AN ADMIRATION FOR VEGANS
So where did this new found admiration for vegans come from? If any of my friends or co workers had told me I would be writing about this a year ago, I would have said no way… I love my meat and fish. Goodness I just LOVE food and cooking as everyone knows but this is the point.
I’m not writing this blog because I’ve now turned vegan, that will most likely NEVER happen in my life but on this recent journey around the world for the last 8 months I’ve found this new admiration and respect for vegans. I think during this time many little moments accumulated to this one particular moment that made it all come home, as in - it made me see just what an impact this new knowledge, or rather this understanding, meant to me as a chef and a friend.
T H E M O M E N T
The particular moment this occurred was whilst hiking up Rainbow Mountain in Peru. At 4400 meters it wasn’t an easy hike. Whilst struggling up this unpredicted snow storm (from glorious sunshine that very morning) I got chatting to a lovely German fella, we got onto the subject of food and he mentioned he was a RAW vegan. Not only a vegan but a raw vegan… now this is new to me so I had many questions. Honestly I was struggling to catch my own breath with the altitude let alone hold a conversation so it was later on during a well deserved lunch that the conversation picked up again… I mean, I understand vegans and the ethical reasons for this choice in life but why raw vegan?
The reason this all became so stuck in mind was because while we are all tucking into our soup followed by pasta, chicken and vegetables, our new friend was waiting patiently for some food… Any food would be good. After hiking 4 hours up into a snow blizzard we were all ravished so I couldn’t help feeling for him. Remember that we are in Peru, South America and there may be a language barrier at times. He spoke a little Spanish, as did we, however when you’re on a tour and your guide hears the word vegan (let alone raw vegan), I’m fairly positive they wouldn’t know how to react. Plus, the food was being provided at a locals place high up in the mountains. By the time we had eaten our soup and started tucking into mains he still had no food. Too polite to say anything I pressed him to just politely remind them that he couldn’t eat cooked vegetables. After a few minutes he was given a plate of sliced tomato and cucumber with some raw cabbage. That’s it!!! No dressing, no salsa, no chili or anything for that matter, that was it and my heart felt for him.
A D M I R A T I O N
And so it began… a chef’s mind racing with not only questions as to why he had made this choice in life but racing with recipes and ideas for how exciting food could be for him, it didn’t need to be plain and dull. This is the precise moment when I had the feeling of admiration. He was a healthy young man making a decision about his diet and maintaining his choice on the other side of the world in fairly extreme conditions and under extreme physical demands on his body. He told me he became a vegan for ethical reasons and then decided to become raw vegan because of how good it made him feel. It made him feel ‘lighter’. It made him feel better inside and that’s that. He admitted that he missed bread so if there were one cooked food he would introduce back into his diet it would be ‘home baked bread’. After he told me all this across the table I found my head bursting with numerous ideas for him. Pickling things, making lovely dressings or salsas, even how so many world cuisines use raw vegetables as part of their normal day-to-day culture. When I think back it was probably a slight overload for him but he seemed happy just being able to talk about it. The people at our table were pretty much wide eyed and dropped jaws at the very topic.
C A N T S L E E P W O N T S L E E P
After this pretty intense day we all had a 4 hour bus ride back to our hostels. I’m fairly sure everyone slept on this journey home and believe me I wanted to but just couldn’t… I couldn’t stop thinking about vegans in general and food ideas. It’s when I decided I would write this blog and possibly bring out a cook book. An exciting cook book not only aimed at vegans but exciting recipes for all to enjoy. This is when it occurred to me that over these recent months Piers and myself had more and more appreciation of vegetables. All those small moments adding together in my mind, exploding with the realisation that vegetables are hugely underrated! From that first Nepalese spring roll with vegetables, to the fully satisfying vegetable Dahl baht’s on the 10 day trek up to Annapurna base camp or the wonderful vegetable creations from the Burmese cooking lesson on Inle lake with May. Freshness and goodness! Then I think back to Chile and Argentina’s severe lack of vegetables. This all making me appreciate them even more so. I mean no offense when I say this, as it’s just their culture. Lots and lots of meat and potatoes or pastry’s such as empanadas and after a month or so you just crave a plate of fresh vegetables and nothing more. I can’t lie, I could eat Patagonian lamb every day… that blew me away the slow smoked lamb tended to lovingly by the chefs for hours but with a whopping plate of vegetables next time please :)
So it’s all these teeny experiences from around the world coming together whilst I’m desperately trying to sleep from exhaustion after the big hike but to no avail. I woke Piers and told him about the blog and book idea. He must really get agitated when these moments occur! Another time was in California when I woke up at 2am, sat upright in bed and wrote the menu for my future restaurant.
