RE: [100% veg*n ] a carni goes vegan in hawaii

[Guest guest]

Thanks for that!

 

 

vegan-network [vegan-network ]

On Behalf Of fraggle

06 July 2006 17:02

TFHB ; ;

vegan-network

[100% veg*n ] a carni goes vegan in hawaii

 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/07/06/apop.DTL & hw=vega

n & sn=001 & sc=1000

 

ASIAN POP

Viva Las Vegans

By Jeff Yang, Special to SF Gate

 

Friday, July 6, 2006

 

 

 

 

On holiday in Hawaii, confirmed carnivore Jeff Yang visits Kauai's

world-famous Blossoming Lotus vegan restaurant and meditates on diet,

culture and the joys of vegan cuisine. Who knew there were joys?

 

I have to admit that I'm not the poster child for healthy eating. I

gravitate toward foods that are fried golden brown. The thought of nitrates

makes my mouth tingle with anticipation. I'm all about red meat, white meat

and the other white meat -- preferably char-grilled to a glistening crisp.

 

A good part of the blame for my crappy dietary habits lies with American

consumer culture, which introduces kids to junk food virtually from birth.

(96 percent of U.S. children recognize the red-headed clown visage of Ronald

McDonald. The only fictional personality with a higher Q rating is Santa

Claus, and that's probably because, unlike Ronald, he gives stuff away for

free.)

 

But an equally large chunk of guilt can probably be assigned to my Chinese

heritage, which traditionally holds that the basic currency of love is food.

Parents shower kids with chow to demonstrate the affection they're unable to

express verbally. Kids, in turn, are expected to lick their plates clean to

show respect and piety for their elders. In China, where food habits were,

up until recently, far healthier than those of the West, this transaction

led to quiet mealtimes and happy families. Transplanted to the United

States, it just leads to fat kids.

 

I'm told by my Asian American peers -- Korean, Thai, Filipino, Indian and

the like -- that they had similar childhood experiences, with the result

that they grew up eating anything without so much as a blink. Innards and

organs and guts? Oh my! Is it preserved, fermented or just plain stinky?

Pass it on down the line. " What's in this dish? " " Don't ask, it's delicious.

Have some more. " It's as if our collective slogan were " Food: It's what's

for dinner " -- we've learned to consume what's on our plates, without

restraint or self-censorship.

 

That being said, after a week in Hawaii, the only state in the union where

Asian Americans are the majority of the population, even my culinary alarm

lights are beginning to strobe. It's not what I'm eating that's the problem

-- it's what I'm not eating. The standard local meal consists of starch with

fried meat on it, and gravy on the meat, with another starch on the side

(often liberally doused with mayonnaise). Given that they live in a tropical

paradise, it's surprising how little fresh greenery Hawaiians consume. Three

days into the trip, even a committed carny like me is jonesing for veggies.

And by the time we take the short hop from Oahu to Kauai for the second part

of our trip, I'm ready to gnaw on Honolulu International Airport's neatly

landscaped shrubbery.

 

As it turns out, we end up sharing our inter-island flight with someone I'd

met a few days before -- Kauai resident Lanaly Cabalo, who writes for and

edits the Arts and Lifestyle section of the Garden Island News, the isle's

homegrown paper. I figure she's the ideal person to provide us with a

suitable restaurant recommendation.

 

" Any ideas on a good place to eat? We're looking for something light and

healthy, " I say, momentarily shocked to hear the phrase tumble from my lips.

 

 

" Well, you have to go to the Blossoming Lotus, " she says. " Vegan restaurant.

Best food on the island. "

 

I flinch. " Not that light and healthy. "

 

" Don't worry, " she says, grinning. " It's not a dirty hippie place. Trust me

-- you'll be totally happy you went. "

 

Vegging Out

 

Most of you probably already know that vegan refers to a lifestyle that

eschews human exploitation of animals -- or as many vegans put it, other

animals -- for food, clothing and other purposes. That means, besides

rejecting meat, vegans consume no dairy and no honey or other insect

by-products, and will not wear leather or wool. The vegan diet is

vegetarianism kicked up a notch, and there are numerous reasons why it's

healthier, more ethical and more socially responsible than carnivorous

patterns of consumption.

