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Vegetarians have some good local options
By Mark Nemeth
Staff Reporter
I ride a bike around downtown
Lincoln and when I get hungry, I
try to figure out how the few dol
lars in my pocket will feed me.
If I ate meat, I’d probably go to
... I don’t know. Where would I
go? Someplace greasy.
But I don’t like meat. Let me tell
you why. It’s not necessarily that
raising animals for consumption is
a waste of land, or that the compa
nies that raise these animals are
often wasteful and cruel, or that the
lobbying these companies do keeps
people misinformed about nutri
tion, or that eating animals just
seems cruel, or that I’ve seen the
movie “Parents" too many times, or
that I’ve seen a meat locker once.
It is just that I like foods that
aren’t meats. I like being forced to
eat creatively, and though it may be
a little difficult in a city without a
vegetarian restaurant, it is possible
to do while being good for your
body, your mind and your ability
to live inexpensively.
Don’t be turned off to avoiding
meat: Just watch someone chew a
steak.
Some vegetarians seem to apply
their personal politics like intoler
ant fascism. Ugh. I just don't eat
meat.
The following are some of the
downtown places I like to go where
onecanfinda cheap meatlessmeal.
The key cheap meatless meal in
downtown Lincoln is the Tofu To
mato at the key cheap downtown
restaurant, Vien Dong, at 1217 Q St.
Describing it means using the
word tofu, which some people think
they don’t like. Try tofu the way
Vien Dong prepares it. Along with
“The Prisoner” television series,
Matthew Sweet Records, politics
and Jolly Ranchers, the tofu tomato
at Vien Dong ranks high on my
“Here, try this,” list.
Vien Dong is just a great place to
eat, to talk, and to sit; a basic
unobtrusive, well-lit restaurant with
windows that draws an unobtru
sive, seemingly sophisticated,
unpretentious diners seeking inex»
pensive Vietnamese food.
Though the wait isn’t long,
conversations always build in in
tensity after ordering, as taste buds
romanticize the beginningofa new
food relationship.
I often long for the taste of tofu
rectangles in their miracle tomato
sauce. Whatever the dish, the por
tions are large. Sharing any Vien
Dong plate is easy. Each comes
with the rice on a separate plate,
along with a small deep bowl. Splil
a plate, and get a meatless eggroll,
or a bowl of tofu soup.
The man who often pours water
is sweet. I wish 1 knew the names
of those who work at Vien Dong,
but I’m always unobtrusive there.
I know that not everyone goes
there for the tofu tomato, so non
vegetarians must also enjoy Vien
Dong.
Because so many Lincoln resi
dents have moved to Minneapolis,
and also as a role model for any
vegetarian entrepreneurs, I must
mention Riverside Cafe in Minnea
polis, which offers both vegetarian
and vegan meals and is owned
cooperatively by its employees.
Its meal options are large, inex
pensive, and filled with plenty of
rice, lentil, tofu, falafel, vegetable
and tempeh options. You want
bean curd? They’ve got bean curd.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is
large and simple. Musicians often
perform there, passing around a
cup for donations.
Cafes, small restaurants and coffee
shops with alternative magazines,
books and good cheap meatless
food: Lincoln needs more of them.
In Lincoln, we have the Mill, at
8th & P streets. Though the Mill, a
coffee shop, is not a restaurant, it
does offer an inexpensive vegetar
ian pita sandwich filled with cu
cumDers, avocados, sprouts, cream
cheese and a dill sauce.
The Mill’s combination of woody
and windowy interior, plants, high
ceilings, benched tables, coffee
accessories, employees, magazines,
ndWspapers and other interesting
reading material make for the most
likely place that I, my bicycle and a
few pocketed dollars would go for
drink and light food.
Did I say the Mill’s coffee was
rich and brewed beautifully? I’d
rather simply eat a blueberry, ba
nana nut or poppy seed muffin
with a good cup of coffee, or a
grapefruit Blue Sxy in the Mill than
anywhere in downtown Lincoln.
Closer to campus is the Hdle
Works, a nice little coffee and bagel
shop at 1227 R St. If you want
something, anything, on a bagel,
or English muffin, or bread, just ask
them. They’ll make it and it won't
be expensive.
Their vegetarian spread is good.
l usually gel a wneai Dagei wun a
tomato and maybe cheese if I’m
feeling aggressive and non-vegan.
Its rounded bar makes for good
cafe-wide conversation and helps
make the Hole Works the best
close-to-campus cheap meatless
food option.
Open Harvest is a cooperatively
owned food store at 1618 South St.
Though not always cheap, Open
Harvest does offer the best selec
tion of vegetarian food products
close to downtown. Try one of
their prewrapped sandwiches, in
cluding one made with artichokes.
I used to fill my body many
times with vegetarian sandwiches
on wheat bread from Subway, at
1300 P St. They’re cheap and tasty,
but ever since a friend called them
‘condiment sandwiches,’ I’ve cut
down on the Subway habit. I’ll
always have a place in my heart for
the taste of lettuce, mustard, to
mato, pepper, vinegar and oil on
bread, though.
Highnooners, 1414 O St., offers
the non-vegan a tasty cheese sand
wich, and the owners used to co
own the Drumstick, so one might
go buy a sandwich there in mem
ory of Lincoln’s bar/mecca for al
ternative bands.
bomeumes i ve iouhu mywii ^
Amigos or Taco Inn. I like crispy
bean burritos, and they’re cheap.
Amigos is all over the place and the
Taco Inn closest to campus is at
1245 R St.
The best reward for not eating
meat is the capability of creatively
eating at home. Rices and grains
are cheap. Go buy them; apples,
oranges, tomatoes, avacados, mush
rooms, onions, peppers, sprouts,
cucumbers, tofu, tempeh, falafal,
non-white rice, flour, yeast, cereals
and milk for the non-vegan.
Then you will need paprika for
sauteing, coriander for tne tempeh,
curry for rice, tortilla shells, beans,
pitas, breads, oil and vinegar to mix
with pepper and garlic salt for sal
ads and vegetable sandwiches.
And of course there are crou
tons for salads, pesto for pasta and
pasta for pesto. Make sandwiches
and rice dishes. Foods are not
necessarily difficult to make, don't
take that much time and save you
money.
In the nol-cheap-but-necessary
category is the occasional spree.
One might try cut apples on baked
brie cheese and bread, Breyers
Vanilla Ice Cream, or any Ben &
Jerry’s Ice Cream.
F.aling cheap and meatless in
this downtown city of potential
takes creativity, and the desire for
creativity may be the cheapest and
most creative way to eat meatless.
11 I I — III '■ II I
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