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Male Vegetarians: Macho or Unmanly?

partysugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 10:15:57 -0700

Last week we introduced you to the gastrosexual, a macho man who enjoys spending time in the kitchen, and today I bring you the predicament of the male vegetarian. While masculinity is often associated with meat-eating, a recent Guardian article by vegetarian Barbara Ellen argues that being a male vegetarian requires more manliness than being a carnivore:

In this hostile, ultra-macho, morally arid climate, to stand up and be counted as a male vegetarian must require cojones of immense size, much bigger balls, in fact, than your average carnivorous wimp, who just goes along with the crowd. So pity him no longer, for it could be that the male vegetarian is suddenly looking kind of sexy again.

I think she makes a good point and it's interesting to note that a man's masculinity goes hand in hand with his eating habits. What do you think about the topic? Are male vegetarians more or less macho than their meat-eating counterparts?

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Saucy PETA Campaign Links Vegetarianism to Virility

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:00:07 -0700

Animal-rights organization PETA is known for its head-turning campaigns, and its latest one is no different. PETA Asia Pacific's newest ads feature model-actress Alicia Mayer in a lingerie set holding a suggestive banana, provoking, "Eating meat got you down? Get it up! Go vegetarian." PETA states:

A man who stuffs his belly full of dead pig flesh in the kitchen might end up delivering dead wood in the bedroom. High cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, prostate cancer and inflammation, and hormonal imbalances cause the vast majority of all cases of impotence. The good news is that medical science has proved that all of these conditions can be virtually eliminated with a low-fat vegan diet.

My guess is that this campaign is part of an effort by PETA to turn more guys into vegetarians. After all, masculinity has long been associated with eating meat. While I find the ad entertaining, I'm not sure it will be enough to convert insecure men. Do you find the tagline amusing or offensive? And could you see it converting more males into vegetarians?

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Come Party With Me: Super Bowl - Menu

partysugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 09:00:08 -0800

The Super Bowl is this Sunday and to make sure you host the best blowout bash, I'll be sharing all of my ideas for an awesome party. To get things started let's talk about the menu. Before you select a bunch of dishes, think about the crowd you will be serving. Will it be mostly people who are invested in the game? A male heavy group? A mix of football fans and people who are simply there to socialize? Choose dishes that will accommodate this group. My crew falls into the last category with a variety of meat-lovers and vegetarians planning to attend.

For appetizers set up a buffet of store bought or homemade dips (guacamole, buffalo chicken dip, hummus, and artichoke crab dip are my favorites). As the main course, offer oozing grilled mozzarella sandwiches and cheesesteak sliders. No Super Bowl party is complete without a deep fried treat and guests will be delighted to snack on super crispy onion rings. To look at these recipes, read more.

Grilled Mozzarella Sandwiches
From Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 pound fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into 4 equal pieces about 3-inches by 4-inches
8 1/2-inch thick firm white sandwich bread
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
A grating of nutmeg
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Place the mozzarella on 4 slices of the bread. Cover with the remaining slices to form sandwiches. Trim the crusts off to make perfect 4-inch squares.
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the cream, thyme leaves, salt, and nutmeg. Whisk until well blended.
In a 10 to 12-inch nonstick saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking.
Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook until the sizzling subsides.
Dip 2 of the sandwiches into the egg mixture, turning to coat, place in the pan, and cook until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Flip over and brown on the other side.
Transfer the sandwiches to individual plates and repeat the process with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, and 2 sandwiches. Cut in half, and serve immediately.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

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Cheesesteak Sliders
From Everyday with Rachael Ray

Ingredients

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
Salt and pepper
2 large bell peppers, cut into thin strips
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
16 dinner rolls, split
6 ounces provolone cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat until rippling. Season the beef with salt and pepper, increase the heat to high and cook in the skillet for 3 minutes; flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.
In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium high heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Place the roll bottoms on a large rimmed baking sheet and top each with the beef and vegetables; sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with the roll tops.

