Seattle is definitely the place to do it. Once you do some research, it turns out there are tons of vegan restaurants in the area.
I (warily) purchased my first vegan pizza from an all-vegan pizza place called Pizza Pi today. I was nervous because I’d purchased a vegan BBQ chicken wrap from a different place a few days ago and it was not a happy eating experience. It was spicy and tofu-y and leaky and gross. I was hoping this place would be better.
I went to pick my pizza up. The restaurant smelled good, like a real pizza place would. I brought Leo inside and no one complained or threatened to call the cops — another plus! The pizza was prepared in a timely manner and was actually LESS EXPENSIVE than regular pizza. No joke. I checked. A large pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut in my area is $18.99. My large vegan pepperoni pizza? Was $17.50.
The biggest surprise, perhaps, was that it came in one of those normal pizza boxes. You know, the white ones with red lettering that just say “Hot Fresh Pizza” on them. Like everyone uses. I don’t know why I expected the box to be made out of, like, hemp, and say “I AM A VEGAN PIZZA” all over it. The box just looked normal. I didn’t even dare peek inside until I got it home. When I finally opened the box, it looked pretty much like a normal pizza. The cheese was less melty, I guess, and the pepperonis looked more like little sausages than pepperonis, but, other than that, it didn’t scream “I AM A WEIRD PIZZA!” or anything.
I ate two pieces of it right away. I was starving (because I’d just run three miles, ‘natch), and I was prepared to chow down on this stuff, whatever it might taste like, but you know what? It tasted good. The crust was delicious. The sauce and cheese were a little sweeter than what you’d get at Pizza Hut, but I actually liked that. The pepperonis didn’t really taste like pepperoni, but they didn’t taste bad, either. After eating two slices, I waited an hour, realized I was still hungry, and ate another piece. And you know what? I don’t feel gross at all. This vegan pizza had none of the grease or the heaviness that a regular pizza has. Normally if I’d just eaten three pieces of pepperoni pizza, I would feel disgusting and my stomach would hurt and I would actually be able to feel the pimples forming on my face and I’d want to sit on the couch and watch TV and chain smoke and whine. But after three pieces of this stuff? I feel no different than if I’d eaten a healthy sandwich or something. How freakin’ awesome is that? I gotta be honest, kids, I’m really digging this vegan thing. I have more energy, and I’m just generally feeling better about myself. Plus: my skin looks way better! I haven’t noticed any difference in my exercise routine — I can still run for as long as I could before and I can still lift as much in the gym as I could before. Cool, right?
