"Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A follower of the diet or the philosophy is known as a vegan. Distinctions may be made between several categories of veganism." - Wikipedia
If you're a meat eater and you're reading this, don't give out.. It's the very reason we wanted to write this article.
Over 2 years ago when we bought what was once "Souped Up" - Run at the time by the Late local legend called Jo who had a heart made of pure gold.. there wasn't a vegan dish in sight. It wasn't just vegan dishes either, it was dishes free from gluten or free of dairy too. You see, for most people, as a vast majority of us eat meat and have done for decades the word "Vegan" in itself is off-putting and lots of store owners think the word in itself will damage their reputation or business.. for example until this year it was unheard of that a burger chain would offer a vegan burger. But why is it that we have this premise?
As someone who has eaten meat for a majority of my life and who never really understood the word Vegan, like many, I though being Vegan was more about being a hippy.. more about trying to live off seeds and berries and it sounded silly, plus, who doesn't eat meat right? The thing that has most blown me away since deciding to stop eating meat is that so many parts of your usual diet are vegan anyway, it isn't about trying to live in the woods foraging for seeds and berries, it's about eating plants over animals.
We're not going to sit here and show you pictures of animals suffering, we see enough of it online to know it happens, we're here to tell you just because you do eat meat doesn't mean you shouldn't try a vegan dish. We serve vegan dishes every day of the week and most of our Vegan dishes are really high in protein (a common misconception among meat eaters) and extremely filling, not to mention they are really tasty too. It's unlikely you'll find anything in a vegan dish you hadn't eaten before yet the flavours, the flavours are vast and exciting and different. I think of it in a similar way to my first ever subway sandwich.. who knew there could be so much flavour (back in the day that is) from a sandwich? What was it that made subway different to the sandwiches I had grown up eating? It was the huge mix of vegetables you could throw in to the sub with your choice of dressings and bread. All the options combined made an exciting difference from a regular cheese and ham sandwich, a common favourite of mine growing up. Our dishes are kind of like that.. if you eat meat it's really easy to think of proteins and carbs. If I asked you for a good protein and carb dish most people would answer "steak and potatoes", but who knew there would be such an amazing impact in terms of flavour when you add 10 different vegetables in to the mix, or when you cook and prepare vegetables in a different way?
We have Vegan dishes every day of the week, vegan soups, vegan salads, vegan wraps and even vegan snacks and treats at Soupa Cafe but we don't just do it for the Vegan community, we do it because those dishes provide amazing flavour to our loving city, so, if you do eat meat please don't be put off by the word "Vegan", not at Soupa and not somewhere else either. Please, we urge you to try a Vegan dish and give yourself the opportunity to experience something really amazing. We promise, you owe it to yourself :)