Still Peachy?

Seven months after my posts of Say it Ain’t so Joe and Holding Out for a Gyro, much has toppled here in un-Happy Valley. Last week, the halo was removed from Joe Paterno’s image on the same local mural that Sandusky was also painted out of. The statue that was a place to pause for vigil the night before Penn State coach Joe Paterno’s passing, ( Goodbye Ol’ Joe), was removed yesterday. The reasons are all intermixed with the same terrible events that have come to light on our local University Park Campus of Penn State.

Today, Penn State not only has a gaping void on the east side of the stadium (I now dub it the No-Pa Memorial) but also in its pocket book. The NCAA has fined Penn State $60,000,000.00 (roughly a year of football revenue), dismissed the team from participating in bowl games for the next 4 years and wiped away all of the teams wins from the year 1988 to present. This changes the history so that Joe Paterno will no longer be crowned major college football’s winningest coach, dropping him to 12th.

Pennsyltucky does and will feel the impact of these decisions. I am personally glad to have heard the $60 million will be paid into an endowment for external programs preventing child sexual abuse or assisting victims and may not be used to fund such programs at the university. These funds are not to come from non-revenue grossing PSU sports nor academics but it is difficult to see how they (and the local economy) will go uneffected.

As for food (vegetarian and otherwise) in this area, I notice the Fraser Street Deli changed its menu in February and dropped the Tim Curley – Corned Beef. It still retains the Graham Spanier – Roast Beef sandwich that was listed above the Tim Curley sandwich in the photo I took at this link. Notice also in my new menu photo on this posting, that the Mike McQueary sandwich is still present. Does this mean they are there to stay? I have my doubts.

I made a prediction in November that the Peachy Paterno flavor of ice cream at Penn State’s Berkey Creamery would be removed. According to an article in USA Today, as of last week they had no plans of removing it. That, of course, was last week; before statue was removed and hefty fines, sanctions and penalties had been levied against PSU. I am sticking to my prediction, it won’t be too long until the name of the ice cream won’t sound so sweet to official ears and it will go the way of the Sandusky Blitz.

Activist Patter vs Living by Example

With the many social medias now available, it’s easy to blog, post to Facebook walls, tweet and email alerts to like-minded people. It’s a great way to stay connected and keep informed. It is a much easier way to spread a message, and a lot less expense and waste, than the days of sending snail mail. Activists and many nonprofit groups benefit from these new and fast ways of getting their message out but one thing has not changed, they waste a lot of time preaching to the choir.

I recently was forwarded an email that started:

Farm animals are treated in egregiously cruel ways, and the only way to end this abuse is by getting actively involved in advocating on their behalf.

Google that sentence and you will come up with dozens over different animal rights oriented groups. It makes me question who they are hoping to reach and what are they hoping this information will do. Activists in the thick of spreading the word might readily and immediately respond, “We want to reach everybody and we want them to act upon the injustices.”

I am I feeling messages like this are not reaching their intended audience nor having the desired effect. In fact I think the messages are reaching the same groups of people who are already informed of the atrocities of the world and rather than inform, readers become, numb, overburdened or jaded.

When I state a problem, I like to also propose a solution. I propose living a life that you hope would set an example for the world. Like begets like, to a point. Take for instance the Prologue of This American Life episode 453. It focuses on how the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution facilitated long talks with opposing sides of about the abortion debate, this was in the 1990s, in Boston where there were murders occurring over the issue. Long story short, (but do read or listen to it) as Ira Glass concludes,

Empathy has its limits. People are not going to agree. And the best that we can hope for is, we’ll just try to see each other as well-meaning people that we respect, and keep things from getting to the point where we are trying to out and out destroy each other.

There isn’t one “only way to end” any abusive situation, and such a statement is not better than the ads that promise weight loss or teeth whitening with “one simple trick.” The point is, not everyone is going to agree with you but living by example will have much more of an impact on getting change in the world than hammering people with atrocious information that comes across as a pat speech, not tailored for the person who is receiving it.

Be someone who seeks information, communicates clearly, isn’t wasteful, is thoughtful, willing to share, communicates as clearly as possible, and can peacefully express limits when others overstep personal boundaries.

Toast it – NoStik

I was eager to try a gift my parents had given me, a Toast it by NoStik made of Icflon®. It came in 2 sandwich sized bags into which you could put most anything like a slice of pizza or sandwich and pop them into your toaster to be heated. When I read that they are “perfect for gluten free breads” I thought it would be a good product to review on my blog.

The bags could be used up to 50 times each. That meant 100 toasted Daiya sandwiches without the added oils on the outside to fry them up! Do note that you need a newer toaster, like one that can accommodate thick bagel halves for toasting. It does warn not to let the bag come into direct contact with any heating element but it could be put onto a griddle.

I put together a sandwich with Daiya Cheddar style shreds, ketchup, mustard and a couple of thin pickles. This was on bread that was just a little more thin than usual. Even with that, I didn’t want to force it into the toaster and kind of pressed it together after sliding the sandwich into the bag. It went into the toaster just fine.

