Los Angeles, CA
Quoted from RobT:A balanced healthy diet does not need to include animal products. Nothing "extreme" about it.
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Rob T. is my Brocolli Bro! I can’t believe it! 
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Quoted from vicjw66:The gluten thing bugs me. A very small percentage of people around 1% or less actually have celiac disease, yet every vegan I talk to (including my sister in law) claims to have it. I don't know how gluten became this bogeyman, but it is unwarranted.
I am carb.
Quoted from ForceFlow:There have been a few unfortunate cases of insufficient vegan diets being given to babies & young children. While the diet can work for adults, it doesn't always have the right nutrients for young ones and can sometimes lead to malnutrition and starvation.
Every day kids are becoming obese and unhealthy eating McDonald, fried butter, and sugar coated sugar. These articles aren’t about “vegan”, they’re about stupid. Like people who feed pasta to a cat to be “vegan”.
While I’m not a mega-healthy vegan all the time, I’ve been vegan for 20 years & know I get more balanced nutrition than the defensive people who’s dismiss me as a crazy twig eater while they stuff a bacon wrapped fried buffalo penis in their mouth after having 3 heart attacks.
Quoted from Luzur:Then we have people who are just insane and even try to force their cats & dogs into veganism, almost killing the poor pets.
Dogs are true omnivores. My dog’s been vegan for her entire 7 years. Perfect health. My girlfriend switched her elder dogs to the same food. One of them had massive skin problems and joint issues - it all cleared up. She never cared for her old meat based food...reluctantly ate it -now, that dog loses her mind every time it’s feeding time. Her other dog is an old
Pug, and the vet says she’s the healthiest old pug she’s ever seen. My cat, however, eats a salmon based diet.
Quoted from Luckydogg420:The only problem with going vegan is thinking that your a better person because of it, and deciding that you need to influence others to make the same choice.
I have never prosteletized about my diet...I just wanna eat what I wanna eat and do my thing. It’s always the meat eaters who take the initiative to bring it up, insult me, rub it in my face, and mock. Classic insecurity.
Quoted from ForceFlow:The problem with any alternative diet is that some people just aren't smart about it, and sometimes follow it because it's the latest trendy thing to do, rather than actually looking at what it would take to maintain a healthy diet under veganism, vegetarianism, etc.
You can say the same thing about the “mainstream diet”...on a systemic & cultural level, this rendering this criticism on “alternatives” moot.
Quoted from ForceFlow:Maybe--but alternative diets are primarily known for having somewhat strict restrictions on certain foods.
Ironically being vegan has opened me up to a massive variety of foods I probably would have never discovered otherwise, as I grew up on a “standard” midwestern burger/hotdog/pizza/chicken diet...the only real ethnic branch-off for my family was Chinese food.
It’s probably because I’m used to it - but I really don’t consider lack of meat/dairy/egg a restriction. They’re just a few things...plus there are great vegan substitutions for all...and, I can eat everything else.
Here’s some of the stuff I’ve been eating in Hawaii this week:
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Quoted from RobT:Have to admit, I've missed your posts.
Have you been around? I thought you had quit around the time I left.
Also, if you’re ever in Reseda - go to Vinh Loi...amazing vegan Vietnamese! Their soups are just incredible. Kevin, the owner and chef, does shit like this- dumplings on a “vegan duck” sub:
Quoted from gweempose:It goes both ways, though. I have some vegan friends who are always judging me for what I eat and what I feed to my kids. One of my closest friends was just at my house yesterday. The first thing he did was open my refrigerator to see what was in there, and it wasn't because he was hungry.
He’s an asshole. I’d never look in my friend’s fridge. 
Quoted from gweempose:I'm glad to see both of you guys active again. I hope you'll stick around.
Thanks. These have mostly been “on the toilet in Hawaii” postings. We’ll see when I get home. I don’t see myself talking about pinball much, tho. This thread is fun.
Quoted from InfiniteLives:what do you guys/gals use as a substitute for cheese, or do you just for go it all together?
There are tons of great vegan cheese on the market, most are soy-free now.
Look up these brands and see if you can find them near you:
Daiya - Prob the most successful and easy to buy vegan cheese. Love it on pizza, burritos, grilled cheese, etc. Comes in shreds, slices, blocks, cream cheese.
Miyoko’s - phenomenal cashew based cheese. Their Mozzerella is very much like the real thing - the soft style gourmet pizzerias use.
