TofuFighting.comtag:tofufighting.com,2009-02-03://12010-08-31T21:49:21ZCulinary reviews, experiments and more - vegetarian styleMovable Type 4.23-enDear Food Trucks, tag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.482010-08-31T21:45:59Z2010-08-31T21:49:21ZI know the trucks aren't THAT big, but when you're going to an event with a half-dozen other trucks, which you know will get people visiting from all over the area, how about trying NOT to run out of food?...Michael Doss Also: There's gotta be something you can do about the routine 20 minute wait. That's absurd for those of us who already have to drive 10-15 minutes to get to you.
Rant mode off. One other thing: The Lime Truck's tofu taco was awesome. ]]>
Fuck you, Kogi.tag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.472010-06-30T19:30:45Z2010-06-30T19:34:27ZI have very little experience with the Kogi food trucks. I know they're popular, I know the food is apparently pretty good, and I know they've got some vegan options. They're the darling of the new truck-based gourmet movement, and...Michael DossI have very little experience with the Kogi food trucks. I know they're popular, I know the food is apparently pretty good, and I know they've got some vegan options. They're the darling of the new truck-based gourmet movement, and Food Network can't stop talking about them. Doing some research, it seems they bill themselves as natural food, made with love by the children of immigrants.
That's cool. I like good "natural" food. I also like to know what's in my food, both in terms of ingredients and calories.
For this, the Kogi folks think I'm a Nazi (no, really, they use the word "Nazi").
This post caught my eye today. For the "tl;dr" among you, it basically says that our food is so good, so awesome, and is made with so much love that we're not going to tell you how many calories it has. In fact, just the fact that you ask us nicely about the calories fills us with rage. How dare you - you wouldn't ask your grandma about it, because she's awesome too. Just the fact that you ask means you're comparing us to lowly fast food, and that's insulting, and you're a horrible person. So stop caring about calories, all you need to know is we're awesome.
(Interpretation mine. I find the original post even more insulting than what I wrote, however.)
Yeah, Kogi - fuck you.
People eat for different reasons, and lots of people, on lots of different kinds of diets (both weight-loss and health related) NEED to know the calories, sodium, or other chemistry-related aspects of their food. Otherwise, they have to skip it. Yes, they want "natural" food. Yes, they want their food to come from good sources. But they need to know this information so they know which of your items they can enjoy, or which they have to portion out and share with friends.
This goes beyond calories. Folks on restricted sodium diets have to know what they're eating. Others need to know how much fat is in their food. Contrary to your idealistic and insulting blog post, these people aren't bound by a "Nazi straight jacket" of nutritional information listings, they just want to know what's in their food - otherwise, they can't eat it at all.
You're growing, Kogi. You've got four trucks and your Culver City kitchen. You're getting national exposure, and people line up for hours to get a taco. That means, eventually, that you'll have to grow up too, and stop insulting people who want to eat your food.
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Social Media Day/food truck eventtag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.462010-06-29T22:34:57Z2010-06-29T22:40:43ZWednesday, June 30 is Social Media Day - and while that sounds amazingly niche and pretentious, I'm totally going and totally looking forward to it. Luckily for me, my employer is hosting a Social Media Day/food truck event from 3pm-6pm...Michael Doss
Social Media Day/food truck event from 3pm-6pm - there'll be guest speakers, little workshops, and a bunch of local food trucks, including Seabirds (vegan/organic) and Piaggio On Wheels (which comes highly recommended).
If you're in or around Santa Ana, stop on by and say hello! ]]>
Wanted: "Authentic" Mexican food in Orange Countytag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.452010-06-23T22:44:06Z2010-06-23T22:51:36ZAlmost exactly two years ago (while writing at Liberal Atheist Vegetarian), I set out to find the best vegetarian Mexican food in OC. Judging the difference between a good enchilada platter and a bad one is the easy part -...Michael DossAlmost exactly two years ago (while writing at Liberal Atheist Vegetarian), I set out to find the best vegetarian Mexican food in OC. Judging the difference between a good enchilada platter and a bad one is the easy part - the real challenge is actually finding "authentic"-style restaurants that are vegetarian friendly. From the original post:
I'm looking for the best Mexican restaurants in (and around -- I'm willing to make a short drive) Orange County. They can be large chain restaurants, small mom-and-pop places, fast food, even non-traditional styles. Where do you like to eat?