Makes 16 sliders.

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Supercrispy Onion Rings
From Food and Wine

Ingredients

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
3 cups cake flour
1 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 1/2 to 3 cups chilled club soda
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/2-inch slices and separated into rings

Directions

In a very large pot or deep fryer, heat the oil to 365°F.
In a bowl, whisk the cake flour with the cornstarch, baking soda and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Add 2 1/2 cups of the club soda and whisk until smooth; the batter should be thick but pourable. If necessary, add the remaining 1/2 cup of club soda, a few tablespoons at a time.
Working with 6 to 8 onion rings at a time, dip them in the batter until completely coated; as you pull the rings from the batter, scrape some of the excess against the side of the bowl.
Carefully add the onion rings to the hot oil and fry until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain the onion rings on paper towels.
Sprinkle the onion rings with salt and serve immediately or keep warm in an oven on low heat while you coat and fry the rest.

Serves 8.

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Is It OK to Use Sexuality to Promote Vegetarianism?

partysugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 10:31:51 -0700

While I don't have a problem with consuming any kind of meat, I do find it troublesome when women are portrayed as a type of meat. Although exploiting the female body to promote vegetarianism or veganism is nothing new, a recent article in the New York Times highlights the trend. The article discusses a vegan strip club - Casa Diablo - in Oregon that attempts to convert meat-eating males to veganism, as well as a Los Angeles dance group - the Vegan Vixens - that performs at events and trade shows. Both parties are happy to be a part of a growing group of vegans who don't mind showing a little skin. Here's a quick excerpt:

Vegans who use sexuality to promote the cause say it is a good way to convert carnivores.

It's a known fact that sex sells, but I can't help but feel this movement is a step backward. What do you think about it? Is it OK to use sexuality to promote vegetarianism?

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Do You Know What's Cooking This Week?

YumSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:30:45 -0700

Our week was full of reflection: We started off stunned by the outcome of the Next Food Network Star. Then we engaged in a dialogue with überchef Thomas Keller. We also took the time to ponder the tribulations of being a male vegetarian.

Not that it was all serious, though: Did you catch us savoring homemade chocolate-covered bacon? Take our quiz to see how much you were paying attention.

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Let's Dish: Hell's Kitchen 4.7

partysugar — Wed, 14 May 2008 11:15:00 -0700

Wasn't last night's episode of Hell's Kitchen surprisingly entertaining in a good way? The wannabe chefs were challenged to a blind palette test where they had to identify certain ingredients based on taste alone. Working with the girl's team, Matt finally felt at ease and relaxed into his role as line cook in Hell's Kitchen. To chat about this and everything else that happened, read more.

If you were a member of the red team, how would you feel if a male joined your all female group?
Didn't Matt look hysterical in his bath robe at the patio spa?
Was Jen being too sensitive after Ramsay yelled at her?
Is it hard for you to work as a team?
Is anyone else starting to think that Rosann can NOT cook?
Were you shocked when Petrozza put himself up for elimination?
Which girl should become a member of the boys team?

Here are my top three Gordon Ramsay quotes:

On Bobby's role in the kitchen: You cant just keep looking after yourself. You have to f***ing talk. Unbelievable. Hurry up Louross!
To Ben: You are so f***ing sad. Every time i ask you something you give me the limped answer. You are one of the most f***ing saddest people in my kitchen. What is this Dr. Phil?
On Christina's reaction to his compliment: F*** the thank you! Just concentrate we still have 20 left to go. Don't start peeing in your knickers!

Besides Ramsay, the contestants had some hilarious one liners. Can you guess who said these things?

On Ramsay using fake meat to make the classic taste test dishes: He must have got it from a damn good vegetarian store.
On the fake meat in the beef stew: For a second there I thought it was cat because it was really stringy.
On Ramsay changed behavior: Now, I guess he is on his period today.
On his role in the kitchen: Usually I have people cleaning up after me

Photos courtesy of Fox.