October is vegetarian awareness month

October 12, 8:43 PMHoboken Restaurant ExaminerShubha Murthy

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                                    It's a good month to veg out!

     The arrival of October marks not only an apparent departure from the sun’s warmth to a chilly forecast, but it shines a bright spotlight on the herbivores among us all.  Whether you’re a veteran or newbie to the vegetarian club, you’re being recognized this month.  The idea behind Vegetarian Awareness Month isn’t based on a preach-y proposal to shed a newfound light on the health benefits of ‘converting’ to vegetarianism, but to embrace and celebrate those that live meal-to-meal by their own veggie philosophy.  From soy to lentils, grains to legumes and greens to roots, a walk down any aisle of your local grocery store can prove that practically any meat goods has a purely-vegetarian counterpart.  Vegetarians aren’t stereotyped to existing solely on salads anymore.  Veggie ‘meatloaf’ and soy ‘chicken’ nuggets, to name a few, have paved the way for vegetarians to enjoy what their carnivorous companions are used to.

            Whether you are a vegetarian, flexitarian, pescatarian…and the list goes on, or you just feel like gorging on the greens, there is an abundance of ways to satiate your hunger for a veggie-only meal wherever you choose to dine.  Within every cuisine, short of authentic steakhouses, you are sure to find an array of delectable and appeasing veggie-friendly dishes.  Living in/near a city as sundry as Hoboken, with a cornucopia of restaurant choices at your feet, presents vegetarians with a prime opportunity to delve into any dining establishment regardless of their food limitations.

            Ordering vegetarian at restaurants [as any strict vegetarian can attest to] isn’t as easy as you’d think.  Soups, salads and even seemingly all-veg side dishes can be laced with meat broths and cooked with animal lards.  Caesar salad dressing has an anchovy base; refried beans and some rice side dishes have been known to be cooked with beef fat.  Order cautiously, or dine with an experienced vegetarian if you are hesitant.  You’ll eventually learn that just because a dish is labeled “vegetarian-friendly” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the clear.

            When ordering vegetarian, set the hesitation and “safe” choices aside.  Japanese cuisine has come far in accommodating non-meat eaters, introducing cooked vegetarian sushi, tempura frying every vegetable available and always offers a ‘make-your-own’ noodle/rice dish.  Latin dishes include grilled veggies laced with a signature Tex-Mex flair, and virtually any meat dish can be substituted with your choice of vegetable.  If anything, it seems that veggie lovers have an infinite number of meal choices.  That can never be a bad thing!

            If you want to honor Vegetarian Awareness Month [whichever side of the food track you fall under], get out and create your own rendition of “going green,” and step into the shoes of an herbivore for a meal or two.  Enjoy and benefit from the progress restaurants and grocery stores have achieved in offering filling, purely vegetarian meals; it may surprise you.  You might even be taken aback by how little you’ll relish a carnivorous touch to your meals.

            Bon appétit!  

Click on the link provided above to see which of your favorite Hoboken eateries are vegetarian-friendly!