Yesterday I woke up knowing I was going to be eating quite a bit of soft serve in a few hours, so I had a bowl of cereal for breakfast. (Oatmeal holds me over much longer than cereal does.) My bowl had Kashi Autumn Harvest, muesli from the Food Co-Op, banana and skim milk.
Over breakfast, I read the March issue of Bon Appetit, and stumbled across this:
What do you think about taking photos in restaurants? Do you do it, or get annoyed with people who do? Does it make a difference if you don’t use the flash?
While touring The Lite Choice, I sampled everything without gorging. I wanted to try all of the goodies but knew I would feel really sick if I’d eaten all of it (which probably wouldn’t have even been possible!) so I kept my tastes small. After the tour, I went to Whole Foods to pick up a few things, including lunch from the salad bar.
In the mix:
- spinach
- vegan chicken salad
- edamame
- edamame arame salad
- curried cauliflower
- 1 piece each: bbq tempeh, lemon tempeh, lemon-baked tofu
- corn
- macaroni & cheese- I always have to take a tiny scoop!
When I got home I added some rice wine vinegar to the spinach, and had a Granny Smith apple on the side while I did some reading.
My reading sent me to dreamland for an hour or so, and when I woke up I was feeling pretty hungry! Even after all of that soft serve, I was craving a slice of whole wheat toast with Maranatha Cashew Butter and mango butter.
I went out to run a few errands and come back carrying five bags! Show me a New Yorker who doesn’t know the meaning of “schlep” and I’ll be a stunned girl. More than happy to take a load off, I didn’t feel like going back out to get groceries for the week. Instead, I looked in the fridge, freezer and pantry for any components that could possibly come together to make something resembling a meal, and ta da! I ended up using up old items in the fridge and things that had been in the freezer and pantry for months.
I almost feel guilty even calling this a “recipe,” but it was so delicious and so nourishing that I’m going to add it to the page!
Ten Minute Vegetable Soup
- 4 cups vegetable broth (I make mine from Better Than Bouillon)
- 1.5 cups carrots, sliced
- 2 boxes/bags of whatever frozen veggies you have around; I used collard greens and an “Oriental” veggie blend with broccoli and mushrooms
- 1 leek
- 1 can of beans, whatever you have (I used red beans)
- Salt + pepper to taste
- Chili (optional)
Heat vegetable broth over medium heat until warm. Add carrots and leeks and cook until carrots are slightly tender. Add frozen vegetables and cook until fully thawed and warmed through. Add beans, salt and pepper, and chili flakes. Enjoy!
Serves 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side.
I ate my soup with the last of the pesto; it was the perfect cozy meal!
For dessert, I had a slice of cake from The Lite Choice! Each piece of cake has both chocolate and vanilla soft serve with a layer of cookie crumbs in the middle. This slice was covered with chocolate sauce and peanuts… it was so good, I wish I’d gotten more!
And now, some more Ask Me Anything answers!
If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This one always gets me! I probably would have said “chocolate” or “bread” a few years ago, but now I just don’t know… there are so many things I like! But right now, I’m going to go with sushi. I could eat it every night and not get bored!
Are you vegan or vegetarian?
Technically I’m a “pescatarian,” which I’ve been for about 9 years. There was a year during that time when I cut out fish, but I really hate to use any kind of label when it comes to my food habits. I try to eat things that I feel ethically comfortable with, things that make me feel good, and things that I just like! Read more here.
That’s all there’s time for now! I’m off to go meet Danielle for a long run in the park. Enjoy your Sunday!
I don’t mind people taking food pictures at all.. if anything I feel it is the utmost compliment to the chef and restaurant because you DO want to document and remember that exact dish.
People complain to much : )
Mmmm…love, love, love the WF salad bar!
When I take pictures in restaurants (about 75% of the time, I guess?), I don’t use the flash and I try to do it VERY quickly.
I don’t mind people who take pictures of their food but I definitely feel a little conspicuous about doing it myself. I especially make it a point to keep the flash off so I don’t bother anyone.
