[Maursault]

> But it’s actually super easy to figure it out if you put in maybe 1-2 days of research.

Vegans always say this. It is not true, or it is only half true, because you may gain the knowledge but very often still not have any options. I am vegetarian (cheese is my protein source because though I love the bean, it is a bitch to prepare). I am terrible at vegetarianism, but it isn't my fault. Nearly everything available has some animal byproduct in it, and nearly everything available is also not all that healthy, filled with sugar and salt. It takes something like a detective's mind and drive to sift through a grocery store and find things that are actually good for you unless you prepare every meal from its most basic constituents. On the road? Good luck finding vegan or vegetarian meals. I honestly find it offensive that everything everywhere is based on the meat eater's diet with either one single or no decent alternative menu item, which is just as likely to be mac and cheese.

It is terribly annoying and difficult to eat healthy and vegetarian, let alone vegan, especially in the South and in the sticks. It takes virtuous dedication and extreme vigilance, while carnivores need take no effort whatsoever. I don't understand why there isn't a vegan/vegetarian national chain restaurant, and one without bazaar menu items no one's ever heard of. Veggie fast food is a great idea, would draw crowds, but it simply does not exist. Why isn't half the frozen section filled with vegetarian and healthy TV dinners? Why isn't the free market pouncing on providing healthy, simply healthy, food? Basic, square, vegetarian food is all I am after, and not finding it means I am pretty much starving myself and settling for meals that really aren't all that nutritious.

[poulsbohemian]

>It is terribly annoying and difficult to eat healthy and vegetarian, let alone vegan, especially in the South and in the sticks.

One of the things I find frustrating about so many vegetarian / vegan products on the market and/or recipes is the way they substitute in a chemical shitstorm. As in, too often it feels like I'm taking out meat (which I'd call a "known" product - I know what it is and I buy it from ranchers I know) and the substitute is some kind of heavily processed vegetable or grain concoction. It leaves me wondering about the proposed health and environmental benefits.

[jogjayr]

> Veggie fast food is a great idea, would draw crowds, but it simply does not exist.

You should find a decent selection of ready-to-eat vegetarian fast and frozen foods in any Indian grocery store. Most significant American towns, even out in the sticks, have at least one Indian store these days.

[JeremyNT]

I feel this frustration. I also live in the south and sometimes even the salads all have meat at restaurants.

What's funny is that there's also a fad of vegan restaurants that serve extremely fatty, highly processed "vegan junk food" for lack of a better description. They are greasy and lacking in protein.

This should be really simple. Minimally processed vegetables with tofu, tempeh, seitan, or lentils. But no restaurant here does it.

[drooby]

Well.. I have never been to the South but I have been mid-west and I did feel a bit of the pain but I still didn't have much trouble in grocery stores - even smaller scale grocery stores.

Perhaps I have a palate that is more conducive to the vegan/vegetarian diet, but here are the proteins I eat that I can find just about anywhere with zero issues. Some random combinations of stuff but everything below can be mixed and matched.

- Rice and beans (1 cup of brown + 200g of black beans == ~22g of protein)

- Rice and lentils (1 cup of brown rice + 200g of lentils == ~20g of protein)

- gnocchi and super firm tofu (1 cup gnocchi + 150g tofu == ~27g of protein)

- Lentil spaghetti + super firm tofu (~30g of protein)

- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich (~18g of protein)

- Pita pocket with chickpeas (~17g for just one sandwich - assuming you're really chocking that pocket full of chickpeas :P. Curry chickpeas goes well here, mmmm)

Adult men need about 56g of protein per day while women need about 46g.

I only buy canned beans/lentils since they are the easiest to prepare - and tofu and lentil spaghetti are also just basic items to prepare. As you can see these items all supply at least 1/3 of the protein that most people need in one day. If combined properly they can provide 1/2 of the protein that is needed in just one meal, or you could simply just increase the serving sizes.

This list doesn't even capture the full amount of protein that a meal has.. I usually add a slice of bread to the side, or maybe I'll wrap the rice and beans in a flour tortilla. Maybe I'll have a side of almond or soy milk. Maybe I'll sprinkle some pumpkin seeds or other nut into the wrap.. After everything is said and done, do you see why this doesn't actually need much thought? Getting enough protein is easy.

Also, these things are CHEAP. Rice and beans? Cheap. Tofu? Cheap. Gnocchi is super easy to make yourself, especially with dried potato flakes. The most expensive thing here is probably the specialty lentil/bean pastas, but if you buy those in bulk then you can still save a lot of money compared to animal meat.

The trick to making these items tasty is usually the seasonings, veggies and prep methods. Those take some practice but I usually just stick to tried and true sauces and seasoning blends.

As for vegan fast food - anything at taco bell can be made vegan by asking for "fresco style". Chipotle also has good vegan options with "sofritas"

[Maursault]

Appreciated, and I love rice and beans, and I honestly could eat that and only that for the rest of my life, if, you know, it was handed to me. Now this is going to make me sound lazy, but here is the problem. Let's say you've got an empty kitchen, and you're hungry now. You hit the grocery for rice and beans. You can make the rice and eat that, but the beans won't be ready to cook until tomorrow at the earliest. The point here I think is that it takes a plan and a routine; you have to know that though you bought the beans today that you can't cook and eat them before they soak a day.

Bad excuse. Honestly, I have never done it, and that is probably the only issue. I have no experience with the bean (other than frozen cut green beans), and thus it somehow terrifies me. It's like anything. What if something goes wrong?

I'm just not adventurous with food. I know how to make pasta, create my own dishes with it. I might pour a can of lentil soup over pasta, usually pretty bland even with all the salt Progresso uses, and who knows what else. I doubt many would find my meals palatable, but it prepares in 15 minutes or less depending on the type of pasta.

Anything more complicated or that takes more than 45 minutes to prepare is like rocket science to me. I never understood how my mother could cook 4 things at once and everything is ready at the same time within an hour. Sorcery.