime culinary professionals, such as Food Network chef Katie Lee, have started gravitating towards plant-based cooking.

Green Matters caught up with Katie Lee to discuss all things veggie, from her history with vegetarianism, to the meatless weeknight dinners she enjoys with her husband, her favorite veggie burger recipe, and the work she's currently doing to fight food insecurity.

Between "meat masters" like Guy Fieri and Bobby Flay, many people associate the Food Network with, well, a lot of meat. However, Lee tells us that she largely gravitates towards a plant-based diet, because that's simply how she was raised. For a few years in high school and through college, Lee followed a vegetarian diet, and she continues to predominantly eat vegetables for the sake of her health.

"When I was in high school, I actually went vegetarian, so most of my high school, college years were completely vegetarian, and my mom was as well. We were always really into eating a lot of vegetables," Lee says.

"And then I started eating meat again, but I look at my plate, and I make it 70-80 percent vegetables, and 20-30 percent other stuff... that was the way my grandmother ate, and I just think its a great way to keep yourself in check, and to really fill up on those good veggies."

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She adds, "As far as plant-based cooking goes, [my husband and I] love to make mushroom bolognese, an eggplant Parmesan, and I always have tofu and tempeh in my fridge to make a quick stir-fry with those. [Plant-based eating] is something thats still definitely a part of my life."

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Lee also tells us these plant-based recipes have proven to be quite popular on her current Food Network series, The Kitchen.

"I actually found that our viewers really gravitate towards these plant-based recipes I always get a lot of messages from people telling me theyre making them and exploring new flavors and new cooking techniques," Lee explains.

"Over the summer I did a grilled tofu taco with a peach black bean salsa that was really good and popular. Ive even made a carrot hot dog! We try all sorts of recipes."

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Being a new mom, Lee tells us that she is constantly seeking out simple meals to make for dinner, and as a longtime burger enthusiast, she's developed a burning passion for Gardein's latest offering, the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger. She says she and her husband always like to have them on hand, adding she's especially partial to them as a meatless alternative and for a solid protein source.

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"[Gardein burgers] are very satisfying and Im a burger person... to have this on hand in my freezer makes it very convenient, especially because I had a baby five weeks ago," Lee explains.

"My husband are always looking at each other and saying what are we going to eat for dinner.' And since theres 19 grams of protein in each one, Im breastfeeding so I like getting my protein in. Its just a really great thing to have on hand," she says.

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Lee even entered the annual New York Food and Wine Festival's Burger Bash this year with a nostalgic spin on Gardein's latest offering.

"I won the very first Burger Bash back in 2008 Im basically a dinosaur at this point in the food world," she laughs. "But I won that with a recipe that was my grandmothers for a patty melt. We call it a Logan County Burger because shes from Logan County, West Virginia."

"I decided to update it this year, for the virtual Burger Bash, and Im using Gardein. [I did] a patty melt and just kind of amping it up since it's the Ultimate Gardein burger, Im making my Ultimate Patty Melt. Im doing griddled onions, a little special sauce in there, and of course lots of melted American cheese and its on buttered toasted bread... Its like a grilled cheese with a burger tucked inside."

If you're looking to make a vegan copycat version, you aren't alone.

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Along with abiding by a "flexitarian" diet for her health and for the environment, Lee is also working with the Food Bank for New York City, because during the ongoing pandemic, food insecurity is currently at an all-time high.

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"Of course with the state of the world right now with COVID, the food bank has needed a lot of support," Lee tells Green Matters. "So, Ive just been working closely with them and trying to raise awareness so people make donations and keep these food banks full so they can support the people of their communities."

Anne Burrell (L) and Katie Lee serve holiday meals for New Yorkers in need during Food Bank For New York City's "Thankful To Give" Holiday Campaign Event at Food Bank for New York City's Community Kitchen of West Harlem on November 19, 2014 in New York City.

Katie Lee's affinity for meatless cooking is certainly inspiring, especially in a largely omnivorous industry such as food media. And honestly, if you're feeling brave in the kitchen later, we strongly suggest checking out her entire plant-based recipe it's to die for.

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Katie Lee on Plant-Based Cooking and Her Obsession With Veggie Burgers - Green Matters

Vegetarianism is an integral part of our Indian culture. Back in time and even now, there is a huge population of people who rely on plant-based and dairy foods. While there are a big number of people who eat meat-based foods, many now feel the need to turn vegetarian due to health issues, parental preferences or out of our concern for animals and their rights.

While plant-based diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes and even some types of cancer, it is important to note that if you don't make the switch the right way, you can become deficient in some nutrients like protein, iron and Vitamin D.

Here are some healthy foods that are a powerhouse of nutrients and must be included in your vegetarian diet so that you don't lack any nutrients.

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3 foods that you must include in your diet if you are planning to turn vegetarian - Times of India