I Stand Corrected

“Hey, I take issue with your blog post about meatless burgers,” said a Dishing the Dirt reader and Central Farm Markets customer who went on to school me about my fellow vendor’s “very good meatless burgers”. Always one for a good debate, especially over something I’ve written and/or eaten, they had my full attention. I knew her husband to be a vegetarian sometimes vegan, same for their children with she, a shameless omnivore. And I knew immediately who she was talking about.I’d been walking past his stand for a few years, smiling politely, silently sneering at my utter lack of interest in anything marketed with the V-word, especially ones with names insinuating meat. Silently I would tick through my talking points about soy, monocrops, superweeds, pesticides, coconut and palm products making tasteless ultra-processed foods with ingredients that couldn’t be pronounced. Call it protein prejudice.“You should really try his Veggie Burger. Even I really like them,” she suggested. What was it the little flip-card of daily wisdom on my bathroom countertop read this morning? We are here to learn. Well, I was about to learn about a better version of a meatless burger.Having openly admitted my rebuke against fake meat, this was different. At first, it felt a little weird going up to John Meyers, co-owner with his wife Ashwini Persaud of Sexy Vegie and asking about the meatless burgers. I could only imagine what was going through his mind. Having a vegetarian friend over for dinner, perhaps? Nope. The truth was they were for me, the self-professed carnivore. He graciously provided me with a package of Black Bean Carrot & Corn Veggie Burgers. Immediately I read the ingredients and was surprised to find that I could pronounce every single one. Heck, everything in them I already ate—black beans, carrots, corn, breadcrumbs—just not all at once mashed into a burger.I wanted an honest opinion from someone who takes their non-meat-eating diet seriously, so I invited a friend over for lunch who had been vegetarian most of her adult life. With the array of amazing vegetables and greens I bring home each week from Central Farm Markets, she’s never had a dull meal and quickly accepted. But upon learning of the Veggie Burgers, she was elated. “It’s so hard to find good ones.” Maybe I was on to something…At first, I was tempted to fry the patties in butter, but opted for olive oil so my carnivorous taste buds would get a full plant-based patty experience.The first big score was on appearance. There was no bleeding beet juice trying to impersonate a real meat, yet there was no mistaking the ingredients—black beans, corn and shredded carrot. My lunch companion gave very high marks to the fact that the burger did not stick to the pan or fall apart upon being cooked; the absolute worst, according to her.Since there would also be no melted cheese or mayonnaise or egg roll bun, all requisite items for a great burger in my opinion, we opted to try the patties with a simple side of tomato.Wow. I stand corrected that a meatless burger could not possibly taste good.Taste and quality were the target of the husband and wife team who began Sexy Vegie out of an evolving food truck business five years ago. John had been raised in a vegetarian home, so he was familiar with the difficulties of finding healthy vegetarian and vegan products that were not ultra-processed and full of chemicals.Sexy Vegie transitioned from food truck to farmers markets because the owners prefer the agility and feedback. “We love interacting with our customers!” John exclaimed and I understood exactly how he felt.As for the Impossible Burger, John admitted to trying it. “I’m very familiar with processed imitation meats. It tasted good, but it’s not healthful for the body.”In addition to the burger I ate, Sexy Vegie also makes Sweet Potato & Spinach, Beet & Black Bean, Quinoa, Spinach & Mushroom, and Falafel burgers. Ingredients are sourced locally and seasonally.At the end of the day, what matters when it comes to food--be it meat, vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal—whatever your philosophy—it must be good for the body, good for the planet and good for the soul. Sexy Vegie’s meatless burgers hit all three bases for a home run.