CowTippers and Vegetarianism
Well, I went to CowTippers for the first time last night. Apparently, it’s quiet the “rite of passage” when you’re living in Atlanta. I really enjoyed it!
First, the company was enjoyable (a birthday group for a friend from church), the staff were all wackily dressed for St. Patrick’s day. We were the first “large party” for a new waitress, but she did very well, and we made sure to tell her manager so.
Second, they have a great outdoor area, so I look forward to going back when the weather is more conducive to dining outside.
Third, it’s obviously gay-friendly, so I like it that I can squeeze Jane’s hand or have her put her hand on my back without feeling so self-conscious.
And what I had for dinner: a portabello mushroom sandwich. It had the grilled mushroom, tomato, cucumber, and a cream cheese topping. It was really quite tasty. It’s part of the beginning of my attempts to become vegetarian.
My eating habits are so bad that I know it’s going to be very difficult for me to stick with it, but I’m going to try to wean myself, first, off of red meat, then chicken, and then turkey. I don’t know that I will ever really give up seafood a) because it’s so good for you, and b) the way they are raised and prepared for the food market is not so cruel as it is with the furry and feathery animals.
Anyway, last night’s eating of the portabello sandwich was a deliberate decision to forego eating meat. Plus, I tend to get in a rut with my food choices, so I’ll probably be making more interesting choices during this process. And another benefit of having to be so deliberate will be that I will probably make healthier choices, which will hopefully, help with some weight loss.
So, have any of you been to CowTippers and what did you think about it, or do you have any interesting stories about it? And have any of you ever considered becoming vegetarians?
blogicalinks 
I’ve actually never been to CowTippers, but I have wanted to go for a long time. I’ve been to their corporate kin, Einstein’s (not the bagel shop, but the sit-down restaurant on 14th and Juniper). And it has all of the same characteristics that you mentioned that you liked about CowTippers. Maybe when you go back for the nicer weather, I can tag along?
Congrats on your food decision! Although I am too much a fan of meat, and not much of a fan of meat-substitutes (beans, tofu, etc.), I applaud you for making a decision like this. But, hrmmmm, I noticed an (obvious?) absence of pork from your list of meat selections… Does this mean I might still get you to try my barbecue? I won’t try to sway your efforts, though! Good luck!
Eric
March 16, 2008 at 1:22 pm
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Weight Loss Cream » CowTippers and Vegetarianism
March 16, 2008 at 1:51 pm
That is one weird second comment. And I suppose I can often tend toward being a bit of a vegetarian fan but ultimately maybe one every could months I need meat. But that’s not so often I bet I could do it.
p.s. my uber trip is in three days!!!!!!!
titration
March 16, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I don’t know what a cow tippers is or why it might be something everyone needs to visit, but whatever you say 🙂
As for the vegetarianism, i’m going to sound like a serious debbie downer here, but…being the best friend of a devout and true vegetarian of 16 years, i’ve got a few things to note. First, i applaud your desire to try to make your diet more healthy (your milo’s addiction alone is enough to strike panic in even the most tried and true meat eater!). I think we all could do that, whether it be through eliminating foods that are full of fat or going organic etc. However, what you’re describing would seriously offend a true vegetarian 😉 Let’s call it what it really is…a reduction in meat consumption. Unless you are going to eliminate everything from shrimp and salmon to noodle soup because it has a chicken broth base, you’re no vegetarian. if you’re willing to give up pizza hut pizza because rumor has it that the pizza sauce they use has a trace of anchovies in it, you’re no vegetarian. it takes extensive thought and research to be a true vegetarian and involves far more than not having a steak for dinner and often makes you a bit of an outcast at a dinner party or picnic. (are you prepared to have a lone, specially requested veggie burger cooked for you on a grill with a piece of tin foil under it so it doesn’t touch the areas of the grill that were previously cooking the regular hamburgers?)
