Who moved my vegan cheese? – Peace o’ Pie in Allston
In my free time, I like to club cows and steal milk meant for adorable, doe-eyed little calves from their udders.
No. Not true. But I do eat real cheese. I have no qualms about dead animals and animal products. But I did, however, eat at THREE vegan places last weekend, with no morals attached. I’ll talk about one now.
So how is vegan pizza at relatively newly opened Peace o’ Pie in Allston? Suprisingly awesome, that’s what it’s like. It’s right next door to vegan powerhouse Grasshopper (which I also ate at) and it’s a small, brightly lit and cheery spot that has a sign declaring, “Please do not consume non-vegan food in here,” or something like that. I mean, is it really that offensive if I bring in a latte? Ummm. Ok.
The key here, kids, is that the crust must really hold the entire operation. Vegan cheese, no matter how artfully made, will never even begin to approximate the salty, gooey, stringy pleasures of the real thing. (I’d say this slice could use some more salt to compensate for the relative tastelessness of fake cheese.) Peace o’Pie, in this respect, wins. Their crust is on the thicker side, a good amount of pleasant chew and crunch in the crust, and has a rich, organically-made flavor all its own. I’d say it could be a little thinner and have a bit of extra sauce, to add some moistness to what’s a drier pie with the fake cheese and all, but very good overall.
Their cupcake was also a surprising win, made moist with pumpkin puree and Earth Balance vegan butter spread. The crumbs were all melding into each other in the most fabulous way, with a wisely small measure of frosting since the cake batter was so rich. Who knew that vegan baking could be better than the kind that exploits cows? My friend happily inhaled two.
Also pretty funky: instead of parmesean cheese, you get a shaker with walnut crumbs and nutritional yeast. It tastes terrible on its own, but lends a bit of extra flavor that helps spice up the (relatively inoffensive but unremarkable) cheese.
The food blogger’s guilt
I found myself last night hovering over a bowl of neon yellow, cake batter flavored ice cream. It was delicious, in an artificially sweetened, bizarrely colored, stale cake bit-infused goop kind of way.
This contrasted with my diet-approved dinner of spinach greens, tuna, an orange, and chicken breast.
I had wondered, back in the spring, what food blogging would mean combined with my type A sensibilities and brief aspirations of pageantry. As it turns out, nothing much really. The only thing that really changes is the conversations around my food and not so much the food itself (perhaps boding poorly for my chances). I just end up talking about my need to diet rather than dieting. I’ve never been one to deny myself anything. A little bit of cake can’t hurt! Sure, go for that extra bowl of soup!
And if you put something in front of me that I’ve never tried before, well, just hand me a bowl and spoon.
I had a great conversation over tea yesterday afternoon with Alison Cronin, the reigning Miss Massachusetts USA 2009 who is, contrary to any ditzy stereotypes about beauty queens, very friendly in an accessible, normal kind of way. She posssesed a wry, self-aware sense of humor and gave me a few great tips: speedwalking, wearing nude or clear shoes during the swimsuit competition, and figuring out my strong points.
As for her own diet and exercise regime before Miss USA, she describes it as a lot of light protein and veggies. “I ate a lot of sushi,” she said. “Sashimi.” And two hours of elliptical and speedwalking a day.
Well, I can try.
Alison Cronin
International food porn – Quails on sticks, donkey meat, prawns.
Some underwhelming prawns at Private Kitchen 44 in Beijing.
Donkey meat in Beijing at Noodle Loft… like beef, but with a gamier, greasier mouthfeel.
(more…)
$5 appetizers at KO Prime
In the theme of trying out economically-priced bar specials, here’s a tasting of KO Prime‘s Prime Time menu of $5 appetizers. Friend Crystal and I tried out:
| Pressed Prime Rib Sandwich Secret Sauce |
5 |
| Steak Taco Cola Marinated Skirt Steak, Radicchio slaw, Avocado |
5 |
| Calamari Shishito Peppers, Yuzu Aioli |
5 |
The prime rib sandwich was by far the winner – great, dressed up comfort food. The the citrusy yuzu aioli and katsuobushi (dried fish flakes, common in Japanese cooking) were a nice touch to the calamari, but I wish they’d been fried to a crispier finish. Coming in last was the steak tacos, which yielded mostly radicchio slaw, very little steak.
If you like offal, they’re known for having great odds and ends… so be sure to check that out. Oringer also owns Toro, which I am dying to go to so I can give their pig ear’s terrine a try (recommendation courtesy of Boston food writer MC Slim JB) and their crispy veal sweetbreads.
The Beauty Pageant Diet
I’ve heard rumors that South American beauty queens eat nothing but tuna. On MTV’s Real Life: I’m on a diet, one contestant ate only cottage cheese to drop the weight. I’m not about to do any such thing, since I also have to be a full time student, adhere to a workout schedule, intern, freelance, have a social life, sleep, and do a full slate of extracurriculars, but if I’m doing a beauty pageant “for the experience,” a diet is pretty much definitive.
My friends (bless their hearts) tell me I’m thin enough, but that leaves the question, how thin is beauty queen thin? I’d argue that no matter how thin I become, I’m chasing an ideal that’s more genetic than attainable through pure sweat and self-discipline. Despite my bone structure barriers, in this month leading up to the pageant, I’ll be trying out a lot more vegetables, cutting down on the carbs, and focusing on lean proteins like chicken breasts, scrambled egg whites, and fish, plus lots of water.
However, since I can’t eschew food altogether, I’m allowing myself to eat out twice a week or so. Some habits die hard. Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with a knee injury so we’ll have to see how that affects my workout routine.
Beauty in the Miss USA sense, however, is daunting. This year’s winner, Kristen Dalton, is leggy, lithe, and has augmented breasts. (Her skin is also clearly airbrushed in this publicity shot.) She’s lovely, of course, but there still hasn’t been a full-blooded Asian who has won the entire thing which only makes the 8 year old in me more concerned that I’ll never really be American. I’m hoping that this experience – combined with being abroad – will combine to clarify my views on what beautiful, American, and the intersection of the two means.