I wondered how long it would take after snapping a couple of photos noticed maybe some steam rising from the bag. Of course that would mean it was getting hot. After another moment, I decided it might not just be steam and thought it was smoke from the exterior of the bread getting toasted. I pushed the lever to make the sandwich come up and it had burnt some holes right through the bag.

My supposition is that my sandwich must have expanded after I pressed the lever down to start the cooking. This is unfortunate because it wasn’t really a thick sandwich at all nor was my toaster the old style with only thin slots for single slices of bread. Even the directions on the bag of the packaging suggested sandwiches with the addition of tomato slices or pineapple. I doubt any of those would be as thin as the pickles I used.

Not knowing what noxious fumes and chemicals were released into the part of the bread it became fused to, I cut that section away and bit into the remainder of the sandwich. The outside was hot and very crispy but the inside was cold and the Daiya hadn’t melted at all.

I resorted to cooking it 30 seconds in the microwave which melted the Daiya but sadly got rid of the crispy toast texture too. I only have one bag left since the first was ruined, maybe I will try it on the grill sometime, or with a single slice of bread. Oh wait, my toaster will do that without the bag.
____________________

I put another sandwich in the remaining bag and put it in our skillet. It toasted up pretty nicely but with the cleanup involved, I think maybe just grilling them is the way to go. I may still try it with something else another time. I have 49 tries to go.

Holding Out for a Gyro (local lament and luncheon lexicon)

For the second post in a row, I start with my Cryin’ Lion icon. Since I last wrote about the prospective changes in Penn State’s food names, head coach Joe Paterno announced his retirement and was fired (in that order) and University President Graham Spanier was also fired. Both terminations are related to being associated with the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal.

When the terrible allegations of Sandusky’s misdoings and molestations came into the news less than a week ago, it started a chain of events. Sandusky was arrested, Penn State’s Senior Vice President Gary Schultz and Athletic Director Tim Curley both stepped down from their posts late Sunday, one day after the charges were announced. Sandusky Blitz ice cream flavor was wiped clean from Berkey Creamery’s menu as well as his face from a local mural. I made a final prediction that Peachy Paterno flavor as well as the Joegie’s restaurant might be a limited edition too.

It is all a little closer to reality now and I watchfully wait to see the fate of JoePa’s foodie namesakes. His isn’t the only named items I am watching. Jim pointed out that the Fraser Street Deli, that used to name its sandwiches after movie stars, has quite a few menu items named after Penn State icons that prominently figure in the Sandusky case. Highlighted to the right, you will see sandwiches that today are still named after Spanier, Curley and Penn State assistant coach Mike McQueary who, as a 28-year old Graduate Assistant, witnessed Jerry Sandusky raping a ten-year old boy in a shower then chose to leave the scene.

What’s in a name? Why change the names of the sandwiches at all? They are made with the same ingredients (none that are in focus are vegetarian you notice) so what does it matter that today’s turkey breast sandwich is called an Evan Pugh when used to be called a Walt Disney? Today Fraser Street Deli’s Bobbie Jo Solomon sandwich is what used to be called a Fred Astaire. If the idea is to keep it fresh and interesting to the customers, there is also the risk of people judging the sandwich by the actions (or inactions) of whom it has been named for.

There will always be intriguing regional differences in names for almost identical food creations. Taking the example of a specific sandwich, depending on where you are from you might know it as a sub, poor boy, torpedo, Italian sandwich, rocket, zeppelin, blimpie, garibaldi, bomber, wedge, muffuletta, Cuban sandwich, spuckie, gyro, hoagie or… HERO. They are all the same sandwich with different names. The sad difference with choosing to a hero after a celebrated living person (a hero) is that they are still creating their legacies.

It will be a long time until we will be able to tell if justice has been done to Sandusky’s alleged victims. The above mentioned ice creams and sandwiches were named for local sports heros and university demigods. What we are seeing now is what happens when those we have built up and allowed to fly high above us fall, Icarian-like, from grace. Our heros become zeros and their glorified gyros are wiped off of the cute chalkboard menus throughout Penn State campus and downtown State College. It may be superficial and instantaneous but it’s a step in the right direction to see them as sapiens and not superstars.

Say it Ain’t so Joe

Stopping by Berkey Creamery today you might be compelled to order the Peanut Butter Cluster Fudge. No? Ok, I did switch the last two words in the name of one of about 100 ice cream flavors but it sure feels like the flavor of the day with national media swarming the campus of Penn State over the sex-abuse scandal involving the retired assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky.

Guess what flavor has been taken off the list at Berkey Creamery? You aren’t going to be ordering the Banana Flavored Ice Cream with Chocolate Covered Peanuts and Caramel Swirl anymore; Sandusky Blitz has been taken off the menu. It had to be BANANA didn’t it?

Many are talking about the removal of yet another iconic flavor along with his statue along side Beaver Stadium. If you like the Peach Flavored Ice Cream with Peach Slices, you better grab a Peachy Paterno cone while you still can. Cluster Fudge starting to make sense?

