Good Cooking - Bad Spinach

Clayoquot BC

We had a few days off, so we traveled to Stevie's home in Clayoquot. She loves to cook and promised to make us a gourmet meal. The problem is Stevie is a strict Vegan - no meat, no dairy, no fish, she doesn't even like animal crackers.

On the other hand I don't like vegetables very much. I agree with her stand visa-vie cruelty to animals, not eating flesh of our fellow creatures and so forth. But I simply don't like vegetables. While my mind says, "Be a Vegan, it's a good thing," my body says "Feed me meat." I do what I can to eat only humanely treated meat, dolphin free tuna, almost never eating veal, that sort of thing. But to sit and eat a meal of vegetables is just not on. So when we go to Stevies, I have a peanut butter sandwich, as nobody is allowed to eat meat on her property. (Although, I have to supply my own white bread and Kraft peanut butter, as she only has organic home made peanut butter, and bread with clumps of grain in it.)

Tippy, on the other hand, will eat anything: animal, vegetable or mineral. He is one of those people who eats anything and everything whenever he wants, and stays skinny. Stevie is, by all accounts, an excellent Vegan chef, so Tippy was looking forward to dinner.

The first course came and Stevie announced it was baked apple, with walnut and spinach stuffing.

"Spinach?" I said. "Isn't there bad spinach going around?"

"Oh, not this spinach." she said. “It’s organic.”

Tippy dug in and it was clear almost immediately that something was wrong. Within minutes he was a bit green looking, and I commented that he didn't look so well. He said he didn't feel so well and I asked Stevie if she was sure the spinach was OK.

"What can be wrong with spinach?" she asked. "I know what's good for upset stomach," she announced and went to the kitchen for a salad.

"Is that iceberg lettuce?" I asked.

"Of course. Full of vitamins, and there's nothing better for an upset stomach."

Tippy seemed to disagree, and within minutes of eating his salad was throwing up.

"Are you sure the lettuce was OK?" I asked.

"What could be wrong with lettuce?" she asked. "Now go and get him a drink to help calm his stomach,” she said to me.

"Right," I said, jumping up and running to the kitchen. "Ginger Ale coming up."

"Not Ginger Ale," Stevie said. "Full of sugar, it's terrible for him."

"What should I get then?" I asked.

"Carrot Juice."