 

At its heart, it's rooted in one of the most admirable precepts in the

history of human philosophy: the Hindu doctrine of ahimsa, or nonviolence

and respect for living things. (It was the concept of ahimsa that powered

Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha movement, which ultimately led to the end of the

British Raj and the birth of an independent India.)

 

Unfortunately, for those of us used to the ways of the flesh, the vegan path

is a difficult one to walk. I have my share of veggie friends and relatives

-- Hindus, Buddhists and health junkies -- and I've tried to make the

transition. But meat and dairy, like any other delightfully unhealthy

addiction, are hard habits to break, and the vegan equivalent of nicotine

patches -- the meat and dairy substitutes that vegans call analogues -- are

consistent in that they provide an experience that's almost totally unlike

the products they're trying to emulate. (In fact, the only thing that

doesn't taste like chicken when you cook it is vegan " chikken. " )

 

There are other problems with analogues. As anyone who's ever eaten at a

Buddhist-style Chinese restaurant knows, the art and science of getting

things that are not meat to look, feel and taste like meat often involves

saturating perfectly good vegetable matter with sodium, fats and nitrates.

And at the end of the day, there's something a bit dubious about going vegan

but relying excessively on the crutch of " veat. " It seems to miss some of

the point of lifestyle change. To paraphrase former President Jimmy Carter,

eating " unmeats " is like committing adultery in your heart.

 

The magical secret to popularizing veganism would seem to be finding a way

to make meat and dairy-free food that's not just good for you and good for

the world but, well, just plain good. That's a secret Mark Reinfeld, the

Blossoming Lotus's culinary maestro, has clearly unlocked with his " vegan

world fusion " cuisine -- only there isn't any real magic to it, and Reinfeld

and his business partner Gabe Zingaro have no intention of keeping it a

secret.

 

" A lot of people here in the U.S. eat the way they do out of convenience, "

says Reinfeld. " If you're on the run, it's easy to get a Happy Meal at

McDonald's. But where are your vegan options? We'd like to see Blossoming

Lotuses everywhere -- wherever the soil is fertile. "

 

And beyond, for that matter. " Imagine if you're driving down the turnpike,

and right next to every one of those Popeyes Chickens you have a Blossoming

Lotus, " says Zingaro. " That's our goal. That's the vision. "

 

The Lotus Esprit

 

The restaurant itself will be just 4 years old this July 8, but the vision

behind it had been simmering for years in Zingaro's and Reinfeld's minds --

first separately, then together. Zingaro had come to Kauai exhausted and

disillusioned from San Francisco, where he'd helped lead a major grassroots

campaign for the nonprofit environmental action group Forests Forever. The

two-year-long campaign, which sought legislation to protect California parks

from old-growth logging, died after then-Governor Gray Davis vetoed the

bill, reneging on his campaign promises. Forests Forever and other

environmental groups pointed to the hundreds of thousands of dollars Davis

had raised from the timber industry as an explanation for his unexpected

reversal.

 

Though still passionate about making a better world, Zingaro no longer felt

that pushing, pressing and protesting were the best means to that end. " I'd

been doing political work for so long, and I just wanted to get away from

everything and start over, " he says.