that being said, i think you need to evaluate your reasons for eliminating the meat products you described. are you doing it for health/weight issues or are you doing it for animal rights issues? if it’s health or weight issues, then i think it could be said that reducing turkey from your diet isn’t going to make you thin and actually provides plenty of nutrition. Of course there’s research that says eliminating red meat does help many issues, but everything in moderation is my motto. i think there are plenty of healthy choices to be made that include meat and meat products without eliminating them entirely. reducing portion size of the meat and increasing your intake of the healthier items like fruits and veggies on a menu is a really easy way to do that. also the preparation of the meat or the condiments applied are often the problem.
one other thing to point out…when you go craving a piece of breakfast sausage and you decide to grab the fake sausage in the freezer section of the grocery made from soy etc. remember two things: 1) they taste like dogcrap (first hand experience on that one here!) and 2) that fake stuff is so over processed with who knows what that it totally doesn’t matter that it’s not meat, besides the soy protein, i’m pretty sure most of that stuff in there isn’t very good for you.
and keep in mind, not all vegetarians are skinny and healthy. just because food doesn’t have meat in it doesn’t mean it’s nonfat or healthy. choosing a bag of doritos over a turkey sandwich accomplishes not eating meat and may be saving another turkey, but doesn’t help you in the health department.
so, to wrap up: go vegetarian if you want to take it all the way and you are grossed out by the idea of meat and want to go the animal rights route. or, eat meat or meat products in moderation and watch your intake of actual nutrition info like fats, cholesterol, sodium etc. and increase your intake of healthful foods.
since my book is now over, you may go forth and eat a salad 😉
wenzday
March 16, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I haven’t been to CowTippers in years. I was there for a birthday party, I think, and there was some type of drama I’ve long forgotten. The food was good, but I didn’t think it was that big a deal.
I’ve flirted with vegetarianism, and eat tofu and other things meatlovers make fun of. Ultimately I’m just too lazy, and don’t want to swear off treats like Eric’s barbeque. My compromise is buying organic and free range meat as often as possible. It’s expensive. The good part of that is I buy and waste a lot less. Seafood does have the advantage of less cruelty, I just try to figure out the origin, some of the farming or gathering techniques are environmental disasters. Shrimp is good, I don’t really feel guilty about eating something with no real brain activity. Squid….is really good. Of course. Trust me. Eat more squid. Every chance you get. Please. Listen to my voice. You will eat more squiiiiiddd…..oops, sorry. Off topic.
I have mixed feelings on how vegetarian you have to be to call yourself vegetarian. On the one hand, it seems ridiculous to eat fish or chicken regularly and call yourself vegetarian. (Yeah, I’ve met those people.) On the other hand, eating a portobello sandwich cooked on the beef grill—no big deal in my humble non-veg viewpoint. I suppose it depends on the reason for being vegetarian. My aim is to avoid increasing demand for meat, so it wouldn’t bother me. To me, being vegetarian is a goal, not a set definition. The farther toward the goal, the better, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone’s pursuit of vegetarianism (or self-definition) because they don’t hit 100% of the ideal.
I think some people call themselves vegetarian because they don’t want to go into the particulars of why they’re not eating meat at a certain time. Folks seem to feel it’s an all-or-nothing deal, if you eat meat occasionally, you’ll be raked over the coals for not eating fried chicken at the picnic. If you do, you aren’t a vegetarian, and the same folks will make fun of your tofu consumption tomorrow with a vengeance. And what’s up with people who actually wave meat at non-meat eaters, going “Mmmmmm! Don’t you want some?” It strikes me as rather rude. There is a weird psychology at work there.
Speaking of which, this is way out, but I think there is commonality with some ideas/attitudes about being gay…are you 100% “that way?” If you had a steak after drinking too much at a party last year, do you have to turn in your vegetarian card? Or are you still one of “us”, even though we think you’ll drop the tofu and run off with fried chicken on a whim? Don’t you just need a REAL steak, then you’d see the light and not be a freakishly abnormal vegetarian anymore?