There are a few rules. All of the base ingredients must be vegetarian. This includes the beans, rice, tortillas (corn and flour), and chips. They must use vegetarian cooking oil, and there should be something vegetarian on the menu beyond a bean and cheese burrito. If you're not sure, suggest a place and I'll do the research.
These don't have to be all-vegetarian restaurants - in fact, I'd kinda prefer if they weren't. I'm looking for a good Socal-style Mexican restaurant experience that I can share with my meat-eating friends, but where I'm not limited by ingredients.
So I need your help. Throw out ideas of locations you like to eat - either places you already know about, or somewhere that looks promising. I'll compile results (with a breakdown of both their vegetarianness and tastiness) and list them here. If you're interested, I'd even like to go out to your favorite places with you, so there's a meetup aspect to this as well.
What's good?
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Gardein, Gardein everywhere!tag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.442010-06-16T18:58:54Z2010-06-16T19:09:37ZIt's interesting what a difference a year can make. When I stopped regularly posting to TofuFighting last August, the only place I'd seen Gardein brand meat substitutes was at Fresh and Easy and Whole Foods - they sell little two-to-three...Michael DossIt's interesting what a difference a year can make. When I stopped regularly posting to TofuFighting last August, the only place I'd seen Gardein brand meat substitutes was at Fresh and Easy and Whole Foods - they sell little two-to-three serving packets of pre-seasoned fake meats, in "beef" and "chicken" varieties. Easily one of the best-tasting products out there (though some of the flavors didn't appeal to me), and the consistancy is the most reminisant of meat that I've had (especially the chicken).
Fast foward to today. Gardein is everywhere:
Chipotle is serving Gardein as "Garden Blend" at select stores in New York, Washington DC, and California, and last week expanded to include many of their Los Angeles-area locations (sorry OC and the IE, none for us, yet). I tried it last week, and found it a bit dry - it didn't have the flavor I expected (and had heard about). I'm more than willing to give it another try.
The Yard House, a generally west-coast brewpub restaurant, is serving Gardein as a replacement for meat in almost all of their menu items. Some vegans are freaking out because the menu items themselves aren't vegan, but still, to have a vegan replacement that's not just a veggie burger is amazing to me. Right now it's available at their Irvine location, but it should go company-wide later this year.
Select Costco locations are now selling large bags of Gardein Crispy Tenders (fake chicken tenders) for $9.99 for 40 pieces. As is often the case with Costco, not all locations carry it, and it will likely disappear at some point as well.
Keep buying it, and it may not. Such are the whims of Costco.
I'm sure it's found its way to other locations as well, but three major chains, in the space of a few months, is a fairly impressive feat for a vegan product. The best part is that it's actually good. I'm hoping more places jump on this bandwagon.
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Relaunch?tag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.432010-06-14T20:13:35Z2010-06-14T20:15:44ZWhen I put TofuFighting.com on hiatus, I hadn't given a lot of thought to what would bring me back - Sometimes when I get tired of a pursuit, I never find it again. But I'm starting to miss regular food...Michael Doss So I guess I'm relaunching.
I don't have a hard timetable about how often I'll post, or even what I'll post about, but there's a lot happening out there. And some topics (like vegetarian Mexican food - see my post below) keep coming back to haunt me, so I'm sure we'll see some themes. If you want to see all my updates, follow me on twitter (veggiefoodblog) or subscribe to my RSS feed. I'm looking forward to being back - thanks for reading! ]]>
Cover Storytag:tofufighting.com,2010://1.422010-06-13T04:28:57Z2010-06-13T04:39:41ZHello Readers! A quick update to let you all know that yours truly has the cover story on this month's Vegetarian Network of Austin newsletter, "Austin Vegetarian Living". It's about how to eat vegetarian/vegan at Mexican restaurants (and how difficult...Michael DossHello Readers! A quick update to let you all know that yours truly has the cover story on this month's Vegetarian Network of Austin newsletter, "Austin Vegetarian Living". It's about how to eat vegetarian/vegan at Mexican restaurants (and how difficult it can be).
