Experiment in Vegatarianism Part 3
April 9th, 2008 . by Alex DowDay Three
Today I decided will be an elaboration on my experiment. Rather than having the standard meals that I’ve been going with, I’ll try my luck eating out. So after my protein shake for breakfast I head in to work with intentions of dining out for lunch and dinner.
Lunch rolls around and I find myself nervous of what dining experience awaits me at a restaurant where I’m not in control of the menu. I wimp out and go to Tokyo Joe’s where I know that they are going to have some vegetarian options. I pick up the boulder veggie bowl with teriyaki and brown rice. The boulder veggie bowl gets its name, as you may have guessed, from Denver’s neighbor hippie village; Boulder Colorado where tofu is king and the streets are ripe with the smell of incense and other herbs… The bowl is delicious and to my later delight I realize that I feel satisfied with what I have ate rather than the typical gorged/bloated that I get from eating out.
For dinner I ask my wife Nicole to go on a little date to a restaurant that we both enjoy, The Watercourse. The Watercourse is a restaurant with the vegetarian/vegan in mind. Their menu consists of zero meat, their bakery is 100% vegan, and not to mention that the food is incredible. I have a wrap with seitan and veggies topped with vegan ranch and a side of steamed chard. My wife has their portabella sandwich and we are both stuffed. We ask for a to go box which is encouragingly biodegradable opposed to the common Styrofoam of death.
All in all I would say that my dining experience was a huge success when taken outside of the comfort of my own culinary practices. There are a tremendous amount of vegetarian options out there regardless of where you go to eat; there are even boutique vegetarian restaurants like The Watercourse.
Day Four and Five
There really isn’t anything to noteworthy to write about here. I feel like I’ve hit my vegetarian stride and it is quite a bit easier than I had previously imagined. My neighbor asked me how I like the vegetarian experiment. “I’m enjoying it” I reply “this could be all placebo, but I think I have a lot more energy. It’s like Sabotage by the Beastie Boys is playing in my head on repeat; and the Beastie Boys never get old.” Check in soon for the final days of the experiment and closing thoughts.
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Great post - I think everyone should try this at least once! Eating vegetarian, especially when you’re lucky enough to live in a veg-friendly area, is an absolute treat. I mixed fish in about 10 years ago, so we’re a pescatarian (mostly veggie) household. It’s a good life…
Thanks for the comment Matt. I’ve been shocked at how simple and un-invasive the whole experience has been. Going into it I thought it would be a real struggle, but it’s turned out to be a real eye opener.
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Thank for you at least trying it. So many people would never give it the chance. It says a lot about you that you’d try it. If you’re ever looking for some vegetarian restaurants in the southeast, I know a couple good ones
Good luck with your experiment. I’ll be keeping up with your posts!