Waffles, Hold the Bones

In Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain writes, “Vegetarians, and their Hezbollah-like splinter faction, the vegans, are a persistent irritant to any chef worth a damn... life without veal stock, pork fat, sausage, organ meat, demi-glace, or even stinky cheese is a life not worth living.” Though we can definitely imagine a life without organ meat, vegans’ abstinence from white sugar, which is filtered through cow-bone char, is a little tougher to fathom. But vegan waffle parties, an initiative spreading from Pittsburgh to New Zealand to Oregon, is raising awareness about sweet vegan treats, making the lifestyle seem much more palatable. In Miami, record store owner Lauren “Lolo” Reskin (who occasionally writes the “Meatless in Miami” column for the New Times food blog, Short Order) has been hosting monthly vegan waffle parties at Sweat Records since 2010. As she told our food blog: “We’re a vegan coffee shop, we love throwing parties, and everyone loves waffles, so it seemed like a win-win-win.” You get a giant waffle and any number of toppings, including strawberries, coconut flakes, whipped cream, and chocolate chips.
Sat., March 24, 11 a.m., 2012