Top Chef Contestant Dale Wins Immunity with a Vegan Dish
I fear that, in order to tell you about what had me jumping with glee on the couch this evening, I must 
first admit that I love watching the least vegetarian-friendly show ever: Top Chef.
I understand that the cooking business calls meat protein, but everytime a Top Chef challenge lays out tables of animal meat and refers to it as “the protein” - never a bean, soy product, or other such protein in sight - the myth that vegetarians cannot get sufficient protein is perpetuated. But still, I watch the cooks battle it out in the kitchen each week.
Two weeks ago, the “Zoo Food” episode brought what I thought would be an inspirational challenge, breaking the vegetarian barrier. Teams of the competing chefs were assigned an animal - bear, gorilla, penguin, vulture, or lion - and had to pay homage to their creature’s natural diet for a zookeepers’ cocktail party. But even though they had a veggie-loving beast, team gorilla added meat. Boo.
Tonight, however, a vegan dish won the quickfire challenge, earning the meal’s creator Dale immunity. It was a vegan take on sushi; it was beautiful. He used shaved cucumbers as a wrap and delicately cut veggies for a filling, and won me - and the judges - over.
So stay tuned for the recipe … and watch Top Chef to cheer on Dale!
To be fair, I just noticed that both Richard and Ryan made vegetarian tacos last week during the quickfire challenge. Richard’s won; Ryan’s were in the bottom. Richard’s are seen here in the first picture; Ryan’s in the second. Click on either picture to go to that taco’s recipes.
April 24th, 2008 at 11:36 am
[...] it with Cow Fat by Sally Andersen Top Chef had me on an veg*n emotional roller coaster last night! After praising the Bravo! TV cooking contest for having a winning vegan dish a few weeks back, and pointing out that there has never been even a mention of tofu, I stand to edit my [...]