How To Date A Vegan Food Blogger

Pala means “shovel” in Italian. But on the Lower East Side, Pala means “absolutely delicious Italian restaurant with a new all-vegan menu, a dedicated fryer and Daiya“. After perusing its online menu of pasta and pizza, I knew I would have to put a visit to Pala at the top of my to-eat list.  So after an afternoon wandering the dark halls of the AMNH, the Electrician and I traversed the length and width of the isle of Manhattan to arrive at a dimly lit Pala for a proper date.

Now, as a public service to the brotherhood and sisterhood of vegan food bloggers, I will let the world know that going to dinner with a one of us involves the inclusion of the camera as a utensil, right next to the fork, a brief but important photo shoot session pre-first bite and, often, a bright camera flash that confuses other dining patrons. These simple tasks are aided by your patience and understanding. For high marks, help your vegan food blogger’s cause by contributing to the composition of her photographs. (See photo below. The Zucca antipasto, cubed butternut squash [or zucca, Italian for pumpkin], grilled onion, green peas, raisins and basil, looks great paired next to your authentic Italian beer.)

As I mentioned above, it is very important to preserve the presentation of a delivered dish by waiting until your vegan food blogger has a satisfying shot of the meal before picking up your fork. This is perhaps your most important responsibility. Sometimes, especially in low lighting, a thorough food blogger needs to take two sets of pictures, those with and those without flash, as well as additional macro close-ups and cross-section shots once eating has commenced. And she’ll likely need to photograph your dish as well. This is the bulk of the work a vegan food blogger must accomplish before her own first bite. But when a food blogger successfully captures a dish’s deliciousness with her camera, it is the first step to a great dining experience. It is also important to realize that when the deliciousness of a dish far exceeds the quality of its photograph (See photo below. My dish, Trofie, rice/potato/soy flour penne, finely chopped zucchini in a Daiya cheese mousse, garnished with fresh mint and more Daiya, tasted a million times better than how its photo turned out.) there is a nominal amount of disappointment.

Although the suggestions above are often standard practice for considerate dining acquaintances, perhaps you may take your vegan food blogger dining compatibility even further and bestow to her the task of selecting your dish, as the Electrician did (See photo below. I chose for him the gnocchi with cherry tomato sauce, fresh basil and Daiya cheese). This not only shows your trust in your vegan food blogger’s expansive knowledge of her favorite subject but it helps alleviate the pressure of selecting just one dish from an entirely vegan menu with so many attractive choices.
Now that you know how to swoon your vegan food blogger, happy dining!