Love the 10 minute veggie soup! Sometimes soup is exactly what I need to hit the spot.
i’m totally with you on the sushi!!! it’s the best :]
Interesting letter/response. I agree to an extent- endless flash photography in a restaurant can be unpleasant to be around, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable taking pictures in a really high-class restaurant. But snapping a quick shot or two? No more annoying than that one person who laughs really loudly, or the table who call the waiter over every 3 seconds IMO. If I was a chef, I think I would be flattered that someone apprecciated my work so openly.
Soup looks great- I love thrown-together meals using up a bunch of stuff just hanging around! The cake looks delish- might need to stray from Babycakes for my sweet fix the next time I am in the city (and still need to try the WF vegan chicken salad! Did you ever try the power-fu/Healthy Korner one?)
that soup is such a great recipe! haha i call my omlettes recipes so your soup in my opinion is gourmet status.
the picture story is very interesting. i think on one hand it depends the restaurant you’re in and the people that are around. if its casual and a fun environment with lots of people and what not then why not but if its a small place and you think the people around or guests your with might be offended then its probably best to just hold off atleast in my opinion. but then again what the heck its just a picture right!
I think it’s kind of funny that people can get so up in arms about the photography, though I guess it can get annoying if everything gets delayed because of it! I never use flash anyway if I can help it, but especially sans flash, I don’t see a problem with taking a quick shot. Forcing everyone else to wait while you arranage the plate and its contents to get optimal lighting and all? Yeah, that’s a problem.
<3 <3
mm… that cake looks so good! sushi would be one of my picks too! i just can’t get enough of it! my favorite’s the smoked salmon roll!
that soup looks really good as well
have a good saturday!!
opps.. i meant sunday, my bad!
Hope you’re having a fabulous LR!! your dinner and CAKE look DeLiCiOuS!! the Lite Choice is bomb with their hook-ups!
I LOVE sushi in the summer(and could eat it for every meal!)…but I don’t crave it when the weather is chilly..so I haven’t had delicious sushi in MONTHS! 
I’m a vegetarian(so I stick to veggie sushi)…i consume greek yogurt daily! I decided to become a Veg after watching so many disturbing animal farming cruelty videos in my nursing classes, and then noticed how much better I felt! I hope you have a great sunday! xoxo!
i think using flash is silly in a restaurant but I would be upset if someone was like “excuse me, please don’t photograph your plate.” I paid for it and I’ll do whatever the hell I want with it. It’s not like I’m getting into the face of other customers and preventing them from eating because I need to have a photo shoot with THEIR food.
Quick and no flash if youre gonna do it, i personally go out soooo infrequently that this is not an issue for me
Soup looks perfect.
I hate labels too. For strangers, saying im a high raw vegan cuts to the chase. But there are so many nuances to my dietary path, and eveyrone’s, that labels just suck.
And i would go with vegetables for life. Can’t pick just one though
2nd up = chocolate.
Its not like people are taking 20 pictures! Its only a few pictures! As long as people want to document a date or family dinner, I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking a few pictures of people or food. Besides, think of all the free publicity restaurants get from popular food blogs. If you are a regular customer at a struggling restaurant, a much needed bump from a blogger could help said restaurant stay in business and then you get to continue to enjoy its food!
How do you like that cashew butter!?!! It’s the next one I wanna try
And wha–hold the phone….where is that MANGO butter from!? I can only imagine how delicious it is since apple butter is pretty face-rocking, but I haven’t had it since summer!
i read another article like that about taking photos in restaurants. i think it’s a bit paranoid, how some of them think their ideas/decor/recipes are being stolen. eh.
the soup looks great!
“Using a flash in a restaurant is like letting your cell phone ring…on Broadway – a buzz kill that ruins the experience for everyone”. Geez, what a buzz kill.
One food for the rest of my life? Maybe a big hunk of cheese? (I’m a fan of Pecorino.)
I think you already know I’m neither a vegan nor a vegetarian. Hope you have a good finish to your weekend!
