Vegetarian vs. BBQ: 5 Steps to Winning at the Next BBQ

Photo by woodleywonderworks

People of Vegetaria, summer is here and unless you're a hermit you're going to be invited to bbqs. With meat. Yes, I know. If this is your first bbq season as a vegan or vegetarian, fear not, for I am happy to share my survival tips on how to win at the next summer bbq.

Step 1. Rep ya ends

Stand proud and be prepared for that wind up merchant friend of your friend who sometimes shows up at these things, even though you don't know why, to start in with 'but what do you eat?' and 'carrots have feelings too' and 'if we're not supposed to eat animals, then why do they taste so good?'. With the meats sweats, he might wear himself out, but if not make sure you have something to say for your fine veggie self. Mention some things you love about being veggie, read a book for some vital stats or drop some names for cool points. Say something like 'Yeah, I lost 10 lbs almost immediately after I became vegetarian'. Or 'But pork says in you system for almost a month after you eat it'. Or 'Russel Simmons is vegetarian, so are Prince, Venus Williams, Bill Clinton and Erykah Badu.'

Step 2. Let them know you're coming

This might sound obvious, but if you're partner made the arrangements they might have forgotten to mention it. Call, text, tweet, FB message  or send a a raven to say something like 'I'm a lactose intolerant vegetarian, should I bring a dish?' This will save the host feeling inadequate and might mean they save some space on the grill.

Step 3. Go hard or stay home

Seriously though. I'm cool with veggie sausages and veggie burgers and everything, but they just look sad on a grill. They don't have the same amount of fat or moisture as their flesh filled counterparts and so most of the time they just burn or go really hard. So BRING YOUR A GAME. Whip up your best guacamole, your super 'slaw, or banging beetroot hummus and show how you really get down. Plus, grilled vegetables are amazing and delicious. If you don't have time to cook something, grab some asparagus, bell peppers, portabello mushrooms, or corn on the cob, slather it in olive oil stick it on the grill. They will look beautiful and taste fantastic and suddenly everyone will be wishin' they're in on what you're dishin'. Which brings me swiftly to Step 4...

Step 4. Ain't nobody fresher than your clique

Bring enough to share. Not enough to feed the whole party, I mean it is someone else's bbq, but bring enough that other people can have a little taste. Keep an ear out for other vegetarians/vegans and let them know that you've got some luscious grilled artichokes on the go or that you've just put your 5 star potato salad on the table. In no time flat, you'll be swapping recipes, comparing notes on one guy at the farmers market and even the omni will be asking you the secret ingredient in your vegan olive tapenade.

Step 5. Have a good time

I mean this genuinely. Look good. Laugh loud. And do your best electric slide. You're amongst friends so don't sit around looking sorry for yourself or scowling at the spare ribs. I'm not saying you should sit right next to the burger pile, but if you really want to do something for the veggie cause, then having a proper good time with some really tasty food on a sunny afternoon will speak volumes. 

Grab your greens and get out there.

Book review: Michael Clarke Duncan agrees that Skinny Bitch is awesome

Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, describes himself as a 'big guy' and is not the image that most people conjure up when when they think of vegetarians. But last week, the star of Green Mile, and partner of American Appretice vegetarian vixen Omarosa, confessed to PETA that his recent conversion to vegetarianism was inspired by a combination of health concerns, a screening of Meet Your Meat and a reading of classic vegan/health manifesto, Skinny Bitch.

What is it about Skinny Bitch?
Well, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's book 'Skinny Bitch: A No Nonsense, Tough Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous',  has been a New York Times Bestseller and spawned a suite of follow ups because it's more than just a book about vegetarianism or veganism. It's about getting you to understand how your body is affected by all the food and drink that you feed it. Caffeine, dairy, meat, aspartame are all strictly off the menu. Water, sleep, fruit and legumes are all definitely in.

I originally borrowed the book the shelf of my friend at Teeny Vegan Kitchen . She said it was a must read and she was right. The thing that really carries this book is the tone. The girls are straight talking, frank and curse a lot- their chapter on bowel movements is very amusing - but they speak the truth. By the end of it I felt more than motivated to cleanse myself of the toxins that were making me sluggish, unhealthy and keeping me from harnessing my inner skinny bitch.


I found the book to be quite an eye opener and a great read, and apparently I'm not the only one.

Book review: Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals

I picked up Jonathan Faran Foer's Eating Animals book about becoming vegetarian by accident really. I was in an airport looking for something to read and I grabbed this thinking that like everything else Jonathan Safran Foer has written that this would be fiction. What I got was the most affecting and effective discussion on vegetarianism that I'd ever encountered.

I say discussion because it really is just that. It's full of anecdotes, the letters and quotes collected in his journey from being a omnivore to deciding to give up meat all together. He interviews people from throughout the meat industry, organic and commercial. He encounters activists and traditionalists and explains the history behind how we got to the point where we as a society eat more meat than ever before.And his descriptions of the industry's processes, he is reminiscent of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in his no hold bar approach to the horrors of the slaughter house.

It starts off harmless enough, with a beautiful anecdote about JSF's Jewish grandmother in war torn Russia. This humane approach to his human subjects is really what carries the book, setting it apart from a solely political treatise. He realises the importance of food for families, communities and individuals and brings it to the fore. His acknowledgement of the fact that we eat for more emotional, social, AND physical sustenance is key.

When I read this I was in the same place as the author when he started writing: someone who ate ethical meat and a lot of veggie food to appease a conscience that I occasionally ignored in favour of BLTs. By the end I felt certain that I could do what I'd considered doing for years - eat my greens.