This post is a real push on a blog about Pennsyltucky vegetarian foods but sex scandals have an impact on even just that. Penn State Housing and Food Services are aware of, and on top of discussing the fate of their fast food dining area, Joegies.

Hoagies, bananas and ice cream are all vegetarian but we are… probably about to eat crow at Penn State.

Food over Frills

I don’t want to be preachy or give anyone the impression that I don’t love Hallowe’en and Samahin – it’s my favorite! I just have been thinking about the message we give when we carve up our annual jack-o-lanterns.

For those of us who have the luxury of picking and choosing what we care to eat, Reclaiming the Pumpkin as Food Rather than Decorations might seem like a novel idea.

Try the idea on for size, wrap your head around the thought that we are using pumpkins as decorations when others would rather be be eating them. In the summer of 2000, I worked for a local environmental center and my supervisor opened my eyes to thinking carefully about using food items (dried beans, macaroni, etc) in kid’s craft projects. “I just don’t think it should be all right to use food wastefully when there are so many children who are going to bed hungry every night,” shared Kristin.

If you think this isn’t a local concern, check out the statistics for your state or county and then take a moment to educate yourself on just what it means to be food insecure. I thank my daughter-in-law, Amy, for opening my eyes to the food/nutrition challenges of the kids she works with in South Bronx. Another related and paradoxical article on obesity and being food insecure can be read here.

So next time you find yourself ready to carve up a pumpkin, make it into something tasty! Here is a luscious and hearty vegan soup to inspire you to enjoy pumpkins as food! I dedicate this recipe to Amy and the good work she does!

Curried Jack-o-lantern Soup

This soup can be made more easily by using canned pumpkin puree but the meaning of this post is to know what real pumpkins are for – they are food. Grab a 3 pound pie pumpkin, they are smaller, and are available during holiday time. Admire it, photograph it with your cat. Clean and carve it into any design you like but then use it as food instead of putting it on display.

After the soup is made, garnish each bowl with a sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds and a small dollop of Tofutti Sour Supreme. This thick soup will keep in the fridge and it freezes well too.

* 1 (3 pound) pumpkin, cut & cleaned or 2 cups canned pumpkin puree
* 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
* 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
* 1 diced Onion
* 2 Ripe Pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks
* 3 cloves of minced Garlic
* 1 tablespoon Curry Powder
* 1/2 cup Apple Juice
* 6 cups Vegetable Broth
* 1/3 cup Thick Coconut Cream (NOT sweetened Cream of Coconut)
* Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Toppings:
* Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
* Cilantro and a sprinkle of curry or
* Tofutti Sour Supreme

1. Place the pumpkin pieces (best just halved), cut side down, on a baking sheet and pour a half cup of water onto the baking sheet. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° F for about 1 hour, or until the pumpkin flesh is tender when pierced with a knife. When cool enough to handle, scrape the pumpkin flesh from the skins.

2. Heat the oil and Earth Balance in a large stockpot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the pears, garlic and curry powder to the pot and cook 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Add the juice and deglaze, scraping up any caramelized bits on the bottom of the pot. Add the roasted pumpkin and the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth right in the pot. Heat thoroughly then stir in the coconut cream and adjust the seasoning. Do not boil.

4. Serve the soup in warm bowls garnished with a dollop of Tofutti Sour Supreme and a few pumpkin seeds.

Ketchup that won’t give you Gas

Based out of Pittsburgh, H. J. Heinz Company came up with their most famous Heinz ketchup in 1876. I have been a huge fan of Pennsylvania’s best ketchup ever since I was a little kid. I knew Heinz was “sloooow good” and “what ketchup tastes like” but until this past summer I was in the 89% who didn’t know that Heinz says to release ketchup faster from the glass bottle, apply a firm tap to the sweet spot on the neck of the bottle— the raised “57.” Thanks Amy & Arron for adding to my good ketchup knowledge.

Although the Heinz Endowments’ monies originate from the Heinz family (founders of H. J. Heinz Company) there is no connection between the Heinz Endowments and the H.J Heinz Company. I am still going to use the name of the good Pennsylvania ketchup as a clumsy segue to the Marcellus Shale drilling that has been fracking up Pittsburgh and the rest of PA.

To get up to speed on what all the fuss is about, give a listen to This American Life, specifically Sarah Koenig’s Game Changer. Then read the defensive
Penn State press release and Sarah Koenig’s response.

Armed with that knowledge, I hope you can understand why I was pleased to read that Heinz chose to end support for Shale Gas Research Programs. I hope it has an effect, like a firm tap to the sweet spot on the neck, that will make other donors want to free up flow their funds in other directions that won’t poison the tomatoes and ketchup of PA.

Leaking through the Cracks of the Barrel (rant part 2)

Two weeks after my first being mislead and fed meatful soups at Cracker Barrel restaurant in State College, PA, my rant continues from part 1, There’s a Crack in the Barrel.

——————————————-

July 17, 2011
Four days after my conversation with Brian found me a little burnt out from the mid-July heat and the local arts festivals. Jim and I had plans to watch the Women’s World Cup final, USA vs Japan later in the day but we needed some real food before then. We decided to use our golden ticket (and list of safe foods) at Cracker Barrel.