I don’t mind taking pictures of the food in restaurants. But I definitely try not using the flash and making it quick that way not many people notice. There have been plenty of times when people notice that I am taking pictures of the food and they look at me like I am a weirdo!! lol.
Whole Foods hot bar is my one of my favorite places to dine.
Hey girl! Interesting question about the photography. I try to take my pictures VERY quickly and never use a flash. If the restaurant requires a flash…I skip photos of that meal out. Your WFs salad looks awesome…as does that dessert- drooooooooooool! Just amazing! Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday night (is it really Sunday night already??)
i LOVE kitchen cleanout meals. i am going to try and not shop this week and instead get creative too. i think i might have a lot of these ingredients in my fridge
i always do no flash. always. i mean, flash pics always look worse anyways. so i take no flash pics, and maybe they aren’t the best, but then i know i am not annoying other eaters either!
Oh my goodness! Everything from Whole Foods looks delicious!
I have never noticed anyone from a different table taking pictures of their food. Has it happened before? Probably. My point is- I go out to dinner to enjoy the company of my dining companions, I don’t really notice what is going on at other tables. Unless someone is taking loads of pictures, it isn’t a nuisance in the least. With that said, I would much rather see someone at a table next to me taking hundreds of pictures with an intrusive flash than hear a baby crying throughout my entire meal
No flash, no problem. But if the flash is quick, there’s no reason to complain. Why pick on food bloggers, anyway? Should we also ban photos of dinners with friends, birthday parties, proms, graduations, or anniversaries? Unless the chef is prepared to nix all photos, there’s no reason to single out those who love and appreciate food the most. And why is a brief flash of light more of a problem than noise–from loud groups to the waiters singing happy birthday? I’ll take a flash over a cell phone any day.
Favorite food: dark blue muscat grapes and mangosteens–if I can ever find them.
mmm love all your eats! CASHEW butter?! i have never heard of that and it sounds basically incredible!
I’m too self-conscious to use a flash in a restaurant, plus I really don’t like the way the flash makes food look in the first place. I wouldn’t be too annoyed if there were other people doing it, though. Isn’t it kind of a compliment to the chef that a dish is blog worthy? Well, as long as they aren’t getting a bad review.
I’m surprised people get so upset about food photography. Personally, I didn’t realize so many people were doing it! I suppose if you set up a tripod and block a server’s path to another table, that would be uber-rude, but hopefully most people don’t do that. Quick photo + no flash seems perfectly fine.
Haha “schlep” is probably the most useful word ever invented.
Interesting article. I have to admit, I was one of those people who scoffed at people taking photos in restaurants before I started my blog. Now I do not see any harm in it, particularly since people photograph art in museums all the time, so why not food in fine dining establishments?
Yum, that soup looks great!The cook time definitely makes it college student friendly:)
i LIVE on ten minute soups during the winter. i usually throw a bag of shirataki noodles in… so filling.
i’m not yet comfortable taking pictures of meals in restaurants (plus i try not to eat out often as i prefer to spend my money on concerts) but dont have a problem with other people doing so – in fact, i rarely notice!
Don’t food bloggers do restaurants a favor by posting their meals? I know that when I went to the city I looked at bloggers’ pages for meal recommendations. I considered Alice’s Tea Cup because I’d seen it on so many blogs, and suggested that we meet at Bonobo’s because I’d also seen it in blogland. I think holding full out photo shoot would be inappropriate, but I don’t see an issue with snapping a few pics. I do see why using flash could be an issue, plus any good food blogger should know that flash is not ideal for food photography anyway! I definitely, definitely need to try the Lite Choice next time I’m in NYC!
Yum your soup looks great! Im vegan and have been now for a year (a year and one week today!)
It’s the 21st century, no? So long as folks aren’t doing anything lewd in the restaurant–that includes making excessively loud mmm…mmm… noises–who cares? It’s not like people are conducting a shoot, is it?
[...] hadn’t done the grocery shopping for the week, so I just threw together a quick 10-Minute Vegetable Soup using a box of chopped spinach, half a bag of frozen corn, and 7 ounces each of cooked chickpeas [...]