All this thinking and typing has made me hungry, I’m going to go have some chickpea salad. 🙂
Cara
March 16, 2008 at 5:38 pm
LOL!! Some interesting ideas here!! 🙂
First of all, yes, Eric, you can come along. 🙂
Second, Titration, that second post is spam that got through.
Third, Amy, it seems to me like you’re speaking more of a vegan than a vegetarian. Vegans take everything to an almost religious “kosher” limit in the preparation and the no-touching-of-meat-products way. And for me, this is equally about health and animal cruelty issues. If I knew that every cow who was butchered had had a great life, was killed quickly and humanely, I’d have no problem with eating a good steak. Same with chickens, etc. But the problem is that they are raised in horrible conditions and terrified and treated poorly at the time of their slaughter.
I’m just trying to start somewhere. This is going to be very hard for me. Not that I give a rat’s ass whether another tried-and-true vegetarian thinks of my attempts at this, for now, I will just say, I’m cutting back on my meats (yes, Eric, even your barbeque!), and if/when I attain the goal of no meats, then I’ll say, “I don’t eat meat,” instead of putting a label on it.
And Cara, I see what you mean about the gay parallel. Like we were discussing the continuum the other evening and having the freedom to love who you want without the labels that come with it.
Good discussion!
blogicalinks
March 16, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Good questions! 🙂
P. S., the chickpea salad was really good. Just thought I’d share.
Cara
March 16, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I’ve been to Cowtippers several times and had some good steaks and hamburgers there.
I’d starve to death if I were a vegetarian.
Dianne
March 16, 2008 at 8:41 pm
yeah see, i like labels, that’s the problem 😉 a friend of mine in college often called me a “distinctor” (his made-up word i believe!) which basically meant, i like to make distinctions and label everything. i’m a fairly black/white kind of person when it comes to this sort of thing. i say go all out or don’t go at all. don’t give it a label if it isn’t what it is, you know? if you’re not a vegetarian by definition, don’t call yourself that. if you’re sleeping with the occasional man, don’t call yourself gay 😉 don’t give yourself a label at all, just do as you please, but don’t introduce a label if it doesn’t apply to you the same way it does to a slew of others who are really devout.
vegan, btw, is a very specific thing as well. it means the consumption of no animal product or by-product like eggs, dairy etc. very strict. even more so than your food not touching a bloody beef riddled grill 😉
and look, i freaking love me some meats. when my best friend went veggie back in 10th grade, i considered it as well. but you know what? i want an arby’s roast beef from time to time and i can’t be giving up most soups because i love soup! while i do like labels, i don’t like limiting my options when it comes to food. so i read food labels instead, prepare fresh foods, and try to consider the whole and not just one ingredient.
keep us posted on how you progress though. this one ain’t gonna be easy. for perspective, my best friend went veggie shortly after we dissected a fetal pig in biology. it sent her over the edge. the idea of eating an animal just repulsed her i think. it wasn’t that difficult for her from then on out. so go get repulsed by something meaty, then maybe you’ll make some headway 😉
wenzday
March 16, 2008 at 10:20 pm
As usual, i should just let something drop and shut my mouth while i’m behind, but more than labels, i like proper definitions and researching something properly before drastic measures are taken and labeled. So, I went to wikipedia. I think you should check this out just to familiarize yourself with your possible options…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarian
of particular note is the area about terminology and varieties, and the part about “semi-vegetarian” diets. i think the semi ones are someone’s pure invention to make it convenient for themselves, but whatever, call it what you want i guess 😉 my favorite of course is “flexitarianism” 😉
i’ll leave you alone now and cool the commenting. i don’t mean to be a poo-pooer so to speak, but it’s my nature, so i’ll promptly put a lid on it, don’t worry 🙂
wenzday
March 16, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Cowtippers? Yes. Many times. I really like dining on the deck in good weather.
Veg’ism? No. Probably not.
