Tim Samoff // Weblog (old)

November 15, 2004

Meatless mind...

Ok, so you may have noticed that this Weblog has had few thought-provoking entries as of late. Some ideas are on the backburner, though, it’s just that I’ve been pretty busy and my mind has been on other things.

As a former vegetarian, I must tell you about one of my favorite lunch-time meals (which I just finished eating): Boca Spicy Chik’n Patties. Not only do they taste great, but they’re great for you too.

But, why the Spicy Chik’n instead of the two Original Chik’n varieties? Well, after years of experimentation, I have come to the conclusion that the Spicy Chik’n Patties actually heat up in the microwave better than the other two Boca Chik’n products. Now, I don’t know why this is, but it it (for some reason, the Original Chik’n tends to get hard edges that are not very appetizing). In fact, when I’m in the mood for soy-based chicken substitute nuggets (as we allget in the mood for from time to time), I actually opt for the Morningstar Farms Buffalo Wings — tasty! But I digress…

I think Boca might be one of my favorite food companies. They make great tasting food and none of it is actually real — or, rather, none of it is “real” in the sense that it’s all food that’s made to taste like something it isn’t. Boca isn’t the only company that makes frozen meatless products, though… There’s the aforementioned Morningstar Farms, as well as Amy’s Kitchen and a few others. Every company has their specialties, of course — Boca for Spicy Chik’n and Smoked Sausage, Morningstar Farms for Buffalo Wings and Corn Dogs, Amy’s Kitchen for Pot Pies and Enchiladas... You get the point.

I worked in Berkeley, California for a short time and one of the more popular lunch spots for the company I was with was a restaurant called Long Life Veggie House (you’ll have to scroll down the page to find it), a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. At Long Life Veggie, you can order everything from General Tso’s Chicken to Mandarin Pork or Beef and Broccoli and, while you’d swear that you were eating the real thing (texture, taste, and all), you’d be wrong… It’s all made out of soy.

Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your regularly scheduled activities for the day. Just remember… I like Spicy Chik’n. It’s good.

Posted at 1:51 pm

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I would suggest these forms of food purely for health reasons, even if I was never a vegetarian — in fact, I ate them before becoming a vegetarian and I will long after quitting as well — most of the Boca menu touts nutrition specs that would make any food-type shudder in fear of being banned by the FDA (we’re talking no cholesterol, super-high protein, 50% less fat than meat, etc.). Of course, this is do to the fact that most of these foods are made from soy.


Not to get too deep into why I became a vegetarian — it was for health reasons, not because meat is unhealthy, but because my body cannot process most types of meat in a very…pleasant…way — but no irony can discount the benefits of living on a high-soy diet.


Anyway, I just thought I’d tell you how much I loved Spicy Chik’n, that’s all!

timsamoff () (URL) - November 15, 2004 at 3:49 pm

That’s an interesting article, Mary, if not a little extreme. I think soy, like any food-type must be eaten in moderation — I’m pretty sure that anything consumed three-times-daily would become a health risk at some point. I’m definitely not saying, “...so eat some soy for every meal.”


Another thing about the article is that it talks about the unhealthy procedures in which soy products are made… Well, those procedures are used for lots of different foods, not just soy. So, while I’d agree that they aren’t the best procedures, I don’t think I could concentrate solely on soy as an offender off our “good standards.”


But, I think the article does bring up a good point: Eat soy in moderation.


Yes… Eat everything in moderation.


And as far as my own “studies” have concluded thus far, after about 15 years of consuming soy in one form or another, at least once a week — but mostly more — I feel like soy has treated my body much more kindly than any animal product. Of course, this is a personal study, so I’d suggest that everyone do their own and not use my results as a reason to jump into a swimming pool full of Soy Dream.


Oh, and Jared… Yeah, I caught your drift. I was just playing into the whole idea a little as well.

timsamoff () (URL) - November 16, 2004 at 08:00 am