Parmella - Prob my favorite for pizza, but harder to find
Chao - Coconut based cheese. Very good slices for sandwiches.
Follow Your Heart - One of the originals from way back when. Daiya made them step up their game and they’re so much better than they used to be. Great slices for sandwiches and shreds for pizza
Kite Hill - Whole Foods exclusive, but very good ricotta style.
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Quoted from Chalkey:Where's the good vegan places to go in Allentown? Or is it more of a "bring pb&j supplies" kind of place?
I’ve never been, but I just use Yelp everywhere I go, and always seem to find something.
Quoted from ryanwanger:Ice cream is awesome, but not worth feeling uncomfortable for several hours afterwards.
There is so much great vegan ice cream now, based on coconut, almond or cashew milk. There are even non-dairy Ben & Jerry’s and Breyer’s now!! Granted it’s not health food or anything, still tons of sugar, but tastes great!
Quoted from Frax:aiya. It's a bit odd at first, taste wise, takes some getting used to, but it's way better than the cashew or other nut based crap that vegan cafes have been foisting on people for years. The melt and texture on it is REALLY good, IMO, and honestly, it even acts like legit cheese in that if you overcook it it turns into crunchy goodness, so you still get like crisp edges on lasgna/casserole etc.
Daiya has a new recipe that’s starting to hit markets and restaurants. It’s a little less “gummy” and “white” than the original version....definitely more close to real cheese now. Not sure if you have Blaze Pizza (a fast pizza chain), but they have it. Also Fresh Brothers in CA.
I highly recommend you try Miyoko’s - it will change your mind about nut-based cheese. It’s cultured and aged. Really amazing stuff.
Quoted from Frax:Um, frankly, I just took you off ignore when I saw your thumb up on the comment, to see what you'd said on this thread. Maybe we can get along this time? ¬_¬;
We weren’t getting along? I haven’t been here in 4 or 5 months, so I don’t even know lol.
Quoted from VacFink:I struggle to find things too cook for friends that are vegan. I'm not as prone to having them over because it's a lot of hoops and constraints to meet their needs.
What type of things do you normally cook? There’s usually a way to veganize almost anything.
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:What is the best Vegan substitute for Chicken in Markets today?
Hows a chicken parm, with the vegan cheese?
Probably Gardein or Beyond Meat. Gardein comes in all sorts of various styles - patties, breaded, strips...Beyond Meat just comes in strips. You could easily make a vegan chicken parm!
Quoted from VacFink:Usually when I have people over, its BBQ.
We had a vegan street fair recently, sand one stand had vegan BBQ and it was super tasty. I was watching them make the food, and they had their vegan “meat” (seitan) on the BBQ...looked like they were making it like the real thing! I’ve never done this myself, but it’s possible!
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Quoted from OLDPINGUY:Thanks!
I wish there was a restaurant that offered the best "Taste a Likes"....
Are there any Veggie Grills near you? They’re a rapidly expanding vegan fast-casual chain. They use Gardein & Beyond Meat for their proteins. Menu is “comfort food” but all vegan - burgers, tacos, salads, bowls, fries, etc. a few weeks ago they introduced a vegan Brat - it’s really good!
Quoted from OLDPINGUY:Thats one great Menu!
None in Florida, but Ill be bold enough to say, heres a very successful franchise concept!
It’s really great - and I don’t think the word “vegan” is posted anywhere in the restaurant. They didn’t wanna be preachy & turn away potential cross customers, and I think that marketing decision worked out brilliantly. I’d guess most of the people who eat there aren’t vegan, they just want good food that’s a bit better for them. Good flavors are good flavors at the end of the day.
Quoted from vicjw66:Not sure what that means but I think many people that have a bad reaction to gluten do so because they have cut it out of there diet for so long that there body is not used to it. I have the same reaction to a bacon double cheeseburger after having gone on a healthy run of a low fat diet. If you're not used to greasy foods, a bacon double cheeseburger will go right through you and cause some stomach issues.
I would like to switch to a more plant based diet, but I crave meat protein too much. If I don't' have at least one meal a day with some kind of meat as the main course then I just feel off. Like I just had side dishes with no main course. My go to meat is lean chicken breast. I've tried the faux meats and cheeses, but they just don't taste good to me. The cheese my brother eats doesn't melt. Cheese gotta melt.