 

 

" I moved to Kauai, gave away all my money and personal possessions and

started over from scratch. I wanted to find a way to change things, but I no

longer wanted to be part of pointing fingers and telling people they were

wrong -- I wanted to stop making judgments and start setting an example and

providing solutions. "

 

Having embraced the vegan lifestyle while living in the Bay Area ( " It's not

that hard when you're living in San Francisco, because there are so many

options all around you. I went from being a poster child for the American

diet, two Hostess cupcakes a day and KFC for lunch, to vegetarian, to vegan,

just like that -- no looking back " ), he realized that what he really wanted

to do was launch a socially and environmentally concerned business that

incorporated the vegan philosophy. Hired as a manager for a small Internet

cafe called The Portal, he put together an initial menu of vegan fare and

put out the word that he was looking for a consultant to expand the concept.

 

 

It was then that Mark Reinfeld walked into his life. Reinfeld was a New York

University law student turned chef who'd gone vegetarian while on a kibbutz

in Israel -- " I was spending a lot of time with cows and chickens, and

didn't feel comfortable eating them anymore " -- and then, inspired in part

by visits to India and Southeast Asia, converted to veganism. " I found I was

less congested, I had more energy, " he says. " I thought, 'This is great -- I

need to find out more about this.' " While honing his culinary skills, he

developed an extensive repertoire of vegan dishes, eventually building

enough of a following for his cuisine that he was able to launch a vegan

culinary consultancy, which he dubbed Blossoming Lotus.

 

Reinfeld had originally come to Kauai on a spiritual retreat, deciding the

Garden Island was an ideal place to experiment with what he calls " observing

silence " in order to " cultivate his inner tranquility. "

 

 

" I'd done a few Vipassana retreats -- 10-day silent-meditation retreats that

take place all around the world -- and I'd reached a point in my life where

I wanted to try that for a longer period, " he says. " In India, people

observe verbal silence for five years, 12 years, and that inspired me -- I

thought I could just run off the edge of the world, go into silence and get

a simple job as a chef in someone's home, communicating with pen and paper. "

 

 

But when Zingaro shared his vision, it clicked so well with his own that he

decided to come on board as a partner. The two took over The Portal, renamed

it the Blossoming Lotus and began forming a team and building the business

in earnest.

 

" But Mark kept up his vow of silence for the next year and a half, " laughs

Zingaro. " He did this initial presentation to employees that was totally

silent -- all of his dialogue was projected on the wall using slides. "

 

" It was a little crazy once things got busier and busier, " admits Reinfeld.

" I'd tote around a laptop, typing things I wanted to say, and in the

kitchen, I'd be grabbing pieces of cardboard, scrawling things down with

markers. Looking back on it now, it was pretty amazing that people were

willing to put up with it. "

 

Zingaro says that in some ways, the vow actually strengthened their

partnership. " I mean, it meant that we never had any of those knock-down,

drag-out, screaming fights. "

 

 

But both agree that the fights wouldn't have happened even if Reinfeld

weren't set on Mute: The partnership, with Zingaro as the operational guy

and chief spokesman, and Reinfeld as the creative visionary and culinary

soul, has been four years of harmony and good karma. " It all just flowed, "

says Zingaro. " It was all synchronicity. "

 

So much so that Zingaro and Reinfeld's primary angel investor, Silicon

Valley superagent Bo Rinaldi, walked into their establishment just two days

after it opened. Rinaldi, whom " A Whole New Mind " author Daniel Pink calls

the " Jerry Maguire of the free-agent economy, " had come to Kauai on a

birthday trip with his wife Star. A practicing vegan chef himself, he

instantly saw the potential in the pair's concept and offered to bankroll

their expansion on the spot. Since then, he's invested over $1 million into

growing the thriving chain, as well as in publishing and co-authoring with

Reinfeld an acclaimed cookbook and wisdom work, " Blossoming Lotus Vegan

World Fusion Cuisine. " (The book went on to win the 2005 Gourmand World

Award for best vegetarian cookbook, Peta's 2005 Proggy Award for best new

cookbook and the 2005 Nautilus Award from Martha Stewart Omnimedia's

Body+Soul magazine, for best small-press cookbook.)

