oh man... that does suck. - Josh Haley from iPhone

And surrounded by all those delicious vegetarians? What is there to be sad about? - Jim Norris

I went to get a burger afterwards. Am fine now! - Jess Lee

I've heard of vegetarian places so good carnivores don't even miss the meat. ... I've never visited such a place myself. - Andrew C

Andrew, no such place exists, my friend. - Chieze Okoye

I've heard of them too, Andrew, but only from vegetarians, and if you're going to rule out a whole category of foods on a whim, you must not like food that much, so your opinion doesn't carry much weight with me. - Mr. Gunn

Now imagine how often the opposite happens to vegetarians! Weddings are particularly bad. I usually eat something beforehand, and bring a Cliff bar with me so I don't pass out from starvation. - Robert Felty

Next time that happens, let us know asap. Someone will send bacon. :) - April Buchheit from iPhone

:( sorry Jess...that sucks. I know sometimes fake chicken just doesn't cut it... - Anna Lynn M.

I once went to a vegan wedding at Greens in San Francisco. The food was yummy. But we both woke up thoroughly hungry the next morning, as though we ate nothing the night before. - Piaw Na

A whim, Mr. Gunn? That's completely false and baseless. And here I actually used to have some respect for you as a source of information. - Ruchira S. Datta

I wondered if someone was going to give me static about calling their choice a whim. OK, so it's not a whim, it's a serious and considered decision to toss out a whole category of food. It's an indication that something (be it environmental, ethical, or other perfectly valid issue) is more important to you than food, so perhaps the person making that choice isn't necessarily going to be your go-to person for information about food. - Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn, I see that your view has its own consistency. A word to the wise: if you ever do find someone to whom *nothing* is more important than food, I would suggest that when you go to them for information, you either make sure they're not hungry or stay a safe distance away. - Ruchira S. Datta

Hey now, gourmets don't usually think of other people as food. - Andrew C

Andrew C, why not? - Ruchira S. Datta

I'm a sad cannibal trapped in an empty restaurant. - Jim Norris

@Ruchira - too gamy, and then there's the social and legal barriers too. - Andrew C

Andrew C, the opinions of people who would let social and legal barriers stand in the way don't carry much weight with Mr. Gunn. As for gaminess, apparently it's an acquired taste--maybe those who haven't acquired it are not true gourmands. - Ruchira S. Datta

I think Gunn's statement can be logically reconciled with mine by stating that the axiom of what is and isn't food is fundamental to the whole concept of food... - Andrew C

Calling it an "axiom" puts it beyond the realm of reasoning (rather like a "dogma"). So be it. - Ruchira S. Datta

It's not axiomatic at all, it's entirely dependent on how hungry you are. - Jim Norris

Jim, thus the wisdom of my warning. - Ruchira S. Datta

Ruchira, come on. I see what you're saying, but you're taking the facetiousness a bit too far. "Humans aren't food" is a much more common understanding among humans (hence axiom) than any of the various reasons why vegetarians don't eat meat. - Chieze Okoye

Chieze, so the basis for "Humans aren't food" is simply social conformity, which depends entirely on the milieu in which you happen to find yourself (and again is beyond the realm of reasoning). All right, I revise my warning: when you go to the person to whom nothing is more important than food, make sure they're not hungry, stay a safe distance away, or make sure there are other people like you within shouting distance. - Ruchira S. Datta

Oh, and you'd better make sure the same will apply after you've eaten and digested the food they recommend. - Ruchira S. Datta

Eat the waiter. - Kevin Pedraja

escape! - Susan Beebe

OMG Jess is still trapped? It's been 19 hours! We need to send help. - Stephen Mack

OK, so the semantics of all this and fun and everything, but let's get real. However laudable and noble their aims, a vegetarian foodie is like a painter who won't use the color red or a designer who won't include a curved surface in any design. They can be good resources on how to work within their constraints, but aren't considered general authorities. And a lot of them are just doing it for the attention (*ducks*). - Mr. Gunn

Mr. Gunn, don't know about that. One reason Indian food is so rich (real food, not the restaurant stuff) is that the food evolved to be vegetarian in many parts of the country. People there don't choose (most anyway) to be vegetarian because it's trendy. This from someone who has literally eaten almost everything there is to eat - Deepak Singh

I know Deepak. It was just a little snark followed up by giving Ruchira a hard time. I love y'all, for real. - Mr. Gunn

You, snarky? Never :) - Deepak Singh from IM

I find that most meat eaters haven't had much good vegetarian food. I am nearly always disappointed when a meat eater cooks for me. That is why I learned to cook (and most vegetarians I know are pretty good cooks). That being said, given the choice between going to a strictly vegetarian restaurant and going to an Indian restaurant, I usually choose Indian, for several reasons. (1) It is usually cheaper. (2) It is usually more filling (3) Indians sure know their spices! - Robert Felty

Wow, did not expect my whining to result in such a long discussion. Go FriendFeed! - Jess Lee

Where did you get the burger? - Cristo

McDonalds. - Jess Lee

Booooooooooo urns - Andrew C from Android

Mr. Gunn, how many puppies have you eaten? And I assure you, I'm vegetarian all day, every day, whether anyone is watching or not. Where I live this actually doesn't get me much attention. - Ruchira S. Datta

Is puppy meat suppose to be good? I guess if the puppies are properly fed (like veal) they could be tasty, although I've never encountered them on the menu. Of course, I have eaten from taco trucks, so who knows? :) - Cristo

Nothing else is exactly the color of pus. A painter who does not keep a supply of infected wounds around to supply this color is not a true artist. - Ruchira S. Datta

Ruchira, we generally find RGB or CMYK do a decent enough job. But I really don't think whole meat (as opposed to ground) can be adequately simulated with non-meat ingredients. - Andrew C

I'll concede that vegetarians aren't typically going to be authorities on types of cuisine that normally feature meats as essential parts of meals, just as I confess being a neophyte when it comes to the medium of pus on canvas. - Jim Norris

My friend prefers bacon on his veggie burgers. - Cristo

Andrew C, if you are referring to the current state of science and technology, I agree with you. The reason RGB and CMYK work (although seriously, there are many artists who don't think using them is true art) is because our understanding of color perception is currently much more advanced than our understanding of the perception of odor or texture. - Ruchira S. Datta

Jim, I certainly wouldn't pose as an authority on whether the chicken tikka masala in a particular restaurant is good. But Mr. Gunn is discounting my opinion on whether *any* dish in a restaurant is good. The only statement he would allow is "It's good, considering that it's vegetarian." Not, "It's good," period. Apparently since I'm vegetarian I must be out of my senses. - Ruchira S. Datta

_The Emperor of Scent_ is a fascinating book about odor perception (and I tend to think the opinion of the central character is probably right). - Ruchira S. Datta

It's usually the opposite for some of us. Please try the setan. - Jacob