Nightmare at local vegan restaurant

[Guest guest]

I've always been leery of Sipz, one of a couple San Diego, CA, " vegan "

food joints (http://www.sipz.com). I was pretty sure they were using

fake meat with whey protein in it. I talked it over with the older

lady that works there (I assume she's an owner) and was assured that

there were no whey protein based fake meats (of which there are a lot

on the market, and particularly in the asian food fake meat market

aisles). But I've never really felt too comfortable there. I don't

think they are vegan proprietors; I think they are in it for the money

(yes, I know, how could a vegan place be profitable? But Sipz is

always crowded. I think they saw the market and are doing their thing

and making plenty of money). Not that there's anything wrong with

that, however....

 

My last experience there (and it will be the last; yours' too, I

assume) nearly floored me. My wife and I finished eating and I went to

use the restroom. On the way to the restroom I passed the sushi area.

There is a metal wire rack on the back wall to your right as you pass

through the curtain to the back room; the rack is filled with trays,

bulk food items, food prep item....and a carton of GELATIN.

 

Wait a minute. Did I see that correctly? I walked behind the counter

and picked it up. It was the type with the little envelopes of

powdered gelatin in it, and half the envelopes were gone. I read the

label, assuming it would be vegan gelatin, right? Vegan gelatins label

their ingredients (mostly carageenan or something like that), but the

sole ingredient on this box was: gelatin. That's only one thing, and

you know what it is, and there it was, along with other food items at

the " vegan sushi bar " .

 

I was pissed, hoping and praying that maybe the cooks use it to make

their own food? Or maybe they clean with it (can you clean with

gelatin? God, that's bad too!)? So I took it up to the owner lady, and

asked her if this was used in the food. " Yes, the sushi " . Do you know

what it is? " No " . Good lord. I tell her. " Oh! " . I felt like I was

dealing with my mother back in tenth grade when I told her the same

thing, but this person supposedly runs a vegan restaurant and I just

ate there! I should have taken a cell phone pic of the box up on the

shelf, and I was too damn polite to her. I should have announced it to

the lunch time crowd.

 

My suspicions confirmed, those folks don't know what the hell they are

doing. Make up your own mind about this incident, and remember that

this crap was right out there for everyone to see. Imagine what you

don't see.

 

Blake