Just this week, we had a "family" of vegans. On the res in the column "do you have any dietary restrictions we should know about?" was the comment: "We only eat plant-based food."
So they got steamed quinoia, chia, and flax seed, sauteed with mushrooms, multi-colored peppers, and onions, which are then stuffed in hollowed-out tomatoes and cooked in a bain marie.
The rest of our guests got an egg bake that's heavy on cottage cheese, swiss cheese, and chives from our garden.
As I suspected, only the daughter was truly vegan; after righteously eating their tomatoes, the other three (gal's husband and her mom and dad) fell on the egg bake like the locusts of Egypt. I was expecting something like that, and had adjusted portions accordingly. They also decimated the muffin basket.
I had an interesting conversation with the husband about complimentary proteins to ensure that they were getting all the necessary amino acids in their diet. Husband hadn't ever heard of such a thing. (Can you spell "Diet for a Small Planet"?) No wonder the boy was so hungry.
Their one-year-old son, in the meantime, bounced about the dining room like a pinball. "We feed him vegan to keep him calm." Really? How's that workin' for you?
--Tom.