When someone comes out with really good tasting vegan food that tricks my brain into thinking it's meat and satiates my appetite, then I will welcome it wholeheartedly. That veggie grill looks interesting, but the closest one is in El Segundo, which I don't get out there too often. It doesn't help that I really dislike the taste and texture of mushrooms and eggplant. Those seem to be the go to ingredients for many of the meat alternatives out there.
Edit: If you're going to raise children as vegan, extended breast milk feeding really is a must. I think the stories of starving infants were from mothers that did not breastfeed.
I said “I am carb” cuz you said a lot of vegans are also gluten free. I eat a lot of gluten. Bread is my weakness. Based on the food at the vegan street fair, it’s clear that vegans love carbs & gluten.
As for vegan cheese, does your brother have a stash from 1998? All the vegan cheese is melty now. Back when I first went vegan, vegan cheese was rare and tasted like a crayon. Today it’s pretty great.
Quoted from RobT:Thanks for the heads up on Veggie Grill Greg. It was awesome. The Beyond Meat burger is as close to meat as anything I’ve tasted. And the vegan cheese they use is excellent!
Glad you liked it! Beyond Meat is VERY realistic...to the point where my girlfriend and I actually prefer "lesser" veggie burgers cuz when you cook Beyond Meat at home, it makes the house smell like actual meat!!! I do like them from time to time at Veggie Grill though, as I don't have to stink up my house. 
People really like Impossible Burger, too. That one is getting a lot of traction at regular burger places...I've had it at The Counter, I think I heard Red Robin & Umami have it. There's a food truck in Northridge called Evolution Burger that carries both...you can chose or put both on one double!!! Here's a pic from their FB page...I haven't tried them yet, but all their pics look INSANE.
Quoted from RobT:I've actually had the Impossible Burger at Red Robin, and to be honest, I much prefer the Beyond Meat burger that I had today.
Yeah, I think I like Beyond better, too. The way they make the Impossible Burger at Mohawk Bend in Echo Park is fantastic. Big Mac style! At The Counter, it was too thick, and got a bit crumbly. One of my restaurant owning friends said he got some Impossible "meat" for his chef to experiment with...and he said the reason it was too thick at The Counter was because they're treating the Impossible "meat" like real meat. Real meat shrinks when cooked, but Impossible doesn't. So - you have to make the Impossible patty as the actual size you want it to be when cooked. Seems like Mohawk Bend knows this, and that's why theirs is so good. Perhaps Red Robin is doing what The Counter is doing & weighing it as they would with real meat?
Quoted from vicjw66:What does the "meat" actually consist of? Was there a calorie count on that burger? I might have to check it out.
Why I gotta do your Googles for ya? 
Quoted from vicjw66:I meant the veggie grill burger that Rob pictured, but that helps. So it’s basically made from peas.
That’s the burger Veggie Grill uses.
Quoted from Methos:Does anyone have a good option for veggie hot dogs or sausages? I've found decent substitutes for burgers, meat balls (Gardien), but have yet to find a decent sausage substitute. Everything we have tried tastes like ass.
Field Roast brand is very good. That’s what I put on my pizza a few posts up.
Quoted from vicjw66:Holy crap? There is no reason that diet soda should have non vegan ingredients in it. In the lab tasting area was there really someone that said “hmm, it could use more gelatinous fish goo”. I guess I immediately outed myself with the Diet Coke request.
Veggie Grill just doesn’t carry regular soda. Their drinks are various iced teas, lemonade and agua fresca. Sometomes they have bottled natural sodas and kombucha. I think they just don’t carry anything with corn syrup or aspartame.
As for the healthier things at Veggie Grill, when I was being really good with my diet, I’d always get the All Hail Kale salad and add blackened tempeh.
It’s not on the menu anymore, but I think they’ll still make a portabello burger if you request it. There’s also an off-menu tempeh sandwich called “Bali Bliss” - sometimes I get that with a portabello added. It’s a great option when I want a sandwich/protein, but not fake meat.
Quoted from RobT:I do agree about the price. Unfortunately I have noticed that the vegan restaurants are not cheap.
We call that the “vegan tax”. I’m used to it at this point lol. That’s one thing I love about Blaze Pizza - they might be the ONE place that doesn’t charge extra for vegan cheese.
