vegan yeeros

Yeeros. Yes, I know many people find vegan meets creepy and fake. But I am not one of these people. We seldom eat fake vegan meat because of price and availability not because of any negative feelings towards manufactured soy products. This vegetarian fake lamb came from the Cruelty Free shop in Auckland, is pantry stable, available online and continues the fine Asian Buddhist tradition of suffering free mock meats.

To yeeros the fake lamb, I cut it crossways into small crumbly chunks and put them on a small oven tray. Then I drizzle with the chunks with vegan Worcester sauce, tomato sauce and olive oil, cut a couple of onions into thin slices and bake at 200 degrees C until the edges of the onions and fake lamb are toasty brown and crunchy. This is added to coleslaw, chili sauce and mayonnaise in warmed through pita bread wraps.

I remember going to mother Chu's in Sydney and being both shocked and delighted by the comprehensive selection of mock meat delights. It seemed a bit dorky and retro at the time, but very loving and heartfelt also. As someone who has craved and eaten a fair amount of KFC in the past I am hardly above eating artificial foods. Like many people, I did not grow up on carrot sticks and hummus, and it would seem odd to turn my back on the world of began fake-outs now.

I do think there's a bit of a schism out there in the first world eats sphere at the moment, between making the choice to eat products because of their artisinal, organic or authentic merit; and the choice to eat foods for compassionate reasons. I like the  way Reiki practitioners vow to be free of negative traits such as anger 'just for today' – I expect in the hope that a lot of 'just for todays' strung together will make a compassionate life. So 'just for today' I will enjoy my creepy fake meat, in the hopes that I will string a compassionate life together.