We have a cure for your vegetarianism!
I love France. Actually, I am 'in love' with France and I intend to live there one day. I love the people, the history, the culture, their approach to the arts and to artists. Of course, the French are also famous for their food and culinary traditions which makes me smile because I have found that whilst this is true, it does not necessarily extend to their understanding of vegetarianism, particularly in smaller towns and villages.
Let me give you an example. A few years ago I was hosting a business lunch with my French agent and Directors from key potential clients. There were around 12 of us around the table in a quaint traditional French restaurant situated somewhere north of Paris. We had completed an excellent round of meetings in the morning and everybody around the table was looking happy, hungry and thirsty. The atmosphere was fantastic, there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the small restaurant and the many other diners didn't look liked they had just popped in for a quick meal, they looked like they had a permanent residence at their respective tables.
The waitress took orders from our delegation one by one and with all the hubbub going on I have to confess that I didn't take much notice of what everyone was ordering. Soon enough it was my turn to order and I said in my very bad French 'Do you have any vegetarian meals please?'. The table suddenly became silent as the waitress said 'Pardon?' in shock. My stunned agent turned to me wide eyed and asked me if I meant did I want fish. I rolled my eyes as it was obvious I was going to be having another vegetarian 'debate' but, being very hungry and wanting to end the deafening silence that had now spread to the entire restaurant, I just asked for no fish, no meat. My agent turned to the waitress and a long dialogue with much hand gesturing and worried glances in my direction ended with me confirming a simple (and apparently unbelievable) order of plain pasta with some simple 'Arrabiata style' sauce.
With the waitress now gone, the conversations returned to normal for a while until the food started arriving. My small bowl of pasta, along with hastily prepared tomato sauce, was placed in front of me and it looked delicious to me, albeit looking very out of place on a table that was now filled with huge meals that included raw minced meat, huge steaks and all manner of meat. The table went quiet again and this time, almost as a group, I was asked if I was sure I didn't want some real food and I could have some of their meat. Was I ill? I have to smile at this point. The delegation were genuinely concerned for my welfare and my happy explanation of my preference for vegetarian food left all around the table looking baffled. Oh, I also do not drink alcohol so not having wine confused them even more. There was a busy debate in French that followed and when it appeared that they had come to a conclusion my agent turned to me while all the others watched expectantly for my reaction. He asked if I had ever been to Lyon. When I confirmed I had he leaned forward and then said 'Have you ever *dined* at the restaurants in Lyon?' The delegation appeared to almost lean forward at the same time. When I said no, they all leaned back looking relieved and looked to my agent to explain. He gave me some history about Lyon, which is indeed a beautiful city in my humble opinion, and then started talking about the amazing food there. It was the delegations humble opinion that if I were to dine in Lyon that my vegetarianism would be cured instantly and I would never look at a courgette the same way ever again, forsaking my mistaken food choice of many years and become someone who would lead a happy, healthy, red blooded man's life of eating meat.
However misplaced their concerns were, I was very touched by their sincerity and the lengths they were going to save my culinary soul. It is one of the things I love about the French. They are passionate. At the time I just nodded, smiled and eventually got the subject onto other things but I will never forget that meal or the faces of the people at that table. They had a cure for vegetarianism? I don't think so, but they certainly made me appreciate their passion for their food and culture even more.
Vive la France! Vive la difference!
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Keiko Amano says:
Just Ask. Vegetarian Dishes are Easy to Make for Good Cooks.
I’m not a vegetarian, but I tend to look for more vegetables than meats when I choose dishes. But when my vegetarian daughter studied in Japan for a year, she had challenges besides her learning the language. Nowadays in Japan, most popular dishes include some kind of meat, and her dormitory cook considered egg and fish and even chicken to be okay for vegetarians. They are not. In the U.S., I used to serve separate vegetables dishes like simple cold tofu, tomato wedges, steamed spinach with dry fish flakes, and of course, natto. So she didn’t expect most dishes would come with some kind of meat. She also went to Kyrgyzstan for a Peace Corp work. There she found no vegetables, so she had to eat some. That got to be a nightmare for vegetarians. In California, we are vegetarian friendly. And if you come to Yokohama, I can recommend a great soba and Indian restaurant. I just have to have those dishes; otherwise there is no point in living.
But I believe all the great cooks are improvisers. They are ready to improvise their dishes to accommodate for vegetarians or any occasions. Whenever I made gyoza with pork, just before adding port, I divided the ingredients into two bowls, and I added some drained tofu into one of the bowls. I did the same for curry. It isn’t much trouble to do that, and we get to eat two different dishes. And actually, those vegetable versions ended up better dishes than the meat one because I invented them. The cook who cannot improvise is not a good cook. So all we need is a bit communication. If we make a reservation, we can mention that one person is a vegetarian, and he does not eat fish, meat and so on, and if we don’t have a reservation, then as soon as we get to a restaurant, we should mention it right away to give them more time to think. Vegetarians don’t need to suffer.
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
Natto!
I miss natto and gyoza so much. Mmmm. LOL!
Unfortunately natto is one of the only foods that I have been banned from bringing into our home. LOL! I have to admit the smell is pretty strong and lingers for quite some time. To someone not brought up around this food it can be quite overpowering, particularly to anyone with a sensitive sense of smell. Now I only eat it if I am on business in the Far East or South East Asia. I have not heard of vegetarian gyoza so have not had the meal for at least 22-23 years.
I appreciate that making vegetarian food for any decent chef is not difficult. It can just be a bit of an adventure getting a meal made sometimes, especially in certain parts of the world. Funnily enough I thought I was safe ordering a veggie pizza in a posh restaurant in one country (which will remain unnamed as I do not wish to cause offence) and it was definitely vegetarian but they had somehow managed to remove all the flavour from it as well. Looked very nice though! I found all the food I ate in that country was the same - completely devoid of any flavour. It was like chewing cardboard.
When I got back home my father asked if I could swallow the food. I said 'Just about' and he just nodded knowingly. He had been there in the 60's and 70's and found the same problem!
Ryoma Collia-Suzuki says:
It wasn't France by the way!
Or anywhere in Western Europe. I will say no more as I will incriminate myself! LOL!
Keiko Amano says:
Natto, Soy Sauce, and Durian
Fresh natto smells good in earthly way, and nowadays, I can choose gourmet natto at the bottom of department stores. They also carry special tofu, too. Those special kinds are expensive compared to the ones in ordinary markets, and they last only a day or two just like in the old days. No preservative and excellent flavor.
Long ago, I heard some Americans didn’t like the smell of soy sauce, but today, they wouldn’t eat sushi without it. Also many years ago, I was in Bangkok. I love all the fruits, but the sharp smell of durian overwhelmed me. Anyway, I thought if Thai loved them so much, it was a matter of getting used to. So I pinched my nose while I ate my first piece of durian. The yellow creamy fruit was rich like cheese and delicious indeed, but I couldn’t finish it because I couldn’t breathe!