Quoted from RobT:Chipotle's is good too, because you can get their Sofritas (soy meat substitute) at no extra cost. The flavor of their soy is pretty darn good in my opinion, and soy can be a challenge in terms of getting it to soak in the marinade/seasoning.
I’m not a fan of Chipotle - everything kinda tastes bland and acidic. Glad they have options tho.
Quoted from RobT:Sodium has always been an issue with the meat substitutes unfortunately. Which is why they should all be used sparingly, and the *whole food* plant based diet is the key.
Sodium content just eating out ANYWHERE is bonkers. It's really hard to avoid unless you're just going mostly salad.
Oh, another recommendation for Rob & Vic ...do you have an Mendocino Farms around you? Great sandwich chain, and they always have 3 or 4 vegan sandwiches, usually a vegan soup, and a bunch of vegan sides like potato salad & curried cous cous. They also have a taco salad made with Impossible Burger crumbles that's very good.
Quoted from RobT:Sweet, they have one in Tustin! Another option I can try near my office.
Oh, you might be near the Loving Hut in Orange on Tustin St.
Mostly salty asian vegan junkfood....buuuut, their Jackfruit Salad is INSANELY good...and if you wanna eat some fried stuff, the "Spicy Cha-Cha" is amazing - it's vegan fried shrimp. I'm not sure what they do for their breading, but the texture is so good and "nostalgic" - very much reminds me of fried shrimp I had as a kid.
Quoted from RobT:I can see that you are going to cost me a lot of money in the next couple of weeks as I try these places out. The jackfruit is particularly interesting since I have not tried it yet and it has been highly recommended.
Jackfruit is a fantastic meat substitute, cuz it's not soy and it's not processed...it's just marinated with whatever and tastes like that - plus has a nice meaty texture. One of my hawaii pictures has a BBQ jackfruit wrap. Lots of Mexican places are using jackfruit in burritos. To bring it back to pinball - Button Mash in Echo Park has a great jackfruit sandwich & the most amazing crispy tofu balls!
Quoted from Frax:+1 on the jackfruit train. It was some frozen dinner thing from Trader Joes...I want to say some kind of curry that had jackfruit instead of meat. It was really good, and the texture was just "what the hell this is a fruit!?"
Nature be CRAZY!
Quoted from Chalkey:The white castle near the allentown show has the impossible burgers going to give them a try this weekend. Never been to white castle before.
Oh that's cool...I knew that some White Castle's were using Dr. Praeggers veggie burgers for a while - I wanted to try it but didn't get the chance. I wonder if the Vegas White Castle will have Impossible. Next time I'm there, I'll definitely have to try it. I haven't had White Castle since I was a kid...that would be fun.
Quoted from Mr68:Aren't vegetables fertilized with cow manure?
...which is made from grass! NOM NOM NOM!
Quoted from Mr68:They're all shit that they sneak into foods everywhere. The fake sweeteners are even worse. And for a guy with a sweet tooth I'm not sure how I could survive without Stevia.
Rarehero: Why can't they make those alternative ice creams with Stevia? I've been asking at the health food stores for years now and all they tell me is, Hey, that's a good idea.
I think Halo Top is made with Stevia? However, it tastes like band-aids and sand, so I can’t recommend it.
Quoted from RobT:Bummer. But you saved me money because I was going to give Halo Top a try.
The Ben & Jerry's Caramel Almond Brittle is still the best vegan ice cream I have tasted by far, but it's loaded with sugar and I feel like crap after eating too much of it.
Agreed, that stuff is great but I wish B&J would dial the sugar down a bit. It doesn’t need that much.
Quoted from PW79:IMO when you make food that looks like other food then you dont really like your food.
Fake cheese
Fake milk
Fake meat
I love food. Too much. I'm a fat vegan. Most people who go vegetarian or vegan didn't start that way...so having plant based versions of stuff you grew up with is nice...you can have similar tastes and textures without eating the thing you don't want to eat.
It's only "fake" in the sense that it's not made with the traditional ingredient...but they're still very much REAL food made from (usually) natural ingredients.
I mean, what makes butter butter? Fat, protein, salt, cultures? The fat/protein come from an animal.
Here's what vegan butter is made from: Organic Coconut Oil, Filtered Water, Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cashews, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Cultures.
Basically the same thing...just with plant based fat/protein. Hardly "fake".
Quoted from PW79:My food mos def looks like an animal to me tho.
