West Chester Dish

My kitchen is usually stocked with seasonal fruits and vegetables. This helps with my effort to maintain a healthy diet as well as be prepared when my vegan friend randomly stops by. I try to make sure I have something œvegan friendly for her to eat at all times. Nothing fancy, just edible and available. When she called saying that she would be over for dinner I was unfazed. Until she added, œOh, and by the way I’m inviting my hippie friend¦ and he’s a vegetarian.

The hostess in me had a brief panic attack. How do I make an entire meal that’s suitable for guests and not just a random selection of animal-free food products that I happened to have in the fridge?

Quickly, I chopped peppers, diced onions, sliced mushrooms, and peeled carrots. I fried some tofu. I experimented with ginger, chili sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil in my wok. A few tosses and I did a taste test.

The veggies were over-cooked and the flavor was weak. I secretly hoped the friend wouldn’t be cute. Or have a pallet.

In an effort to fix the meal I grabbed my secret ingredient. Tiger sauce. It offered just the right amount of oomph. A few shakes and my vegan dinner was served. Conversation was better than the meal itself, but overall it wasn’t bad.

œHippie boy was cute, pallet and all. We continued to hang out and after a few dates he confessed that he was terrified to eat the stir-fry I had prepared that night. He had sneaked a peek at the Tiger Sauce ingredient list and it revealed anchovies. My heart sank. Although I had a love for fruits and veggies I clearly hadn’t realized the depth of a vegetarian’s diet or (as I was to find out)¦ their wardrobe. I had a lot to learn.

A week later he treated me to dinner at the nicest Italian restaurant in town. I was greeted by my date in a shirt riddled with holes and a pair of camouflage shorts. I made note of the looks from fellow diners as we were seated. It humored me more than offended me. He explained that he only had two pair of shorts and the other pair was dirty. Fair enough. I didn’t ask about the shirt.

Our server took our drink order and read the specials. œOur special starters for tonight are the seared tuna with¦ I was forced to tune it out. I was salivating more than usual, likely because I knew I couldn’t have it. I waited for the reading of the entrees before I allowed myself to listen.

Compromising my appetizer order was difficult, but I found this new meat-free guideline refreshing. With only vegetarian options to choose from, I saved decision-making time. This made it easy.

Cooking at home was not so easy. My new dining companion’s habits meant no experimenting with fun fish recipes or interesting tuna salads (a standby when I was short on time.) My seasonings had to be modified. I could no longer dash in my Tiger Sauce or Worchester Sauce or anything with chicken or beef bullion or stock.

Eventually, I found myself resenting the fact that I could not add a sprinkle to my meals in case he may have a bite. After numerous discussions about his lifestyle and diet, I accepted his reasoning for not eating meat and even briefly considered giving up meat myself. (What? I said œconsidered). Then I tired of it.

Although his world was lacking in meat I had come to realize that he had plenty of ego to make up for it. I eventually found it better to remove œhippie boy from my life and happily replace him with lots of tuna, tenderloin and Tiger sauce.

However, I now have a newfound appreciation for vegetarians and those who spend time with them. I give props to all of the vegetarian friendly restaurants, especially in Chester County. Check em out!

Wave Noodle
316 E. Gay St.
West Chester, PA 19380
610-436-8020
Menu highlights are vegetable pad thai, pineapple fried rice with cashews and curry tofu.

Devi Indian Restaurant Inc
151 W Lincoln Hwy
Exton, PA 19341
(610) 594-9250
Vegetarian Indian Food. Lunch buffet is an amazing assortment of vegetarian options.

SuTao Cafe
Great Valley Shopping Center
81 Lancaster Avenue
Malvern, PA 19355
(610) 651-8886 (phone)
Awesome.