Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Am I "hip" for going vegetarian?

Vegetarianism has been a topic of interest for our society for many years. Plenty of studies have been released showing good and bad aspects of the diet, and many people have made small fortunes releasing vegetarian or vegan cookbooks. But why? Here's my own story about my vegetarianism--the question: Is it "hip?"


I was recently at an on-campus event that was being catered by a restaurant. There were not a lot of options to begin with; the entire amount of catered food fit on a small party tray that sat in the corner of the room. Attendees from the event queued up to get a piece for themselves, but I didn't.


A good friend of mine, who was partially responsible for the event, had recently told me he thought I looked like a hipster--one of those people who dresses in popular clothes and who prides themselves in knowing about things before they go "mainstream." I'm really not like that, but it was funny to hear.

The line had died down, but he noticed that I still had no food in front of me.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"Well, I'm.."
"A vegetarian?" he quipped. "I told you that you're a hipster!"


Thursday, February 17, 2011

Campus Veggie

Hey everybody!

Remember my last post? Remember how you guys hate tofu and vegetarian stuff? I know you're all trying to look for excuses to eat that fast food in the Marshall Student Center. I understand that Sbarro's pizza is chanting your name, but have you thought about the healthier options on campus? Possibly even MAYBE the vegetarian options (Just say yes because I'm asking)? Let me throw some ideas at you:
  • POD Market
  • Tofu bowl
  • Vegan options
  • New vegan dining hall

Now that I've reeled you in, more after the jump!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Simple Substitutions

One of the hardest parts of going vegetarian is giving up your favorite meats. I know that I miss the steak from Arigato's..It's tough to say no to!

But, thankfully, there are many options to satisfy your cravings. They may actually be healthier for you!

Here are some of my favorites.

Tofu as dessert? WHAT?

So you know how I wrote about tofu when I started this blog? Well..get your tofu hats on again, because we're getting serious about tofu once again.


I was interested in what type of desserts I could create with tofu, so I looked up some recipes. I have to make some of these soon, but I'd figure I'd post what I'm most interested in here.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

My partially vegetarian school


I know I said this would be about recipes and foods, but recently I started to think about my home away from home: the University of South Florida. When I get hungry on campus, I try to think of what I'm going to eat. Eat at Sbarro? Eat at Burger King? Eat at a dining hall? Eat at Subway, where I will purchase a footlong with cheese and enough lettuce to feed a fleet of manatees (seriously--lay off of it Subway!)? Where can I find some healthy options around here?

Recently USF has become much more vegetarian friendly, and even offers tofu dishes on campus. My school has also become apart of the Meatless Monday campaign, which asks students to make a healthy, vegetarian food choice on Monday and push to keep up that habit through the week. Heck, even Oprah's doing it. Think of her new car voice: "We're all getting TOFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Obviously you're pumped right now, so let me lay some history down on you.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Not-so-vegetarian treats..or are they?

  1. Jell-O
  2. Marshmallows
  3. Gummy bears
  4. Skittles
  5. Pop Tarts
  6. Some cereals
What do these things have in common? Along with some other sweet foods and candies, all of these foods contain gelatin. Why should this concern you? Nastiness after the jump.