Becoming 'Flexitarian'

Carnivores are learning, it's easier than ever to embrace vegetarian food

WHEN I FIRST encountered vegetarian cooking in the 1970s, it was a full-fledged "ism," with zealous followers and a dogma that had roots spreading into every aspect of life. As serious as Talmudic scholars discussing the laws of kashrut, vegetarians in those days wondered, "Should vegetarians wear leather shoes?" And "What do you do when you go home for the holidays and your Mom has cooked a turkey?"

Even though I had relaxed out of my vegetarianism by the mid-1980s, when I discovered Seattle's premier vegetarian restaurant, Café Flora in Madison Park, I still thought of vegetarian food as something separate from "regular food." Café Flora helped bridge the gap. And, indeed, the place was a destination restaurant for families of mixed dietary persuasions where everyone could find something they wanted to eat.

The catalyst that drove me back to the land of omnivores was unique. In my honor, a friend had butchered a rabbit when I was coming to dinner, and it seemed unthinkable to say I couldn't eat it. But I was not alone in allowing meat back into my diet. Almost everyone I know who eschewed meat when we were young gradually came to accept it. And while many remain committed to diets without meat, many others are now simply choosing vegetarian food as a culinary adventure rather than as a lifestyle.

When she accepted the "IACP Julia Child Cookbook of the Year Award" for her 1997 cookbook, "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone," the best-selling author of "The Greens Cookbook" and several other titles devoted to vegetarian recipes, Deborah Madison told a story about the public's response to a vegetarian cookbook.

"I met a man at an airport who had seen me on the a.m. TV magazine show and said, 'The recipes in your book looked great, but unfortunately I'm not a vegetarian.' And I asked him, 'Does that mean you only eat meat?'

"I'm not interested in pushing a vegetarian diet in the least," she says, "but I am interested in showing people the possibilities that abound in this realm. I'm not vegetarian myself, though I do eat a lot of vegetarian meals. Vegetables? I love them!"

Her attitude captures perfectly, I think, the approach to vegetarianism that some call "flexitarianism." And as a former vegetarian, I found a lot to love in "Café Flora Cookbook," a compilation of 250 of the most popular recipes from the restaurant. Dishes like Oaxaca Tacos with Black Bean Stew and Tangy Swiss Chard make it easy for anyone to enjoy a vegetarian meal.

Greg Atkinson is a contributing editor for Food Arts magazine and a culinary consultant. He can be reached at greg@northwestessentials.com.