I'm hoping to start posting here more, with links to other great blogs and original stuff. Thanks for reading, and enjoy! ]]>
On Hiatustag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.412009-08-21T23:33:13Z2010-03-05T02:12:53ZHello food readers! As you may have noticed, posting here has slowed to a now non-existent trickle. Between being busy with real life, my camera dying, and baking slowing way down due to general summertime weather, there's been less to...Michael Doss The best way to be notified when I start posting again is to subscribe to this blog's feed or follow TofuFighting on Twitter.Either way, you'll see the new posts as they happen. Happy eating!
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Orange Coast Magazine's new food blog.tag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.402009-06-23T19:22:52Z2010-01-18T22:20:23ZCongrats to Furey and the Feast's Cynthia Furey on her new gig as Orange Coast Magazine's food blogger with "Taste of Orange County"! I love her posts and her photography (they make me inspired and hungry, which are two things...Michael Doss
Furey and the Feast's Cynthia Furey on her new gig as Orange Coast Magazine's food blogger with "Taste of Orange County"! I love her posts and her photography (they make me inspired and hungry, which are two things every food blog should strive for) - I wish her the best of luck at her new endeavor!
More: Check out OC Weekly's little write-up on her, too! ]]>
Wanted: vegan shoes that don't sucktag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.392009-06-19T00:52:49Z2010-01-18T22:21:01ZI'm one of those hippie boycotting types in addition being a vegetarian: I don't wear or buy leather or anything made in a third-world country (unless it's a union shop or otherwise verifiably people-friendly). This makes a lot of purchases...Michael Doss I was a very sad person when I found out Converse was purchased by Nike, and had their operations moved to China. In addition to being a vegan shoe, they're ever-stylish, comfortable, and worked well for me. With them out of the picture, however, I've since bought two pairs of skate-style shoes, each advertised as vegan. The first, purchased in June 2008 from No Sweat, were a Converse knockoff, in every way except the quality. They ripped the first week I had them, and became unglued shortly thereafter. My Cons typically lasted me 3-5 years. These wore out in 4 months.
Next, I went with a pair from Macbeth, another vegan retailer. These shoes seemed stronger at first - they didn't rip like the No Sweat pair did, but 6 months in (I got them in January), they're falling apart a little more every day, first the plastic/rubber interior (it's cracking like old, dry plastic tends to do), and now all the glued bits. They're stylish shoes - it's too bad they're poorly constructed.
Now, I need new shoes. They need to be vegan, they need to ethically produced, and I'd really prefer if they were at least somewhat stylish (or at least generic). I could use a pair of athletic shoes, too, but I'm not holding my breath.
Whatcha got for me? ]]>
What I'm readingtag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.382009-06-17T17:50:11Z2010-01-18T22:21:33ZFairly randomly, I ran across the group food blog Accidental Hedonist, and now I'm hooked. Well written, great photos, and topics ranging from beer to food tech to fine dining.Nancy Luna's Fast Food Maven blog now has a dedicated Facebook...Michael Doss
Accidental Hedonist, and now I'm hooked. Well written, great photos, and topics ranging from beer to food tech to fine dining.
Nancy Luna's Fast Food Maven blog now has a dedicated Facebook page (Nancy was using her personal account for FFM stuff before). Be her friend.
Check out this wholly amazing S'more cupcake from Furey and the Feast. It's a work of art. ]]>
It's Cookie Time!tag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.372009-06-04T00:17:34Z2010-01-18T22:22:15ZI like cookies. I think everyone likes cookies, really - even my friends who aren't that big into sweets can appreciate some variety of cookie (especially given the near limitless forms that can be called "cookie"), and most people are...Michael Doss I think everyone likes cookies, really - even my friends who aren't that big into sweets can appreciate some variety of cookie (especially given the near limitless forms that can be called "cookie"), and most people are much more fond of them than that.
