Labor Day Barbecue Wrap-Up

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Hope you're all recovering from a fun-filled labor day. In San Francisco we've been delighting in some beautiful weather as of late, so my husband and I decided to take advantage by having a vegan barbecue. In the past we've gone to Dolores Park, but this time we decided to keep it close to home by grilling on the roof of our building, which has a pretty kickass panoramic view of the city.


I've always preferred grilling fresh veggies over faux meat products, so though we had some Tofurkey sausages, the stars of the show were the veggie kabobs. I made two varieties:
  • Mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus and tomatoes marinated in garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fresh thyme and rosemary
  • Pineanpple, red pepper, red onion and tofu cubes marinated in garlic, hoisin sauce, olive oil, and Chinese five spice blend
I also made potato salad (red potatoes, vegenaise, white vinegar, silken tofu, chopped sweet pickles, mustard seed and dill), had fresh watermelon slices, and another highlight: Watermelon Martinis with Basil Sea Salt -- a recipe that came courtesy of Bryant Terry's book Vegan Soul Kitchen. The book is chock full of summery recipes and though I haven't made a lot of them, it's also an entertaining read from someone with a passion for food.

A little tip for those throwing a vegan barbecue. I once observed that if you invite omnis to a vegan brunch, they will bring fruit. Similarly if you invite omnis to a vegan barbecue they will bring corn. Not that I am complaining -- grilled corn is awesome, with a little earth balance, salt and pepper. But we have a ton left over. So anyone got any good corn recipes?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are an "omni" too, and that's a biological fact. You choose not to eat animal products, but that makes you no less of a biological omni than people who choose to eat animal products.

It's mean to pass judgment on people. People who aren't vegan often bring fruit or vegetables because they don't know what will satisfy vegan rules. You can't expect the whole world to buy a vegan cookbook just because you think it's the bees knees.

Sharon said...

Hello, "Anonymous." Thank you for your comment.

One's diet is a choice, not a biological restriction and therefore I reject the label "omnivore" to refer to myself. Referring to someone who does choose to eat meat as an "onmi" is just short hand, not meant to be derogatory.

You'll not in this post I specifically said I was not complaining about the abundance of corn, but rather making an observation based on several experiences.

Veganism *is* the bee's knees and while it is my hope that people become creative with their cooking and seek out vegan recipes, trust me when I say that I *expect* very little of "the whole world."

Anonymous said...

I'm not the the previous anonymous. You're a classic stereotype vegan, bombastic all the way. You've no idea how many people out there who eat plant based on diet regular basis and are not constantly shouting about it. Quit it, get a life please.

Sharon said...

Hello, "Anonymous 2." Thank you for your comment. Knowing how much you can't stand the way we vegans "shout" about our beliefs, it must have been quite the challenge for you to read and respond to this post.

Can you cite examples of what was bombastic about this post? Was there something particularly haughty about the way I described veggie kabobs?

I only condescend to strangers who leave anonymous comments attacking me. It has little to do with the way I address the world at large.

Anonymous said...

http://www.quarrygirl.com/2009/08/23/vegan-soundboard/

Anonymous said...

"As far back as it can be traced, clearly the archeological record indicates an omnivorous diet for humans that included meat. Our ancestry is among the hunter/gatherers from the beginning. Once domestication of food sources began, it included both animals and plants."

(http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm#evidence)

The scientific evidence is there. Omnivore is not a label. You're no less an omnivore than any other human.

Vegan, however, is a label because you are not biologically programmed to only digest and metabolize plant-based products. You choose to do so.

Judging other people for simply doing what they have been genetically capable of for thousands of years is pointless.

I think we can all agree that excessive consumption and production of animal products is detrimental to both health and the environment. But swinging to the other extreme and swearing off all animal products just alienates people who eat a balanced diet that does include animal products to a reasonable extent.

Sharon said...

Hello, "Anonymous... 4? 2 again?" So hard to keep track of people who aren't willing to identify themselves and stand behind their comments.

At any rate, I'm not arguing over the scientific history of human diet, I'm simply noting that there is a choice. Thousands of vegans having been living long, healthy lives for many years and it only gets easier as knowledge, access, and culture advance.

I literally laughed out loud at the statement, "judging other people for simply doing what they have been genetically capable of for thousands of years is pointless" since that is basically what you are doing by attacking vegans.

Furthermore it's a ridiculous statement. Humans are "genetically capable" of lots of things. Cannibalism. Genocide. Rape. But we can make choices not to do them.

As far as alienating non-vegans goes, on Labor Day I had a barbecue that included vegans and non-vegans in the group. Everyone left well-fed and in good spirits. Then I blogged about it. What exactly is alienating or off-putting about that?

Brad Moore said...

I'm an omni and I think her brunches/BBQs are the cat's pajamas. Granted, bashing a stranger's blog about cooking food for her friends is a productive use of time, but I don't see what's wrong with encouraging people to cook healthy meals.

Sharon said...

Hehe, thanks, Brad. Next time you come over for brunch though I'm totally going to hold you captive and force you to watch videos of chickens being beaten. Because that is how I roll.