Seitan: Being that today is Halloween, my original plan was to visit Holeman & Finch tonight for the first time and write a truly strange, scary post based on their wide selection of offal. What could be more appropriate, right? I later found out that they're closed Sun. nights, so I had to improvise. However, I found something by accident today that's just as scary as brains or intestines. I'd been out of town all weekend, so I went down to Whole Foods on Ponce to hopefully find something for lunch. I generally don't visit WF much due to the exorbitant prices, but I was in the mood to browse a little.
I was scoping out the hot bar, when I noticed something that I'd heard of but never tried: seitan. I knew that it was some sort of vegetarian meat substitute, but that's about all. I'm not a fan of any faux-meat, and I once suffered a whole day of stomach distress after eating at a vegan Chinese restaurant on Buford Highway that featured nothing but faux-meat dishes. Since I wasn't exactly sure what seitan was, I asked an employee for a sample cup, and I took a sizable chunk to try.
The seitan was labeled as "cacciatore style," with tomatoes, peppers, onions, and some other ingredients (from the middle serving tray pictured). I put the whole piece in my mouth and chewed...and chewed, and chewed. It tasted similar to tofu, but much more solid - almost like a firm piece that had been left out in the sun to dry. If it weren't for the other ingredients in the dish, it would have tasted like nothing at all. This was more akin to chewing on a piece of Nerf football, and not at all pleasant. I'm glad I didn't actually pay for a whole portion.
I'm not opposed to vegetarian cuisine, but this was downright repulsive. Happy Halloween!
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