Even after our 3 mile run we weren’t super hungry so were fine with any Sunday morning wait for seating. Just in case my name was a red flag for this store, we gave the name of Amy to the hostess so as to not scare any employees that we were there to make trouble. We really weren’t and just wanted a meal to see us through the game later.

It took 15 minutes to be seated, it was busy and just before noon. Neither of us saw Kelly nor Victor but I saw Kyle was working as waiter again. We were not seated at one of Kyle’s tables but had the fortune of meeting the young and fresh Julie.

I have thought about exactly why I did what I did next. At one point I thought that perhaps I did it on a whim but honestly, I wanted to see the positive outcome of all of my work to keep the staff informed.I asked Julie what soups were available and when she said one of them was Vegetable I asked her if it was Vegetarian.

Julie thought it was a vegetarian soup but volunteered to check to make sure as she put in our orders for iced tea. “Good girl,” I thought, “Don’t assume you know and don’t be afraid to ask.”

I had forgotten the list of safe foods but we knew the soup wouldn’t be an option. We both decided to order the 4 Vegetable Platter. I planned to order Carrots, Corn, Coleslaw (I now see is not on the list of safe foods! What the heck could be in it!?) and Mashed Potatoes. Jim planned on ordering Macaroni & Cheese, Apple Sauce, substitute his 3rd vegetable for a Baked Potato and substitute his 4th vegetable for a House Salad without bacon.

Just as we sorted out who would order what, Julie returned with our drinks and the news that the Vegetable Soup was vegetarian, “It has no meat in it,” she grinned.

I was so shocked at her declaration that I could hardly talk to place my order. I was grateful for having just gone over it and I stammered, “Ummmm, I think I will have the Vegetable platter instead,” and went on to place my order.

As I did my mind was reeling with questions,”Did Julie really ask about the soup? Whom did she ask? What is wrong with this place? Did Brian Perry not get through to these folks? Did he do anything at all?”

I was composed enough to know that Jim was wrapping up his order as I heard him say,”… and for my last vegetable I would like to substitute the House Salad, no bacon.”

I saw Julie writing Jim’s request and heard her repeat back, “…no bacon.” She took his choice of salad dressing down then was off to place the order.

The moment she left the table, Jim and I looked at each other in total amazement. Our jaws were hanging open and we looked around before we started frantically whispering to each other at the same time,”Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it! This is terrible! What is going on?! Unbelievable!”

We were still muttering and shaking our heads in disbelief when Jim’s House Salad was served by another young waitress. He reminded me that I wanted to photograph our food for this food blog and I got my camera out while warning, “Make sure there isn’t any bacon.”

When I looked up from my bag, camera in hand, Jim’s nose was practically touching his salad as he was looking (without his glasses on) at a tiny speck of something he was poking with a fork, “Is it bacon? I can’t tell.”

Jim's first House Salad on July 17th.

Neither of us could be sure so he gingerly used his fork to try to peep down below the top layer of veggies and cheese without messing the whole salad up for my photo. “Oh god,” I heard him say as he scraped aside the veggies to reveal a huge mound of bacon underneath!

I wasn’t going to send it back without getting a photo of it since my camera was in my hand. I snapped a shot as we nervously laughed at the strange horror of the whole situation. We saw Julie and were able to call her over to show her the salad and she picked it up to take back to the kitchen. “I put ‘no bacon’ into the computer,” she said with a sad sigh.

It was then I decided that Julie must have asked about the soup and hadn’t just told us on her own that it was vegetarian. “I know you did,” I used a tone to hopefully convey that I believed she did everything she possibly could have. The whole waitstaff seemed to be set up for failure.

In the brief span of time it took for all of our food to be served, Jim and I continued to share exasperated exclamations in hushed tones. We agreed that someone had to be told but I was unsure if I should speak to one of the busy managers or just wait and call the District Manager, Brian Perry, since he had left me his cell phone number.

I had lost my appetite for anything and just stared at the food. “Take a picture of it then,” Jim said in a good humored way. If I couldn’t eat it, I might as well photograph it.

Our meal on July 17th. Although Coleslaw isn't on their safe list (my bad, not theirs), this was our real vegetarian meal.

It sure was a colorful bounty and I had to find a way to calm down and eat it. It was vegetarian after all, well maybe not the Coleslaw but I didn’t remember the list so that was my own stupidity. I started to poke at my food and not wait until it got cold. I started nibbling and my appetite slowly came back since there was nothing more to set me off. I gave a big sigh and just shook my head with the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

Enter Andy, a manager who saw me shaking my head. “How is everything?” he asked in a very pleasant tone. He towered above our table in a tan shirt that bared no name tag. Damn, I had to ask yet another Cracker Barrel employee their name.

He gave his name readily and as he saw my concern he kindly bent his knees to be on our level at the table, “Andy, I have to say things aren’t going all that well. Over the past week I have been trying to resolve issues of miscommunication regarding vegetarian options at Cracker Barrel and today I was again told that your Vegetable Soup was vegetarian. I know this soup is not because it…”

“…has meat seasonings,” Andy and I finished the statement together. He went from looking concerned to embarrassed to ghostly pale in the short time it took us to get to this point in our conversation.

