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You can certainly be a foodie and vegan. While we may have some dietary restrictions compared to the average eater, we are also much more aware of what we eat than the average eater. Being vegan makes you aware of and appreciate your food just that much more.

So much better than halo halo.

never mix! hence, eating the thing becomes something like taking ice core samples as you tunnel down, eventually collapsing of course. we did a hybrid version at home and it was actually kinda stressful trying to serve 6 individual bingsoos to hit the table at the same moment. for the nyers, anyone beat koryodang or no?

The first time I had shaved ice was in Taiwan. Shaved ice, lots of fresh mango, all drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. In oppressive heat, it's much more refreshing than ice cream. These days, manual ice shavers can be found in many of the Asian/Chinese supermarkets that carry housewares. I was so happy and surprised the first time I found one. Then I began to notice that most of my local (NYC) Asian-centric supermarkets carried them, I just hadn't been looking for them. They're usually hiding amongst the rice cookers. The manual one requires a lot of arm power, but it should only be about $20.

My favorite recipe consists of a couple of spoonfulls of sugar, condensed milk and 7up.
Put the sugar in a tall glass add some condensed milk. Stir the mixture and then add the 7up or coca-cola.

Enjoy">http://www.coffee-makers-review.com/espresso-machines.html">Enjoy your coffee drink!

@ankk1 As a Malaysian, I can tell you that Malaysian cuisine (from various ethnic groups in Msia) don't tend to be very vegan friendly.

@TimMoore are 75% of clothes created in sweatshops? That would require a sweatshop be defined as basically anything outside a western country.

Anyway, the "misogynistic or homophobic" line points out a clear difference between choices of taste versus morals. If 75% of all music is classified as "misogynistic or homophobic", would those who listen to that 75% be considered misogynistic or homophobic by those who abstain?

People who don't like cauliflower don't consider those who eat it "sinners", even the idea is silly.

Do vegans who chose to eat vegan as a moral choice consider non-vegans "sinners"? Based on the lines about being offended by the constant talk about bacon and meat, how could they not be?

Then how do you run a "foodie" site where 75% (or more) of your content actually "offends" some of your readers by being so gleefully celebrative? Do you tone down your glee in showing a whole pig being roasted, or a bloody rare burger?

@peekpoke fair point, but only proves that my analogy isn't better than any of the other ones

The music analogies are off-base. Veganism isn't a personal preference or arbitrary aversion. It's a decision based on an ethical judgement.

Would you claim that someone can't declare themselves to be a music lover if they choose to avoid buying or listening to music with misogynistic or homophobic lyrics?

To me, this seems pretty obvious: there are jerks on both sides, but on the whole, there's no reason to be confrontational about what you eat.

A little personal perspective: I'm the only vegetarian in my family, have been for 12 years now. My parents, initially wary of my choice, recently told me it completely opened up their horizons, food-wise -- they now eat quinoa, millet, all sorts of beans and greens on a daily basis, and even give me grief for not going organic often enough.

I'm the least picky eater in my group of friends (all meat-eaters). Basically, unless it was part of an animal, I'll eat it. Unlike most people, I love all fruits and veggies, even the most obscure. Meanwhile, my non-veg BF only eats about a dozen variations on pizza, potatoes, chicken, and burgers, and it takes major effort to get him to branch out.

So please, enough with the "finicky vegetarian/vegan" stereotypes.

@BBQdude - I don't know, vegan food is very diverse and really the only thing hard to replicate is straight up meat. If you want a steak on a plate then vegetarianism can't really replicate that. Although I have made some seitan ribs that were pretty good and I used in a sandwich. I never ate much egg or cooked with much egg but really the only thing I can think of that can't be replicated (or is difficult to do so) is meringue which is something I never liked anyway.

There was also an interesting blog not too long ago that recreated Anthony Bourdain recipes but with all vegan ingredients. The people that did the recipes were quite creative, much more than myself. I don't know much about food science but in order to replicate textures, tastes, etc, it does take quite a bit of knowledge and I salute those that do it.

sailordave,

I think your analogy is close, but not quite right. I think being a vegetarian foodie is like being a music lover who doesn't like stringed instruments. Any of 'em. Being a foodie vegan is like being a music lover, but not liking stringed instruments, wind instruments, brass instruments or percussion. I guess a cappella music is nice... but it's hard to understand a music lover who dismisses all those other wonderful sounds.

5 days a week we eat a basically vegetarian diet. But there's simply no way I could give up the magical food-binding, sauce-emulsifying power of the egg. To those of us who will eat basically anything, veganism can seem a little empty. And extremely hard to understand.

But good luck to you vegan foodies! I may not understand you, but I wish you all well!

@lyricanji, there's no set-in-stone definition of foodie. If someone ate nothing but rocks and vitamin pills, they could call themselves a foodie if they wanted to.

And seriously, if someone ate only animal products, chances are they'd end up with health issues that would make the foodie definition the least of their worries.

What about someone who has gluten intolerance and doesn't eat wheat, but works at a bakery and makes and sells beautiful breads and cakes? Is that person not a baker?

Some people call themselves foodies because they eat at restaurants and enjoy the food. Some people call themselves foodies because they cook wonderful things. Some people lack the means to eat out or to cook fantastic things, but they consider themselves foodies because they read food magazines and study ethnic cuisines.

And some people eat and cook and read and enjoy, but hate the foodie label. What difference does it make what other people eat or how they label themselves?