You Got Beef?

            Meat has always been a consistent staple in my diet, and you know what they say about fixing things that aren’t broken. But that never deters me from trying new things! I’ve recently eaten at this vegan place called Mint and Basil in Milpitas, and going into it, I had zero expectations as to what was there.

Rock and Roll "Beef" Salad

Autmn Roll

After eating there, I am now a believer. And just like eating a dish comprised of entirely vegan ingredients, my appetite wasn’t completely fulfilled. I’ve began this mission to find other vegan places to itch this insatiable curiosity of what other places have to offer. One I found myself in downtown Oakland, at another popular vegan restaurant called “Souley Vegan.” This particular place peeked my interest, as their selling point was all of their foods were exact replicas of dishes of soul food, but vegan. I know what you’re thinking, “Hermie, how on God’s green earth is that even possible?” Trust me, I thought the same thing too. Breaded tofu fried “chicken” had a strangely familiar texture, but still tasted like chicken. All while it was savory and tasty, I still couldn’t get over the fact that all this wasn’t meat.

"Chicken" and waffles with biscuits and gravy with macaroni and cheese

"Chicken" and Waffles

I had to have more. Another weekend I drove all the way to out Berkley to try out a popular Mexican restaurant called “Flacos.” They are famous for their vegan tamales and tacos. Being an avid taco consumer myself I had to see if this was the real deal on my own terms. Again I came into it a skeptic, and left a believer.

Vegan Tamales

Vegan tacos with rice and pinto beans

One thing I've learned during all these excursions was that just because it's labeled as "vegan" doesn't necessarily  mean that it's healthy for you. It just means that it wasn't made with meat. That's one misconception that a lot of people seem to have. I don't think I'll be replacing meat in my diet with just vegan imitations, but I will be more open to trying it if they have it on their menu. 

**All images taken from Yelp