I continued, “Our waitress was good enough to go and ask and she was told that there was no meat in the soup. I do not know who told her but I had been assured this would never happen again. I do want you to know that I will be contacting Brian Perry to update him on my experience.”

Andy didn’t have too much else to say. I think he mumbled that he understood. I am almost certain he apologized. He looked like a whipped dog as he started to retreat from the table so I made sure to tell him that I really appreciated that he stopped to check on us.

Julie came back to check on us at least once after we talked to Andy and it may have been soon after but so much happened during that meal I can’t remember if it was at this point we told her about the Vegetable Soup not being vegetarian or not. We told her we had known and that she did nothing wrong by telling us what she had been told. The sweet girl looked shocked and confused to be caught in the middle of all of this and I felt badly. I told her she was doing great, our meal was awesome but we wanted her to know (since no one else had yet shared the corrected information with her) so that no one else would be accidentally served the soup if they didn’t want to eat a meat product.

I wasn’t looking forward to having to open the whole issue up again to the district manager but at least it didn’t seem that we would encounter any other stumbling blocks during our meal.

I was wrong, our cast of characters for the day was not yet complete. Enter Dallas, a manager in a red shirt with her name embroidered over the right breast. She carefully approached our table with a look like she was attending a funeral. She quietly asked if we were the table that had asked about the soup being vegetarian and we told her that she was correct.

She hung her head, “I was the one that told the waitress that it was vegetarian. I never knew there was any meat seasoning in it. I am very sorry.”

I introduced myself, made sure that I was reading her name correctly without staring at her breast and told her that we very much appreciated her taking responsibility for spreading the misinformation. I told her that our current meal was delicious and it was very good of her to check in with us.

We did not finish everything but I find it odd that the one thing I insisted on eating the last of was the Coleslaw that is not on their vegetarian safe list (what is IN that stuff?!).

I had kept the golden fronted coupon in my purse until I was at the cash register itself. I didn’t even pull it out as I was in line and waiting to be directed to a register. A woman with dark hair pulled into a ponytail and a brown apron asked how our meal was.

I said, “There were some problems but we have already spoken to Andy and Dallas about them. Thank you.” She looked upset and shocked but composed herself and I chatted about the weather being hot until a register opened for us.

The young woman at the register asked how everything was and I told her pretty much the same thing about having some problems but already spoke to Andy and Dallas about them. Out came the coupon and she looked at it and said, “Thank you very much, it’s all taken care of.” Having already left a large tip for Julie, I turned to go.

Enter Karan. I hadn’t made it six steps, not more that 15 – 20′ away when I heard a woman’s voice loudly declaring, “I called it!” I turned to look back over my shoulder at the ruckus to see the woman in the pony tail take up the golden coupon from the cashier and wave it as she continued in a loud complaint, “I knew this was going to happen this morning. I just knew it!” I hustled out of there before someone decided to throw something at me.

——————————————-

July 18, 2011
I called and left a message for Brian Perry giving him the rundown of our latest experience at State College Cracker Barrel store #681. I know I used the phrase “unbelievably disturbing” and asked if, per chance he had not had the opportunity to implement his strategies. I also asked that if he had had the chance were his strategies ineffective. I told him that I was honest with the store managers that I would be contacting you. He returned my call within 20 minutes.

Brian was on the road, returning from his vacation. He took some time to retrieve a series of calls that had been forwarded from his corporate headquarters. Apparently the way they are forwarded, the person choosing which ones to forward can comment on the content. Whomever did so reminded Brian that the whole ingredient misinformation was a serious issue, especially with allergies.

He told me at least twice that he was very embarrassed and admitted before this had happened that he had talked to his General Managers and put his plans into action. He told me that the voice messages from the State College store contained a lot of excuses and owned up to the fact that his plans were obviously ineffective.

Brian did clarify that the woman in the red shirt, Dallas, was actually a Corporate Trainer. I asked him how long she had been at Cracker Barrel and he told me, “Twenty years.”

I could see that it is a problem from the top down. I asked what his plans might be and he said that he would get home in a day and back to work on Wednesday. At that time he realized he had to heighten disciplinary actions and felt that if the one manager had the same problem again (making excuses? misinformation?) that Brian would have to fire him.

He also planned to talk to his boss and try to get some different strategies. I encouraged him in this and felt it would be good to have a different point of view involved in something so frustrating.

As the conversation wrapped up, I discouraged him from sending along any coupons for free meals, “I really have lost my appetite for Cracker Barrel.” I did say that I realized it was a token and had appreciated the gesture.

Brian gushed, “If I could, I would have my General Managers bring you gift baskets to your door!”

He promised me a follow up call and I told him that I would understand that some time may pass until I heard from him again. He hesitated and said, “I don’t expect you to be understanding.”

I replied, “I really don’t understand it at all. My head is swimming with confusion and I find it all a quite strange.” I did thank him for calling.