I do buy free range eggs when possible. Really enjoyed the fresh organic fruit at Beth’s in CA this wseek. Was approached by someone at LAX who was asking if I had attended the Organics conference. One of my carry-ons was a Trader Joe’s bag and I was wearing a Ptown sweatshirt…I’m not sure which prompted the approach 🙂
I shopped at Trader Joe’s for the first time while in CA and plan to drive to TJ stores around here to shop.
I’m a member of Georgia Organics (membership just lapsed I think) and may dabble in “something” organic on the land.
For me, there are so many layers of issues regarding more healthy eating.
My favorite “burger” is the veggie/ soy burger with sauted mushrooms and bleu cheese at Cheeseburger in Paradise in St. Croix.
But, no. I don’t intend on giving up meat.
Ru's Mom
March 17, 2008 at 7:24 am
At this time, I am more concerned about the presence of HFCS in so many food products in this country. Why not in other countries? (Don’t answer – I know the reason – “it’s cheap” – and I think we are getting a bum deal).
Ru's Mom
March 17, 2008 at 7:26 am
All right!!! Another convert to Trader Joe’s! Yayyyyyyyy! But you’re rubbing it in by shopping TJ’s in California, and I’m not there! Booooooo! 🙂
Wenzday, it’s not my blog, so I can’t speak for Cheryl, but I appreciate your viewpoint, label away. 🙂
Part of the discussion we referred to was about transgendered folk…whether or not a person born as female, who hasn’t made any permanent alterations to their body is “male” or “female.” Most people would say “female”. The transgendered person in question would disagree. And there is quite a range in there, what if this person takes male hormones? Are they now a man? I won’t go into specifics, but there are quite a few alterations that can happen. So our question was basically “which pronoun applies when?”
Anyway, the upshot of it all was basically about who gets to apply labels, and how they vary from person to person. One man’s drag queen is another man’s (or woman’s) beauty queen. Even in the transgendered community, there is disagreement as to “man” and “woman”, and recognition of a continuum. So I was applying the same logic to vegetarianism. Who decides? I dunno. I pretty much agree with people’s self-labels, even if a self-labeled woman looks like Hagrid in a dress. Uh, cognitive dissonance aside.
Now excuse me, I’m going to have a slice of vegetarian pizza—-tuna fish and onion— for breakfast. 🙂 And I’m washing it down with corn-syrup laden Dr. Pepper. God Bless America!
Cara
March 17, 2008 at 9:45 am
I haven’t been to CowTippers before. Sounds fun! I have thought about vegetarianism before, but I don’t think I could commit completely. I have days and moments where I don’t feel the need for meat. Good luck and kudos to your decision!
Carmen
March 17, 2008 at 9:59 am
After reading Cara’s first comment above, my gutter-brain is running about 1,000 miles an hour with all sorts of references to meat. I’m sure y’all can imagine, so I won’t actually post anything specifically. But for what it’s worth, my pulled barbecue chicken is equally as good as my pulled pork. So if you find yourself with a free-range, humanely-treated bird and want some good stuff, I’ll throw it on the smoker for you!
Eric Kaplan
March 17, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Wenzday,
I think Milo’s withdrawals had me a bit crabby when I responded to your first post. I really don’t care what anyone else thinks about my attempts to do this, whether or not I fit the classic description of a vegetarian or not. But I shouldn’t have put the “rat’s ass” comment in there. It sounded smart-alecky and I’m sorry.
I do appreciate your comments, as always, as well as everyone else’s on here. I love having a post that has generated so much back and forth. I like it when the post-ers go off on their own! It’s not as much fun as having this discussion out on the Mississippi Porch, but it’s as good as we have for now, I guess.
