Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Vegan MoFo Day3: This Post Will Contain Some Whining


A little over ten years ago, my husband and I decided to move to Albany, NY.  We have no regrets.  Since moving here, we both lost large amounts of weight, kept the weight off, and, of course, became the parents of our awesome little boy.  We've lived in Philadelphia and Allentown during our time as a couple, and by far, Albany is our favorite place to live.  But there is something that we gripe about.

Albany has NO vegan restaurants.  None.  We had one for a little while--a little place called Food For Thought.  Sadly, it was not long for this world.  One thing that really kills me?  Philly is replete with vegan restaurants--somehow, when I wasn't looking, it became a bit of a vegan mecca.  And when we lived there?  We weren't vegan yet.

And having an egg-allergic child adds more complexity to our no-vegan-restaurants situation.  The allergist who tested my son determined that he is allergic to all parts of the egg and advised that he needs to avoid anything produced in a facility that handles egg.  Any restaurant that isn't vegan has to be presumed to be a facility that handles egg!  So while my husband or I can order a vegan dish in a non-vegan restaurant, that's not an option for our son.

One of the best things about a family trip we took to New York City earlier this year was....  VEGAN RESTAURANTS.  Many to choose from!  We could barely contain our excitement.

Once, my son exclaimed, "Albany!  You need to get a vegan restaurant!"  We couldn't agree more.  Even Syracuse has a couple of vegan restaurants, and they're not even as earthy-crunchy as we are.  Albany?  What gives?

One ray of light:  neighboring Troy, NY has X's to O's Vegan Bakery.  I cannot say enough about the yumminess of their treats.  Check out the site, even if you are not local, as they also ship their yummies.

So--I hope X's to O's ushers in a new era of vegan eateries in my area.  One can hope, anyway.  Meanwhile, I am planning to run the Philly marathon next year, and one of my side thoughts is:  "VEGAN RESTAURANTS!"

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I've never been, but I hear Albany has a really awesome co op that puts the one I used to go to in Ithaca, NY to shame! That's something!

Mirkat said...

Elizabeth, you're right--we do have an excellent co-op: the Honest-Weight Food Co-op.

Oh, also, apparently, the people behind the short-lived Food For Thought vegan restaurant are trying their hand at catering.

sara said...

ha, i'm down in poughkeepsie and i whine all the time about the lack of vegan options here! i'm sorry to hear it's the same in albany. on the plus side, i guess it motivates us to become awesome cooks since we HAVE to make everything ourselves! ;)

Mirkat said...

sara, it definitely inspires the DIY spirit! Lucky for me, my husband is an awesome cook and he keeps the fridge stocked with yummy foods like lentil soup, chili, guac, fresh salads, home-made bread, and hummus. I admit I'm spoiled!