Synthetic meat is coming soon! Actually, it has been coming soon for a long long long long long time. There are many interesting social aspects to this future. Is lab-grown meat kosher or halal? Would eating human-meat be cannibalism? Is it vegetarian? But, most importantly, what do we call people with a dietary preference for… Continue reading →
Make your hackday vegan
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I go to lots of conferences, unconferences, hackdays, and tech events. As a vegetarian, I'm used to being relegated to second-class when it comes to event catering. If I'm lucky, I get some cheese sandwiches mingled with a plate of meaty snacks. That's why I was overjoyed at ODF Plugfest Rome when the organisers made… Continue reading →
A Vegetarian in Beijing
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I was incredibly fortunate that my new employer sent me to a conference in China recently. I can't discuss what I did out there - but I can report on all the delicious food I ate! (NB - I paid for all meals myself!) Being veggie in Beijing was relatively easy. I had a stock… Continue reading →
Mistakes in molecular gastronomy
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It is a little masochistic to dwell on one's mistakes. I doubt anyone thinks that I am perfect (not even my mother!) - but I think talking about our mistake serves a useful purpose. It's healthy for us to discuss our failings, and hopefully helps people from following in our footsteps. After last week's success… Continue reading →
Experiments in Molecular Gastronomy #1 - Apple Agar Strips
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A few weeks ago I tried some delicious vegetarian caviar. Beautiful - but expensive. I began to wonder how hard it would be to make my own flavour pearls. Well, all good experiments start by buying a beginners' kit. Before attempting basic "spherification", I decided to attempt something much more simple. Agar-Agar veggie strips. 400g… Continue reading →
Review: Vegetarian Caviar Club
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Has it really been 6 years since I last had vegetarian caviar? That's far too long! Sadly, the manufacturers of that particular brand have disappeared - so I was overjoyed when I discovered the UK-based Vegetarian Caviar Club. There are four flavours available, and jars cost between £6 and £7 plus postage. Let's get one… Continue reading →
Vegetarian Prisons
by | | 3 commentsI once read an excellent article which asked the seemingly simple question "Is Kosher food Halal?" It's worth a read to understand the politics, religion, cultural assumptions, ecclesiastical law, and bigotry behind the two systems of approved food. To me, the argument is a bit like saying "Who would win in a fight - Chewbacca… Continue reading →
Vegetarian Caviar
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I love being vegetarian. Don't get me wrong, there are some annoying aspects of having a restricted diet - but mostly it's plain sailing. I also love visiting food fairs - but recently it has felt like I've seen every vegetarian product under the sun. There doesn't seem to be much more innovation in veggie… Continue reading →
The Worst Thing About Being Vegetarian - Part 1
by | | 3 comments | Read ~192 times.I'm very happy being a vegetarian. There are, however, some highly annoying problems that all vegetarians encounter. The first is, when going to a Michelin Starred restaurant, only having a single menu choice. Usually it's cheese salad. Or mushroom risotto. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to have a single item suitable for my dietary… Continue reading →