So I went to one of Austin’s better-known vegan joints for dinner tonight. Vegetarian cuisine excites me, when I think about it philosophically — vegetables are beautiful, and the eclectic combination of textures and colors and shapes on a plate together looks fresh and inviting to me. So why is it that “vegan food” at Asian restaurants is too often shapeless lumps of fried “chewy vegetable protein?” (Yes, the adjective was actually on the menu.) I don’t want vegetable protein in a runny generic brown sauce. I want vegetables in an identifiable form. I’d rather go the beans and lentils route, with tofu thrown in, which is as close to the veggie protein concept as I think i want to get.

To be fair, I didn’t TRY said dish. Just the appearance was a turn-off. Maybe I’ll be braver next time.