Retro veganism

The mention of nut loaves in the Walnut Squareburger comments was surprisingly timely. Last week, Sarah Lohman (who makes “historic gastronomy” her day job, not just an occasional hobby) of Four Pounds Flour decided to go vegan for five days. But not just regular vegan — historical vegan. Veganism isn’t some new-age trend, but a dietary choice that has been around for a long time (with both ethical and personal health justifications).

Veganism can be tough. This isn’t just a problem of baking without eggs and butter, but also one must watch out for “hidden” animal products — for example, commercial bread crumbs often contain milk, apparently. And for the new (or experimental) vegan, keeping everything in mind is a challenge. Take Going Vegan Day Three: I Am A Terrible Vegan, for example:

I spent most of Thursday running: work in the morning, a meeting in the afternoon, a lecture in the evening. In between, I ducked into a coffee shop to finishing writing my talk, and I realized I needed to eat something. I perused the cafe’s sandwich list and approached the register.

“Okay, give me an ice tea and a veggies sandwich.” The barista typed in my order.

“No! Wait… it’s got cream cheese. Okay, give me a peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwich.” Type, type, type.

“No! Wait! No Honey! Can I get it with no honey? No Honey! I uuuh… forgot I was vegan.”

She must have thought I was crazy. I apologized profusely, and ended up with a peanut butter and banana sandwich with blueberry compote. Really tasty.

The entire saga was lots of fun to read about, with some amazing dishes and some less-than-tasty results. She ended the week with a vegan feast (including a lovely nut roast), and the experience was interesting and exciting to read about. Swing by and take a look!!!