——————————————-

July 19-24 , 2011
I returned home to a message on our answering machine from Regional Vice President Mike Hackney. He stated that he had a discussion with one of his District Managers and was hoping to speak to me about what he called my “experience” at State College Cracker Barrel. He wanted to talk to me about what he is doing “at his level” to address my concerns. He also expressed an interest in my feedback.

I left a message for him the following morning and the morning after that and we went back and forth over the next week leaving messages for each other.

——————————————-

July 25 , 2011
What I assumed to be the conclusion of all of this turns out to be rather anticlimactic and generally unsatisfying. I was hoping when I spoke to the Regional VP he would be at least as sympathetic or helpful as the District Manager. Mike Hackney was neither. From looking at his LinkedIn profile he has changed jobs, for whatever reason, every 2 years or so. I can’t say he had a good feel of Cracker Barrel brand from what it has grown from nor where it is heading.

I did give a list of concerns and had questions about what type of incentives employees were being given which seemed to make speed more important than accuracy. He told me that Cracker Barrel had no incentives for # served nor speed of getting customers in and out.

I also made what I felt were insightful references to their past 20 year and from what has been recently in print about their northerly trend. I impressed that moving into more diverse communities would continue to demand their awareness and pointed out the recent law suit a group of Hindus won against an Indian restaurant for selling meat samosas.

His responses were pretty non-committal on everything and he had no solid information on his company all together. On the issue of some managers not wearing name tags on their shirts nor identifying themselves I suggested that a name tag would be helpful to differentiate them from the other well dressed customers. “That’s not going to happen,” he told me flatly.

When I countered in surprise that it was odd being approached by someone who had no name tag nor logo identifying them as Cracker Barrel employees and expecting me to share with them a reply to, “How is everything?”

He recognized that they should have introduced themselves and, as he said about almost everything I suggested, “I will pass that information along.”

That was the response I got to my suggestion that their menu have each vegetarian menu item marked with something like a “V” to empower vegetarian customers and take the risk of misinformation being passed. I told him that when I see a problem, I prefer to have a suggestion to make things work better rather than just level complaints.

I asked what good was going to come of all of the energy I had put into a bad situation I hadn’t sought out. I asked how I might know something good has come of it. What it came down to was his telling me that it was very much appreciated that I brought the issue(s) to their attentions and I pretty much just had to have faith that they would be using it to improve the dining experience of any vegetarians who choose to eat at Cracker Barrel.

I concluded to him that I was dissatisfied and disappointed with those responses. I had nothing else to offer and made it clear that I couldn’t recommend Cracker Barrel to anyone who has any strict dietary concerns.

——————————————-

As a bit of a post script to this all, I called and asked what it was that made the Cole Slaw not safe for vegetarians (of type 1 OR type 2). It turns out that it was an oversight and should be on the safe for vegetarian type 2 list. What other oversights might there be?

I have always known choices at Cracker Barrel are limited but the selection of edible items seems to get smaller every year. My hopes in this rant isn’t to be shocked at Cracker Barrel but to show what going through the processes of demanding that vegetarians not be misinformed. There are those times, whether by choice or not, vegetarians will eat at Cracker Barrel. When they do it would be nice to know what we are eating.

I would appreciate it, if you agree with my idea of Cracker Barrel adding a printed “V” to their vegetarian safe selections, that you call their Guest Relations (1-800-333-9566).

I also welcome all questions and comments and would love to hear about others’ vegetarian experiences with Cracker Barrel.

To empower folks who have access to ingredients lists, this link at The Vegetarian Resource Group gives a listing of common food ingredients commonly found in many foods and beverages that indicates whether they are vegetarian, vegan, or non-vegetarian.

Here are some links to vegetarians who have related Cracker Barrel woes:
Taylor’s blog Mac & Cheese has a great Cracker Barrel post and is a really terrific veggie blog!

Veggie Boards shows that vegetarian troubles at Cracker Barrel are everywhere.

There’s a Crack in the Barrel (rant part 1)

State College recently added another southern styled food chain into their fold, Cracker Barrel. Over the years I have learned that Cracker Barrel has less to offer than I had once assumed. Firstly, it’s unsavory past of racial discrimination, anti-gay attitudes and sexual harassment takes the feel goodness out of their home-style comfort foods. Secondly, they have listed more and more vegetable menu items as being “made the old-fashioned way using meat seasonings.”

——————————————-

July 5, 2011
On a day where I was all psyched up to enjoy a salad and baked potato with my parents at our new Cracker Barrel, something possessed me to call ahead to see if there was anything more that I might be able to order. This is where the frustration began.

I thought instead of assuming what I knew I could eat, I would ask what they had available for vegetarians. My conversation was with Kelly of the State College Cracker Barrel and her reply was, “We have salads and vegetables.” Knowing that not all of the vegetables were safe choices was the first little red flag for me. I totally forgot that there was bacon on the one salad too but I went ahead and encouraged her to check on which vegetables were safe.

Kelly was gone for but a second and when she returned to speak to me she said, “Yeah, the green beans and the pinto beans have meat in them but everything else is okay.”

