My friend Marq, an always-vegan, threw a surprise party for his partner, Tom, a mostly-vegetarian, often-vegan, where vegan food was served. Including the cake.

Now, as many of my friends know, I like to eat what grows in the earth and have nothing against vegetarian cuisine. What I don’t like is gluten that parades around as New York strip. You’ve heard the comments: “Oh, that braised portabella and tofu cutlet was sooo rich, just like steak!” No it wasn’t. It was a good braised mushroom and tofu cutlet.

When you think about it, carnivorous cooks often prepare vegan food without paying attention. Some dishes are intrinsically vegan, like hummus, and almost everyone likes them. Really, who among us doesn’t appreciate a nice bruschetta?

As long as there’s mouthfeel and a flavor profile it can put its shoes under my bed.

The food served at Tom’s party was like that. Methinks the chef went through quite a bit of olive oil.