That said, I forget about cookies too much of the time. Cupcakes are hot (and focused on, I think, because they're such a great alternative to larger cakes), but cookies are omnipresent, and can be matched to any season.
What's that mean for you? It means that we should have a mid-year, non-Christmas, bring-your-best-and-share it cookie party. When? I dunno. Where? No idea. But discuss it amongst yourselves, and we'll touch base again soon. ]]>
Damn you, El Pollo Loco...tag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.362009-05-21T19:08:50Z2010-01-18T22:24:41ZBased on what I can gather from this post over at the Fast Food Maven, El Pollo Loco's rice, while never anything special, will no longer be vegetarian once it's reformulated in the coming months. That's too bad, because their...Michael Doss
this post over at the Fast Food Maven, El Pollo Loco's rice, while never anything special, will no longer be vegetarian once it's reformulated in the coming months. That's too bad, because their BRC burritos are a semi-staple for me (well, I go there once a month or so), and it's always been nice to have another burrito choice besides Del Taco and Taco Bell. Alas, if the only thing I can eat there is the beans, I very likely won't go anymore. I'm sure I'm not the only vegetarian, either. ]]>
Bad blogger! No cookies! Ok, one cookie...tag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.352009-05-12T23:44:41Z2010-01-18T22:25:23ZOh, hello. I'm still here. Stupid life gets in the way of blogging, and all of a sudden it's three weeks between new posts. I was sick for almost 2 of those, and when I'm sick, I typically don't bake....Michael Doss Stupid life gets in the way of blogging, and all of a sudden it's three weeks between new posts. I was sick for almost 2 of those, and when I'm sick, I typically don't bake. That's not a great excuse, but it is one...
Speaking of baking, a friend has asked me to make dessert for her birthday party. I'm very excited by the prospect, even though I don't know what I'll be doing yet.
I've actually been cooking with tofu, and made a very good fried tofu with cabbage and mushroom. The secret to frying seems to be too much hot oil. Boy, is that delicious. Next thing to find out is how restaurants make their pressed-style stuff, 'cause it's awesome.
I'm actively trying to decide what I want Tofufighting.com to be. Other blogs do all the things I'm interested in doing, and they do it better. I'm the only person with my voice, though, so there is that. I think for now I'll post when inspired to.
I hope that won't be in another three weeks... ]]>
Black and White Cupcakestag:tofufighting.com,2009://1.342009-04-23T22:28:53Z2010-01-18T22:27:18ZI'm a lazy blogger, and I'll continue to be so for a while. That said, please enjoy the pictures of my birthday cupcakes. They're a basic chocolate cupcake with white or black frosting, and each then paired with an opposite-color...Michael Doss You'll notice they're all complimentary flavors, too (mostly chocolate and sugar) - the book I stole the idea from, the otherwise beautiful "Hello, Cupcake", looks great, but doesn't seem to mind if your vanilla frosting is paired with chewy licorice, or both soft cookies and hard candies. I wanted to make attractive and tasty treats, and I think I succeeded.
Click on any photo below for the picture on my flickr page, where you can see very high-res shots and a few others that I didn't post here. Enjoy!
I have very little experience with the Kogi food trucks. I know they're popular, I know the food is apparently pretty good, and I know they've got some vegan options. They're the darling of the new truck-based gourmet movement, and Food Network can't stop talking about them. Doing some research, it seems they bill themselves as natural food, made with love by the children of immigrants. 
Almost exactly two years ago (while writing at Liberal Atheist Vegetarian), I set out to find the best vegetarian Mexican food in OC. Judging the difference between a good enchilada platter and a bad one is the easy part - the real challenge is actually finding "authentic"-style restaurants that are vegetarian friendly. From the original post:
It's interesting what a difference a year can make. When I stopped regularly posting to TofuFighting last August, the only place I'd seen Gardein brand meat substitutes was at Fresh and Easy and Whole Foods - they sell little two-to-three serving packets of pre-seasoned fake meats, in "beef" and "chicken" varieties. Easily one of the best-tasting products out there (though some of the flavors didn't appeal to me), and the consistancy is the most reminisant of meat that I've had (especially the chicken).
