Standard American Diet

Friday, June 26, 2009

The Power of Scent and Sacred Chow

Yesterday after a meeting, my co-worker, Stephen and I decided to grab some lunch. I had heard of a decent Vegan place nearby called Sacred Chow and Stephen (Standard American Diet aka S.A.D. eater) was more than happy to join me! Yay! I didn't have to try to convince him!

I knew I definitely wanted a fresh juice. I don't own a juicer yet and have been relying on my blender for a variety of fresh green and fruit smoothies. Fresh juice is a luxury! That, right there, is a picture of Beet-Apple-Lemon juice. It was outstanding. I had no idea I liked beets so much. Here's a little tip; you can always tell when the juice is truly fresh squeezed because it's never as cold as refrigerated juice. Most people who don't have fresh juice very often are always very surprised by it's temperature.


For my main dish I had this amazing salad with carrot-ginger dressing. One of the things I love about eating Raw is the remarkable flavor these foods take on. Since I have been eating this way my taste-buds have definitely changed. Flavor is so much more robust and pronounced. A lot of what we taste is enhanced due to our ability to smell and a lot of Rawists I have spoken with comment on having an increased sensitivity to various scents (great in the kitchen, not great in the subway). I myself have even noticed a difference. Not only has increased sensitivity of smell made choosing produce a lot easier and more efficient in many ways (the ripeness of produce can easily be determined by scent in most cases), it has made food preparation really fun and creative. I enjoy sampling Raw dishes (especially sauces and dressings), going home and trying to re-create that very same dish. Needless to say, Sacred Chow gave me a lot of really great ideas and inspiration. The dressing was really easy to create at home and I was even able to match the marinated broccoli florets side-dish.

...and just in case you were wondering, Stephen, my co-worker, S.A.D. eater, loved his Orange Blackstrap B.B.Q. Seitan dish. He even told me he would definitely go back to dine there again.