Vegetarian Heaven!
I'm currently vacationing in Asheville, North Carolina. We found a restaurant a non-veggie friend recommended, a Mexican/Carribean place. I see on the menu "bbq tofu" and a big note on the bottom "we will make any meal vegan upon request". I thought "how cool is that". Afterwards on the way to the car we turn a corner and see "Vegan Deli"....and I'm thinking "this is way too cool". The next day I find a local rag and start reading the ads and the word "vegan and vegetarian available" is in practically all the ads and we find a really nice all vegetarian restaurant that says "we recycle, our take-out containers are all biodigradable, we serve mostly locally in-season organic food.....". We stop at a bookstore for coffee and to brouse "and luna bars and cliff bars are offered along with "all our coffee is organic, shade grown from small farmers".......later go out for Asian food where one has to be wary of the fish sauce or chicken broth.....not in Asheville...all food is labled clearly vegan or vegetarian.
I think I've died on gone to vegetarian heaven. Tonight we're going to a pizza place that adverstises "we have vegan pizza!".
This has got to be the most vegetarian-friendly place I've ever been visited!
Lucky you...if we could get this in S. Europe I'd be thrilled! I just found one Chinese restaurant that actually has vegetarian options on the menu, the only one in this area that serves Tofu dishes...poss because they are next-door to the Asian supermarket. ;D
Oooh, that sounds great! I have a cousin that lives in Chapel Hill...I wonder how far that is from Ashville? I might have to arrange a visit. Is there lots of cool stuff to do outside?
I just moved back to the Midwest from Houston, and while I certainly wouldn't call Houston a vegetarian Heaven, there were at least a large variety of ethnic restaurants and groceries and one tended to have more choices when going out with friends, etc. Here I am running into problems all over the place. For example, this week there have been a number of training seminars for my job with lunch "on your own." My new coworkers ask me to go with them, and I'd love to go for the conversation, but trust me, then I'd be running the whole rest of the afternoon on iceberg lettuce salad. Not good! Maybe I'll have to look into opening a veg restaurant in town someday... :)
Oooh, that sounds great! I have a cousin that lives in Chapel Hill...I wonder how far that is from Ashville? I might have to arrange a visit. Is there lots of cool stuff to do outside?
I just moved back to the Midwest from Houston, and while I certainly wouldn't call Houston a vegetarian Heaven, there were at least a large variety of ethnic restaurants and groceries and one tended to have more choices when going out with friends, etc. Here I am running into problems all over the place. For example, this week there have been a number of training seminars for my job with lunch "on your own." My new coworkers ask me to go with them, and I'd love to go for the conversation, but trust me, then I'd be running the whole rest of the afternoon on iceberg lettuce salad. Not good! Maybe I'll have to look into opening a veg restaurant in town someday... :)
Chapel Hill is a decent drive from Asheville about maybe 4 to 5 hours or so. Asheville is in the mountains and there's plenty of things to do.....hiking, rafting, etc. etc. It's a nice area. I'm quite impressed.
Gawd I loved Asheville... My wife and I have looked into trying to move there a couple of times.
MAybe it's time to sneak down there for another visit and a coffee on the bus. ;D
i think it's obvious that i must visit this place now.
I'm back home and wish I could go back. We went to an arboretum to look at the plants and went to the cafe there with me thinking "great, I'll probably wind up eating some iceburg lettuce"........wrong I had a hummous sandwich on whole grain bread with fresh blueberries. Again a sign "all coffee is organic, shade grown and fair trade".
My familiy insisted on going to a lobstor house and again I thought "great, I hope I'll find a salad I can create and then I'll eat some real food later". Wrong......they had the most awesome medditerranian pasta with olives and sundried tomatoes and other veggies that was to die for......in a seafood house.
The bed and breakfast I stayed at the host admonished me for not telling him I was ovo-lacto vegetarian. Turns out there was another vegetarian staying there and he adjusted the breakfasts to our diets. He made a very delish non-vegan egg-bake thingie with artichokes and fancy cheese in it. :)