“What is everything else? Carrots?” I prompted.

“Yeah, carrots and apples and corn,” she was hesitant and fumbling, “All the other vegetables other than the beans.”

“You don’t sound certain, is there someone else who might know?” I was giving her an out, a way to comfortably admit she wasn’t sure.

Kelly countered, “No, I asked that that’s what I was told. Everything but the beans.”

“I am remembering that the Hashbrown Casserole has meat seasonings in it. Might you want to check on that?”

“Oh no! The Hashbrown Casserole is vegetarian, I am sure.”

“Really!?”

“Yeah, everything but the beans is vegetarian.”

Bullshit. I looked up the menu online and saw it was still listed as meatful. In very fine print it states, “We want to make sure you know that some of our offerings, like turnip greens, green beans, corn muffins, hashbrown casserole and pinto beans, are made the old-fashioned way using meat seasonings and are not strictly vegetarian. Please ask your server about any particular dish if you have any questions.”

——————————————-

I called Cracker Barrel Guest Relations (1-800-333-9566) and decided to spin it in a way that gave Kelly credibility rather than to attack an employee. My call was answered with little professionalism and I had to ask the name of the representative. I spoke to Rachel and told her my first name. She never asked for any contact information from me and seeing as I hadn’t even visited to restaurant yet, I thought it wasn’t a big deal.

I excitedly yet skeptically asked Rachel if the new location in State College might have a new recipe that would allow vegetarians to finally enjoy their Hashbrown Casserole. She took time to look and read me the above statement and I told her what Kelly has insisted.

“Might the new store have a new recipe?”

“No ma’am.”

“Oh my, I think perhaps the manager needs to be informed to tell Kelly that she is spreading false information. It really is wrong to insist that she knows and mislead a customer. If this were an allergy issue it could be dangerous”

“Yes ma’am. I will make sure the manager knows.”

“Thank you so much for hearing my concerns, Rachel.”

Hmmmmmmm.

——————————————-

Upon visiting the new location it was exactly what you would expect, just like every other Cracker Barrel in the USA. We were seated within 10 minutes by a hesitant staff member during the bustling lunch crowd. He was kind enough to check for me what soups were available that day, “Vegetable/Vegetable Beef,” I was told.

I was intrigued and assumed that, unless the young man had a stutter or the soup was double named like Boutros Boutros Ghali, perhaps the Vegetable Soup was worth asking about. When Kyle came to take our order I asked him and he told me he thought the Vegetable Soup was vegetarian but he would go and check. “Good man,” I thought, “Don’t assume you know and don’t be afraid to ask.”

Enter our waiter Kyle who gave me the good news that the soup was indeed vegetarian, was going to be their regular second soup choice of the day and he was personally pleased because he claimed to be, “… a sort-of vegetarian too.” I ordered a bowl of the soup and a House Salad without the bacon, Kyle gave me an understanding smile and nod.

My parents’ food came before mine and was brought by a young woman who had very little table-side service etiquette. My mother’s 4 vegetable plate choices were served along with my father’s Sunrise Sample breakfast. The woman was left with a dish of Fried Apples. “Well who gets THESE?!” she asked in an accusing tone. We had no idea if they went with the breakfast or if she had brought out an extra dish.

Just as she was about to head back into the kitchen with the apples, Kyle came by and told her that they go with the breakfast. He also assured me that my order would be out soon, told the young woman that our table still needed a salad and a bowl of soup. She served my father the apples and turned to me, “You get a soup and house salad?”

“No bacon,” I replied. It’s not an herb you know.

At my insistence, my parents had started their meal by the time my food came. The steaming bowl of thick soup was packed with veggies but I dove into my salad to make sure there was no bacon. Kyle returned to refill my father’s coffee and check on us. Things seemed great.

I finally took a spoonful of hot soup but within the first bite I could tell there was ground beef. I set the meat to the side and looked, the ground beef which I had visually assumed was overcooked rice was what made the whole bowl so dense and thick. Kyle had just left so it was hard to flag him down but we got his attention pretty straight away.

I showed him what I had been served and he looked at it as though he didn’t understand. I assured him it was ground beef and suggested perhaps I was served the wrong soup. He rolled his eyes in a way that made it clear that he was a little exasperated with the kitchen, first my order was late, then inaccurate. He apologized and I, for maybe the 500th time in my life, was sorry for my parents to have to endure a scene I was making about my food during a meal. My reason for calling ahead to pave the way for an enjoyable lunch was all for naught.

Enter Victor, a man in a management red shirt but no name tag tailed by Kyle. The manager came offering apologies and a new bowl of soup. He explained that the soups had been mislabeled. At that point I asked his name and gave my own.

I thanked Victor for the bowl of a clearly different kind of thin broth vegetable soup and told him how I had tried to circumvent all of this lunchtime drama by calling earlier in the morning. I let him know how Kelly had insisted I accept her misinformation on what foods were vegetarian.

Victor pretty much brushed me off by telling me that he had already received an email about my concerns and phone call to Guest Relations and wanted me to know that he would be touching base later with Kelly. He also gave me the excuse that Kelly typically worked “out front” with the merchandise and was less informed about the menu. I thanked Victor for taking the time to talk to me and correct the soup mix up.