Oh, and for those of you keeping score, I had a broccoli and cheese baked potato and a green salad for lunch. Dinner was mixed vegetables and the last half of a cornish game hen. (Yes, I know that’s meat, but I told you, I’m getting off the red first, and slowly cutting back on other meats. Fowl will probably be last. 🙂
blogicalinks
March 17, 2008 at 9:42 pm
No need to apologize to me, i appreciate rat’s ass comments…remember, i’m not easily offended 🙂 And I’m not saying you should care what other people think of you or define you as, i’m just saying go into it with some background info so you don’t end up sounding like a goob when you say “oh, i’m not going to eat that, i’m a vegetarian” and then they call you on it because they’re into that whole scene hardcore.
it’s just a topic i’m well acquainted with and have strong feelings on. let me put it to you this way…over the past 16 years i often have had dreams with my best friend in it where she eats meat and i get terribly upset because, in the dream, she has betrayed herself and everything she believes in…and it always feels like she’s betrayed me in a sense or something. interestingly enough, she has the same sorts of dreams but where i smoke a cigarette (another abomination in both of our books) and betray myself with that and she feels the same way in her dreams.
now, go analyze that one for a bit 😉
wenzday
March 17, 2008 at 10:47 pm
I feel that way about dating a Republican.
I have actually felt that sense of “betrayal” when someone I was dating teased me a bit and made me think I’d crossed over to (what is for me) the dark side.
And, Eric, I still love you 🙂
Ru's Mom
March 17, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Cheryl, I totally enjoyed going to Cowtippers with you and Jane and the rest of your friends last Saturday night. You have a very nice set of friends!
I loved the big fat New York strip I ate and it was cooked to perfection with fleshy red insides. I love to soak up the bloody sauce with my bread! Yum that is the best!
I am strongly opposed to labels as I believe it sets up limitations, failures, and lends itself to Judgmental criticism. An example I can provide is my brother who failed the first grade. He was given many labels for his failures which stuck with him until this day. He was never able to recognize that the power of positive thinking lends itself to realizing ones goals. When children play pretend, they don’t pretend to be a mass murder. They pretend to be a fireman, a doctor, an astronaut. They imagine themselves to be something they are not…..yet!. If label makers want to paint themselves into a box, then go ahead. I will continue to vote for the occasional Republican even though I am Democrat, I will wear green even though my favorite color is blue and I will think and believe as I choose, even on a whim, even though it is outside the box that others have defined for me.
Donna
March 18, 2008 at 10:14 am
i’m a partial vegetarian, i don’t eat beef or pork and i rarely eat chicken, but i do eat seafood and turkey and lamb on occasion. for me i do it for the health reasons and i really just feel gross on the inside when i would eat beef and pork, and sometimes when i eat chicken too. i think that if you really want to follow through with the decision you’re making then you need to make sure that you are still getting enough protein and nutrients in your diet. good luck! i know it was hard for me at first, but gets easier with time.
=)
(no subject)
March 19, 2008 at 1:44 am
Read my blog for my thoughts about being vegetarian.
My first visit at Cowtippers was several years ago when a group of us came down from Nashville to play in a softball tournament over Memorial Day weekend. We had several great times on their patio over the course of the weekend–I think we may have played some softball during the trip too 🙂
The weather was perfect, the beer was flowing and the food was really good. My favorite thing is their appetizer (which is enough for a meal) of “Nashville Nachos”. Blue tortilla chips with barbeque chicken, pico, cheese and all the nacho trimmings—-too yummy!
While some people think the food is so so, the place is loud or whatever; it holds special memories of fun times with wonderful people.
I can’t wait to make memories there with my new friends!!
justjackandjane
March 20, 2008 at 10:42 pm
“Hagrid in a dress…” ROTFL Cara!!!!!!
I had Girl Scout cookies for dinner. I think that was a vegetarian meal.
I don’t really like labels, but I label everything anyway. I guess it helps me sort things. I don’t know why I feel the need to sort stuff into categories, but I do. But sometimes things don’t fit in just one category. It really annoys me that I can put one song in two genres of music in iTunes.
And Cheryl, seriously, if you go vegetarian, how will Zaxby’s stay in business?
Dianne
March 22, 2008 at 8:34 pm