"It is almost as if people are ignorant of what is underneath all of the fried batter", I think to myself as I watch people walk past me in the mall with heaps of chicken and noodles drowning in a sauce that is probably packed full of sugar. My mom's ex husband always said people were like zombies and needed to "wake-up" to the realities of how government is controlling society. Possibly or not possibly conspiracy theories but the overall lesson of learning to question everything and know the facts has made my post-youth life experiences much more valuable.
I work in the food court of an unpredictably crowded mall at a bakery/cafe. Compared to our surrounding competitors and their fried foods (mostly meat options) we offer a more fresh variety of salads, soups, and sandwiches which all have meatless options or the option to be meatless. Being in Portland, Oregon I get all kinds of customers asking where they can find a vegetarian or vegan option. Fortunately, I don't have to turn down their plead for something that caters to their diet.
This brings me to the biggest nightmare of all in the food court. For those of us who have to face its fear on a weekly basis, there is not enough fruit and vegetable options! There are hundreds of employees in the mall and a lot of them obviously depend on the food court for their lunch and personally tomatoes and cucumbers can get pretty boring after a four day work stretch.
This reality is not confined to the mall, however. Consider airports as probably the best example. Someone who is visiting America for the first time gets off the plane to view the "land of the free, home of the brave". They are probably hungry and want some food and see the sign for the food court. Now we are all aware that America is definitely not known for any type of "grand cuisine"; but what visitors are faced with when they enter the space full of Americanized Asian food and hamburgers with fake cheese made from who - knows - what. So it is easy to see how a vegetarian diet could be lost in this mix.
My proposed solution:
Many fast food restaurants have jumped on the vegetarian/vegan bandwagon and offer at least one meal on their menu that is friendly to this diet. Food court venues, however, tend to be privately owned companies that haven't quite grasped the new health trends. If they don't have a decent menu item that caters to this growing phenomena then they will constantly be turning down valuable customer. Once owners realize how much service they are losing they will be forced to put something vegetarian friendly on their menu and then we can support their movement and encourage others to try out the meat free dish.
I work in the food court of an unpredictably crowded mall at a bakery/cafe. Compared to our surrounding competitors and their fried foods (mostly meat options) we offer a more fresh variety of salads, soups, and sandwiches which all have meatless options or the option to be meatless. Being in Portland, Oregon I get all kinds of customers asking where they can find a vegetarian or vegan option. Fortunately, I don't have to turn down their plead for something that caters to their diet.
This brings me to the biggest nightmare of all in the food court. For those of us who have to face its fear on a weekly basis, there is not enough fruit and vegetable options! There are hundreds of employees in the mall and a lot of them obviously depend on the food court for their lunch and personally tomatoes and cucumbers can get pretty boring after a four day work stretch.
This reality is not confined to the mall, however. Consider airports as probably the best example. Someone who is visiting America for the first time gets off the plane to view the "land of the free, home of the brave". They are probably hungry and want some food and see the sign for the food court. Now we are all aware that America is definitely not known for any type of "grand cuisine"; but what visitors are faced with when they enter the space full of Americanized Asian food and hamburgers with fake cheese made from who - knows - what. So it is easy to see how a vegetarian diet could be lost in this mix.
My proposed solution:
Many fast food restaurants have jumped on the vegetarian/vegan bandwagon and offer at least one meal on their menu that is friendly to this diet. Food court venues, however, tend to be privately owned companies that haven't quite grasped the new health trends. If they don't have a decent menu item that caters to this growing phenomena then they will constantly be turning down valuable customer. Once owners realize how much service they are losing they will be forced to put something vegetarian friendly on their menu and then we can support their movement and encourage others to try out the meat free dish.
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