Corpse of an animal, maybe.
Quoted from InfiniteLives:what i love about labels is almost everything includes "natural ingredients/flavoring", like really?? Natural ingredients could be anything; could be arsenic, could be mercury, could be human brains lol.
It could be -
Quoted from jwo825:I was just saying I would never follow a diet just because others are doing it.
Why do you eat what you eat? Cuz your parents & everyone around you ate a certain way. You followed what they did. OOOOooOOOoooOOOooooooOOOOOoooOOOooooOOoooooh! 
Quoted from mcluvin:I'm still trying to figure out how a post about losing weight being inversely proportional to penis size locks a pedophilia thread, but whatever. I'm not vegan, but I eat a lot more vegetables. I eat some dairy (milk in my coffee, fetta in my salads, American cheese in the occasional breakfast sandwich). Ultimately, don't eat more calories than you burn in a day, and try to know how many calories you are burning. If you are trying to lose weight, that last 10% is a bitch
Calorie counting apps are a huge eye opener. We all eat too much, and it's really hard to cut back at first.
I did really well with calorie counting & exercise a few years back...went from 216 to 179 - and even then, I still had fat on my midsection. I'm back around 200, but strangely most of the new clothes I bought from when I lost weight still fit pretty decently. I need to get back on the weight loss fitness wagon...but it's always something - I'll start, then get sick...something. Bah.
Quoted from Mr68:The change to dairy free was easy with the exception of milk. I especially love it in my coffee. So far the unsweetened almond milk is my favorite but I'm wondering if anyone has a any suggestions?
By the way, the bratwurst from Beyond Burger is out now and it is spectacular.
I'm partial to Flax Milk. I don't drink coffee, so I'm not sure how they pair...but I like it for cereal & recipes.
Quoted from RobT:Sadly (or is it?) I had to give up coffee nearly 2 years ago now because of stomach issues.
My wife still drinks coffee and she loves this stuff:
https://www.ripplefoods.com/original-half-and-half/
My grandfather ate real half-and-half in his cereal with a side of bacon...then smoked cigarettes. He had every horrible health problem you could imagine...made it to 84. My other grandparents lived till 97, 97, and 99.
So, I'm thinkin' if I keep up this healthy livin', I'll make it to 300 or so!!! ....or get hit by a truck.
3 weeks later
Quoted from gweempose:I was in Los Angeles last week
Shoulda hit me up, mang!!!
Quoted from vicjw66:More
And our pizza is better here too. I was not at all impressed with your deep dish pizza, nor New York's cardboard pizza. Our food is awesome.
Deep dish is the best. Masa in Echo Park makes legit Chicago deep dish - they import the water so they can make the dough right! And - they do a vegan version!!! It’s so amazing. The tomatoes are so sweet and fresh, and the crust is perfect.
Actually, all pizza is pretty f-ing good. It’s pizza!!!!
Quoted from RobT:I have gone to Blaze several times now after being vegan. They have vegan cheese, but I much prefer their pizza's without any cheese at all. I have to say that I am really surprised by how good a pizza can still be without any cheese. Whoda thunk it?
Before all the vegan cheeses came out, I was doing cheese-less pizza all the time. Sometimes I'd put dollops of hummus on it...hummus is a pretty decent cheese replacement if you don't like vegan cheeses.
Quoted from Luckydogg420:Fun fact: the whole salad dressing market is biased off the fact that people don’t like the taste of veggies.
That’s like saying the BBQ/Teriyaki/Marinade/Any-sauce-ever market exists because people don’t like the taste of meat.
I thought this was funny - Edward James Olmos went to Vinh Loi Tofu 3 times in a row this week!!! The owner keeps posting pics lol.
If you’re ever in Reseda, CA, Vinh Loi is one of my all time favorites! Vegan Vietnamese.
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Quoted from RandomGuyOffCL:Congrats man...never would have expected someone to say this
Joke thread yes, but I’m serious about the issue...at 40 115/75 @ 150lb I’m feeling The best I have in over 20 years...down from 210lbs w/pre hypertension
Keep up the good work
Wow, congrats! I went from 216 to 179 a few years ago, and I'm back around 200 right now...150 seems like it would be IMPOSSIBLE! Next week I'm gonna get "back on the wagon" (daily exercise, cutting out sugar, cutting back on carbs/processed stuff) and try to get back into shape again.
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