T I M E S A R E C H A N G I N G
Anyway, back to the topic at hand: vegans. I had a colleague at work that turned vegan after a few months of knowing her and all due to ethical reasons. Cooking for around 250 people daily, this new addition to an already demanding list of requirements would be something to adjust to in the kitchen. We have a vegan now, along with the few specific people with allergies such as dairy free, gluten free, nut free and only kosher foods for one person. For some of my team at the time I remember them feeling awkwardness towards this. If I were being honest, any chef going back 5 years ago would probably feel very awkward around the thought of cooking for a vegan. However, we don’t live in this time anymore and there has been a growth in vegans and vegan restaurants in the last couple of years. I myself have a vegan friend, we’ve eaten at vegan restaurants and it’s been great, not just great but sometimes exceptional. You have to be pretty inventive to create vegan dishes, all while keeping them exciting, ensuring textures are present and more importantly containing all the nutritional goodness we need in our body without meat and dairy. It’s a THINKER. It gets the brain motivated to be creative. I’d hope that my team would now be more receptive in my absence and open minded with the vegan requirements.
I’ve mentioned before how chefs’ brains work differently. We all have those golden recipes we keep but as chefs we don’t follow recipes daily, we follow intuition and creativeness. Sometimes one dish can be worlds apart depending on the chef, with different interpretations through the addition or sometimes reduction of specific flavours. It’s actually exciting me at the prospect of getting home and exploring this new found admiration for vegans and appreciation for vegetables. Exploring the different cooking methods people tend to shy away from. There is some real fun to be had here and those vegan friends will surely be coming over for a dinner party to try some new foods.
These 4 images are from a vegan feast I enjoyed at Green Point in Cusco, Peru. Seriously good lunch menu - Salad - soup - main course - chocolate ball all for 15 soles (£3.70) WONDERFUL!
V E G A N S & A D J U S T I N G
Credit where it’s due, I absolutely admire your decision. It’s a huge choice to make at any time and it’s not easy. Your whole world of thinking about food can change becoming more aware, the potential to be more inventive and creative with food. I myself used to struggle with the notion of vegans, why would they choose to miss out on so many foods through my chef eyes but now I understand. I understand and respect them for their choice. Food being such a huge part in every person’s day its certainly worth more thinking about.
There are of course many different reasons why people may become vegan, health issues, intolerances or perhaps specific dietary requirements. I do recommend for anyone thinking to become vegan to possibly seek some dietary advise, as it can be restrictive. People may not be fully aware of what the body needs and the removal of animal proteins and fats could possibly put yourself at risk of nutrient deficiencies if you’re not prepared or know what to replace them with. It’s a big change to any diet not to be taken lightly, a friend of mine was vegan for 4 years and had to switch back to animal products for similar reasons.
Ethically, there are many documentaries out there today about over consumption not only of animal products but other products such as soya. I even learned on this trip that quinoa, mostly made in Peru, is now in such high demand through ‘new fads’ that the Peruvians who grew up with this as part of their diet, now cannot afford it themselves. It made me so sad to hear this, even sadder that this is the realisation of the world we live in today and how it’s become part of life that some people just don’t care about.
M O D E R A T I O N & U N D E R S T A N D I N G
I honestly believe that in the world we live in today something we can do individually is to understand MODERATION. Meaning if you eat meat and fish then do it in moderation. We do not ‘need’ to eat meat and fish daily. Likewise with vegetarians and vegans we do not ‘need’ to consume soya or Quinoa products daily. When we go shopping whether it is supermarkets or farm shops, lets try to buy whole foods again and cook, understand what we are eating. If its time that’s the issue due to the ever-increasing demand from work nowadays then how about trying quick recipes that take little time to make or forward thinking when we actually do have some time. Maybe take a moment to look at the amount of packaging we are using and how we can ‘try’ to use less or replacement options.
M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E
We can all make a difference no matter how small, it’s just understanding what our bodies need daily to be healthy. Back to the good old days I say, when we used to grow and cook our own food but I know this isn’t always possible. Piers and myself have no grass or land to grow a gardens worth of self-sustainable food but we have a small green house and herb boxes, just that tiny bit helps somewhere.
Maybe it’s now understanding the choice vegans make that highlights these others issues around food, environment and waste.
It’s not easy saying this as a Chef as some would say it contradicts my profession, someone who cooks daily for others meeting all requirements. There is a difference, I do this with moderation, with an appreciation of food and awareness of waste, I understand the impact it has on our environment and I respect food for its nutritional importance and how valuable it is for our bodies. I will still eat meat and fish along with dairy but in MODERATION. That ever-important word I wish we all could all ‘try’ a little harder with understanding.
I could add links to this blog about veganism but its not my desire to encourage people to actually become vegan, it’s only for us to better understand veganism and maybe appreciate it along with vegetables, a little more. It’s not such a blurry subject, it’s a choice in life and it’s growing.
THANKYOU to the people I’ve met, the conversations we’ve had, what you’ve taught me and the knowledge gained during this trip.