Tuesday, August 04, 2009

I'll admit it- I love salad!



I like to think that I don't fit a lot of vegan stereotypes. Well, nobody does! However, there is one stereotype that I wholeheartedly embrace: I love salads! I always have, and always will. If I had to eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be salad. Of course that would be cheating a little, because there are so many different kinds of salads- so many ways to mix flavors, textures, tastes, and colors. Warm or cold, spicy or sweet, light or substantial, oh, I could sing salad's praises for a long time.

Above, you see a photo of a meal I enjoyed this summer while Daiku and I were visiting my mom in Northern Virginia. We went to The Corner Bakery Cafe, which is s chain of coffee shops that you might be familiar with. To my delight, their menu gives you the option of combining any three salads, which you get with a side of mixed greens (a FOURTH salad!!) and a roll. I chose (clockwise from top) fruit salad, Greek salad (hold the feta), and Asian slaw. This, my friends, is my idea of the ideal meal. Give me produce or give me death!



And where did I get this insatiable taste for fruits and veggies? I'll have to give my mom credit for that one. She says that my brother and I didn't taste refined sugar until we were in preschool. Instead, she filled our plates (and shaped our palates) with fresh fruits and vegetables, homemade juices, and homemade baby food. When I was a kid, there were some fruits and veggies that I didn't like, but I have grown to love them all as an adult. Now, there's no vegan food I've met that I don't really like! I think it's important for kids to be exposed to a wide variety of fresh produce from early on. Would I have ever grown to love grapefruits the way I do now, if my mom hadn't patiently peeled them, separated the juicy fruit from the pith, and fed it to me in manageable segments? (What you see in the photo above is me snarfing up fruit at about 1 year old as my mom peels away.)

Thanks, mom!


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12 comments:

panda with cookie said...

I will testify that bazu likes her fruit.

aTxVegn said...

You look like your mom, and you are a cute babe!

I love salads too, and I'm going to lunch this week at a place just like the Corner Bakery. You get to pick 3 salads. I ususally get a green, a bean, and a fruit - always delish.

Tami said...

You were even adorable as a baby!

Luciana said...

I had to discover a lot of vegetables on my own as an adult. I was lucky to have a dad who always brought home different types of fruit, but I didn't have asparagus or artichokes until I was in my 20's! I do love almost all of them now--okra is my last hurdle.

Oddly enough, it was a vegetable I ate as a kid. I just never enjoyed it, but I might actually like it now!

nora said...

At school with my mediocre dining options, I eat 2 ginormous salads a day!

poopiebitch said...

Awww, I agree with everyone else - you looks like your mom, and you were a cute baby!

Also, I envy the fact that your parents fed you a variety of fruits and veggies as a kid. I'm still discovering 'new' produce that is normal to other people, that I never knew was out there! I can't think of a fruit or veg that I don't like now, though :)

T said...

That pic is adorable! And I live near Northern VA and never knew that Corner Bakery had anything vegan... thanks for the heads up!

vegan.in.brighton said...

Yay for salad!

Amey said...

baby bazuuuuuuu!
what a tiny little cutie pie. I want to nuzzle you!
:)

Peace, Love and Veganism said...

I agree with the salad comment- I could eat it every day except in winter when I'm just so cold all the time, but then you can just top it with something warm liked cooked quinoa or tofu/tempeh/seitan! My parents fed us a lot of fruits and veggies, but not as wide of a variety as my friends and college life exposed me to later. I can now also agree with you: there isn't a produce that I don't like!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

I am a produce junkie, but I was never a salad lover until recently!

c said...

oh, how I wish I loved salads...