 

The vegan world fusion vision is poised to hit the world in a big way, but

Zingaro, Reinfeld and Rinaldi are adamant that it needs to happen in a way

that preserves the identity not only of the food but of the collectivist,

communitarian business practices behind it. The partners have already turned

down several offers that would have proliferated the Blossoming Lotus

concept across the map, fearing that some of the innovations they've put

into play would be eliminated in the service of profit -- like collective

employee ownership, extensive " seed-to-table " partnerships (not only are the

bulk of menu ingredients purchased from local organic farmers, those farmers

also receive back the composted postconsumer recyclables from each Lotus

location to renew their soil) and certified-green operating principles.

 

Ultimately, they believe that the Lotus has the potential to be a lot more

than just a great and healthy place to eat. For them, it represents a

business model that can improve, and perhaps someday replace, the unfettered

capitalism that dominates corporate America today -- a model that empowers

the individual while respecting the community and that seeks sustainability

as well as growth.

 

" We could have developed our concept at a really rapid rate, if we

overlooked our commitment to quality and serving the community at large, "

says Zingaro. " One of our goals is to redefine the term 'profit' to mean

benefit to everyone. That's why we chose the lotus as our logo -- it's a

symbol of enlightenment that ripples out, that touches and infects others

around you. "

 

A Lotus Grows in Kauai

 

 

Because of the partners' dedication to their ideals, the Lotus has so far

blossomed just thrice: Kauai is home to a juice bar/bakery called the Lotus

Root (the restaurant's original venue, before they moved to their spacious

current digs), as well as the flagship location in the Dragon Building in

historic downtown Kapaa. The first off-island branch is in Portland, Ore.,

hosted within an " urban wellness oasis " fitness spa called Yoga in the

Pearl. A fourth location is being planned for Mountain View " sometime soon

-- maybe in the next year or so. "

 

The three existing locations have similar but not identical menus. One of

the principles behind Blossoming Lotus is the local sourcing of ingredients,

so many of the dishes served at the Kauai restaurants incorporate

island-grown fruits and vegetables, while the Portland menu includes entrees

featuring ingredients like oats, flaxseed, hemp and nuts.

 

But the culinary foundation is consistent: It's all market-fresh fare

prepared according to strict vegan principles, incorporating a diverse and

cross-pollinated variety of cooking styles and flavors. The vegan world

fusion palette intersperses Asian ingredients from Indian, Thai, Chinese and

Japanese food traditions with those of Greek, Italian and Tex-Mex cuisine.

Though the names of the dishes are familiar (spanakopita, burritos, pasta

and spring rolls all make an appearance), the focus is on flavor rather than

verisimilitude: Analogues are used sparingly, though the occasional

references to " cheez " and " mylk " still pop up on occasion.

 

The results are delicious. My order of a grilled tempeh Reuben with Russian

dressing, raw unsalted sauerkraut and island greens on homemade focaccia is

shockingly flavorful, the crisp, nutty bread neatly offsetting the meaty,

but not meatlike, slices of tempeh (which, like tofu, is a fermented soy

product). Both are well accented by the zingy bite of the sauerkraut and

dairy-free dressing. Plus, there's a damn good kosher dill pickle on the

side. It tastes like a Reuben, but it doesn't taste like it's trying to fake

a Reuben. Bad vegan food is like bad drag -- it's veggies in unconvincing

meat costume, lip-synching " I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener. "

 

Good vegan food is something totally different -- inspired by carnivore

cuisine but in a category unto itself, a bold variation on the theme. And

that, ultimately, is Blossoming Lotus's big magical secret.

