Review / Picky Eaters: what can a vegan eat and enjoy at the meat grill Yakiniku Jumbo?
I have been vegan for at least six years now. Sometimes I do stumble and make mistakes that could enrage an avid vegan, such as wearing a lipstick brand that is not cruelty-free, or wearing leather items I have owned for many years and choose to still use until they are utterly worn out.
Yet I am absolutely plant-based in what I eat and strive to keep my diet as close to nature as possible.
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There is, in my opinion, a common misconception that vegans are very inflexible and a nightmare as company during a meal. The chances are, if you’re not vegan, you might be stumped by the question of what to make (if you’re the one donning the chef’s apron), or where to go?
However, I feel that there is absolutely no need to worry: I often tell my meat-eating friends that I can always find something to eat on the menu.
There is, in my opinion, a common misconception that vegans are very inflexible and a nightmare as company during a meal ... for visual effects we went to both extremes in the Picky Eaters video, but here I pose the question: who’s more inflexible, the meat eater or the vegan?
And that point is something that is proved in my latest Picky Eaters video, where my colleague Douglas Parkes challenged me to a meal at a yakiniku – specialising in grilled meat cuisine in Central. Can I actually find something to eat on the menu at Yakiniku Jumbo?
I have since shared this video with my fellow vegan comrades and opinions have been divisive: what is the point of this video, and why even share something that seems to be blackening the reputation of vegan food and – gasp! – the fabulous restaurant that we vegans could name easily as a favourite in the city of Hong Kong?
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In the first video, Dusty’s favourite dish actually coincides with mine from the POP Vegan menu, and I am a vegan who prefers really natural ingredients rather than faux meat and gimmicky ingredients. This is great news because it means that plant-based dishes now have so much to offer in terms of flavour and texture – more than ever before.
So back to Yakiniku Jumbo. Did I have a good experience and, most importantly, walk away with a full satisfying experience?
Vegans can come from all walks of life and have so many different reasons for choosing to eat and live is way. We need to talk about things, have an environment for discussion where non-vegans can learn about veganism and, ultimately, embrace this Earth-friendly lifestyle and diet
Well, let’s just say, if you ask, you shall be rewarded.
My goal in this series is to really open up the conversation and examine the claims of vegan inflexibility. When we first discussed this story, we wondered how we could possibly make this work because I, for one, simply would not be bending to Dusty’s diet, while he could still eat vegetables and taste them. Yet this kind of question usually comes from people who simply cannot imagine eating without meat.
For me, I just asked for some dishes to be put together that fit my dietary requirements and I could still sit together with a non-vegan and really enjoy a great meal, while Dusty unfortunately fell short of achieving that same level of enjoyment at the vegan restaurant of my choice.
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Of course, for visual effects we went to both extremes, but here I pose the question: who’s more inflexible, the meat eater or the vegan?
This is where I would like to really massage the idea of compromise and respect. Non-vegans generally come from a hazy notion of what veganism is, and I find it really interesting to talk to them and then educate them about my own personal choice.
Vegans can come from all walks of life and have so many different reasons for choosing to eat and live the way we do. I think it’s important that we open up and talk about things, have an environment for discussion where non-vegans can learn about veganism and, ultimately, embrace this Earth-friendly lifestyle and diet.
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There is no better way of showing that than by explaining. Can I eat anywhere that serves meat, too? Yes. Do I want to sit through a session where I watch my friends grill meat? Now, that is a totally different matter.
For the full experience at Yakiniku Jumbo, watch the video below to find out.
Video by Myron Spencer Lee
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There’s a common misconception that vegans are very inflexible and a nightmare as company during a meal, yet as our video shows they are extremely adaptable