An Update on Gelatin Top Restaurant Chains for Vegetarians

• Sides: Garlic Snap Peas, Shanghai Cucumber,Sichuan-Style Asparagus, Spicy Green Beans,Spinach Stir-Fried with GarlicMore About P.F. Chang’s: P.F. Chang’s defines ‘vegetarian’as containing no animal products, including noeggs or dairy. P.F. Chang’s offers vegetable dumplings(steamed and pan-fried) that contain eggs, and they arenot listed as ‘vegetarian’ for this reason. The companysaid they are stricter than most others in their definitions.Since there are “shades of gray” in the definitionsof ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan,’ they wanted to keep it simplefor everyone and choose to just use the word ‘vegetarian.’The company uses white sugar and doesn’tclaim to be vegan.Tofu is prepared as a vegetable in either vegetablestock or vegetable oil with nothing added that is nonvegetable.P.F. Chang’s said its five-spice bean curd isfirmer and has more flavor than its silken tofu. Whenrequested, the chain can substitute crispy silken tofufor five-spice bean curd (and vice versa) in any dish.Also, patrons can request tofu as a substitute for meatin the meat dishes listed on the menu.P.F. Chang’s uses mushroom oyster sauces in somedishes, but these are vegetarian. Forty percent of theirnon-vegetarian entrées have a chicken base. Their LoMein contains animal products, but they are workingon a vegetarian sauce for lo mein, chow mein, and panfriednoodle dishes to add to the menu in the future.All entrées at P.F. Chang’s are served with a choiceof steamed brown or white rice. The rice is preparedseparately from all meat products with nothing nonvegetableadded.The company’s woks are cleaned between uses.There are color-coded cutting boards and separatecleavers to keep meat apart from vegetables. Also,there are separate areas in the kitchen for each food.The food is served “in a line” in the stores. There arefour to five woks in a line. The line now contains allvegetable broth.P.F. Chang’s states they are flexible and strive toaccommodate everyone and customize dishes madeto order.QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL(www.qdoba.com)Locations: Approximately 250 restaurants throughoutthe United StatesList of Menu Items That Qdoba Labels as Vegetarian:Grilled Vegetable Burrito (under Signature Burritos),Tortilla Soup, Vegetarian Burrito, Vegetarian TacoSalad, Vegetarian TacoMore About Qdoba: Qdoba said that their protocolis to have designated dishes for all food preparation(cutting boards, utensils, pans, pots, etc.) that arethoroughly cleaned every day and used for the sameNOTES FROM THE VRG SCIENTIFIC DEPARTMENTVRG IN THE NEWSVRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was interviewed for an article about school lunches forVegetarian Voice magazine and about raw foods diets for the University of Massachusetts’ Daily Collegian studentnewspaper. She also spoke about the blood type diet and about the Vegetarian Nutrition Congress during a 20-minute slot on the For the Love of Produce radio show. In addition, Reed recently authored a chapter on pediatricvegetarianism for a textbook titled Life Cycle Nutrition: <strong>An</strong> Evidence-Based Approach, which will be published byJones and Bartlett in 2009.VRG OUTREACHThe 34 th Vegetarian Summerfest, hosted by the North American Vegetarian Society, was held in Johnstown, PA,June 18-22. VRG sponsored an information table at the event. VRG Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala Hobbs,DrPH, RD, led sessions on raw foods diets, careers in nutrition, and understanding the role of interest groupsin food and nutrition advocacy. VRG Co-Coordinators Charles Stahler and Debra Wasserman presented sessionscalled “Media Outreach for Quiet People” and “Raising Vegetarian Kids in a Non-Vegetarian World.” The conferencewas attended by 600 people from across the U.S. and Canada.VEGETARIAN JOURNAL Issue Four 2008 17