 

" Only about five or 10 percent of our guests are vegetarians, " says

Reinfeld. " The rest just come here because they like the food. I knew what

you were thinking when you sat down: 'I'm not in the mood to eat a head of

iceberg lettuce, a bunch of sprouts and a baked potato.' That's what most of

our first-timers are thinking. "

 

Says Gabe: " We get a lot of guys who come in here with their arms crossed

and angry expressions on their face, pulled in by wives or girlfriends. Then

after they eat the food, you see them back the next day for dinner, on their

own. "

 

I don't have a sweet tooth, but when " live " chocolate fudge is presented --

a tantalizing confection of raw blended cacao beans and natural flavorings

that has all of the fullness and flavor of baked milk chocolate fudge, only,

of course, without the milk and without the baking -- I dig in like the

others in my party. I let my belt out another notch to eat a slice of

Tropical Bliss Out Pie. It is testimony to the surprising richness of the

food that I feel kind of guilty to be eating dessert at lunch -- even a raw,

fruit-and-nuts-based dessert without cheese or cream, or transfats to speak

of.

 

I wish I could say that I came home a transformed man, having sworn off

animal products forever. Unfortunately, our return to the mainland coincided

with the Fourth of July, so I sit here typing, heavier by what feels like

several pounds of charred pig and cow flesh. Fortunately, I've been

pre-assured by Reinfeld and Zingaro that I'm not going to food hell for

doing so.

 

 

" At the end of the day, we want to offer this option as just another

alternative, " says Zingaro. " We're not asking you to 'convert.' We're not

preaching to you. It's really great food -- enjoy it! And maybe if you enjoy

it enough, you'll make the decision to go vegan on your own. "

 

" That's the best way, " says Reinfeld. " We just want to make good cuisine

that's good for you, and you can sort it out for yourself. If we're doing

any preaching to you, it's at the cellular level. "

 

Jeff Yang forecasts new Asian and Asian American consumer trends for the

market research company Iconoculture www.iconoculture.com. He is the author

of " Once Upon a Time in China: A Guide to the Cinemas of Hong Kong, Taiwan

and Mainland China " (Atria Books) and co-author of " I Am Jackie Chan: My

Life in Action " (Ballantine) and " Eastern Standard Time " (Mariner/Houghton

Mifflin). He lives in New York City. Go to www.ouatic.com/mojomail/mojo.pl

to join Jeff Yang's biweekly mailing list offering updates on this column

and alerts about other breaking Asian and Asian American pop-culture news.

 

 

" NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency

may have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do

this without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor

protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. "

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

What an interesting article! Now, if only people could just let themselves go

and try something different just as the author did! They might find that we're

not just a bunch of tree hugging hippies (although some of us are that as well),

we're healthy individuals who have a good idea about what we put into our

bodies.

 

 

 

Sneak preview the all-new .com. It's not radically different. Just

radically better.

 

 

[Guest guest]

yuppers

 

sorry i can't post much here...

fer some reason blocks most of my e-mails to this place...

and yet, not to a certain other one...

 

fraggle

 

 

>Michael Benis <michaelbenis

>Jul 6, 2006 12:07 PM

>vegan-network

>RE: [100% veg*n ] a carni goes vegan in hawaii

>

>Thanks for that!

>

>

>vegan-network [vegan-network ]

>On Behalf Of fraggle

>06 July 2006 17:02

>TFHB ; ;

>vegan-network

>[100% veg*n ] a carni goes vegan in hawaii

>

>http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/07/06/apop.DTL & hw=vega

>n & sn=001 & sc=1000

>

>ASIAN POP

>Viva Las Vegans

>By Jeff Yang, Special to SF Gate

>

 

 

" NOTICE: Due to Presidential Executive Orders, the National Security Agency may

have read this email without warning, warrant, or notice. They may do this

without any judicial or legislative oversight. You have no recourse nor

protection save to call for the impeachment of the current President. "

[Guest guest]

Wierrrrd!

 

 

vegan-network [vegan-network ]

On Behalf Of fraggle

06 July 2006 18:21

vegan-network

RE: [100% veg*n ] a carni goes vegan in hawaii

 

yuppers

 

sorry i can't post much here...

fer some reason blocks most of my e-mails to this place...

and yet, not to a certain other one...

 

fraggle