The soup and salad were good and I was actually a little excited that I would finally have a regular food option at this local Cracker Barrel. I love vegetable soup.

——————————————-

A little time gave me some perspective and I realized that I was unsettled about how Victor had not really heard my concerns. He was more focused on making excuses for Kelly than owning up to any wrong doing. If Kelly was more familiar with the merchandise that was even more reason she should have defered to someone else to answer my questions. He never offered to try to make things right other than swap the soups. He never heard my frustration of having jumped through hoops to get a meal. He never even offered to amend our bill or take off the price of the soup. That wasn’t what I was looking for but it would have at least been a gesture to recognize the frustration I had in trying to eat a vegetarian meal.

I asked my parents for the receipt and saw there was a customer survey. I called but it gave little satisfaction. The survey asked me to rate 2 things, my overall experience and the taste of the food. It then thanked me and gave me the Guest Relations number (1-800-333-9566) if I had any specific complaints.

For the third time that day, once in the morning I had been cut off before speaking to a live person, I called Cracker Barrel Guest Relations. My call was taken by Pam who identified herself without my asking and when I gave her my name and history in a short sentence or two (yes, I can be concise) asked for my phone number and address along with my last name.

Pam made me feel like she was really listening to my concerns. She understood my focus was more on the handling of information rather than mistakes made by a new store.

In trying to understand everything, she asked if I was a “type 1″ or “type 2″ vegetarian. I told her that I wasn’t sure what she meant but clarified that I do eat eggs and dairy products. She shared with me the list of safe foods for “vegetarian type 1″ (vegans) and “vegetarian type 2″ (lacto-ovo vegetarians).

I thanked Pam for taking some time to hear my concerns in a way Victor hadn’t. She was very surprised that he hadn’t tried to “make things right.” I told Pam that he did bring me the vegetarian Vegetable Soup and I was thrilled that the State College location was going to be having it regularly.

Pam went quiet for a beat or two then said, “Ma’am, it’s not on the list.”

“No, no,” I assured her, “This wasn’t the Vegetable Beef Soup, it was the VEGetable Soup.”

Please remember how much I LOVE VEGETABLE SOUP! Looking back I find it rather comic how much denial I was in. Pam and I actually went back and forth on this topic until I realized what she meant. She said, “Let me read the exact history on the ingredient concerns.”

It took her a while to read through things from the corporate headquarters that determined whether it was something that had soy products for those with soy allergies and concerns like that. Eventually she got to an entry about beef products in 2006 that confirmed it had “beef seasoning.”

I was floored. “Unbelievable!” I exclaimed, “Pam do not let my reaction reflect directly on you but I am in shock that I was served and ate 2 soups today, both which contained beef! This is unacceptable!”

She agreed and gave me the information that she would be making sure that local management as well as district management would be informed. She said that she would be mailing me a coupon for a complimentary meal for my trouble and a letter with the vegetarian safe foods lists on it. She also told me that I should expect a follow up call.

I thanked Pam and told her that I certainly did want to know how things were going to be handled. I made sure she knew my goal had not been to get a coupon but to make sure others wouldn’t be lied to or fed food that they didn’t want to eat. Pam agreed that guests’ vegetarian food concerns should be respected whether it’s for allergies, religious reasons or whatever.

——————————————-

July 6-11, 2011
After another phone call to Guest Relations clarify why I hadn’t heard anything to follow up my concerns, I was finally told that Cracker Barrel Guest Relations never promised that I would get a follow up call.

What I got on almost a week after the whole thing started, was a form letter. If you ask anything about vegan and vegetarian options from Cracker Barrel Guest Relations, the form letter you will get will look like this:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. We always appreciate hearing from our guests.

As I understand it, there are two types of vegetarians. Type 1 eats no dairy or egg while Type 2 eats dairy and eggs.

A Type 1 vegetarian could eat tossed salad, oatmeal, and baked potatoes. If margarine is not a problem, they also eat corn, carrots, and fried apples.

A Type 2 vegetarian could eat all of the above plus eggs, pancakes, French toast, grilled cheese, eggs in a basket, mashed potatoes, red skin potatoes, biscuits, sour dough bread, grits, and macaroni and cheese.

It should also be noted that all of our fried vegetables are fried in the same oil as our meat products. We want to make sure you know that some of our offerings, like turnip greens, green beans, corn muffins, hashbrown casserole, and pinto beans are made the old-fashioned way using meat seasonings and are not strictly vegetarian.

As a token of our appreciation, I am enclosing a complimentary meal card for you. We would like for you to be our guests on your next visit to the Cracker Barrel location of your choice.

We hope we have addressed your concerns and look forward to hearing from you and serving you soon.

That and a shiny golden coupon for a free meal was all I got. It didn’t address my concerns, it made it sound like I had made a general inquiry. I decided that although Pam had been kind, reflected my concerns and may have been forwarded, I had nothing to show that there was any action being taken.

My phone call that afternoon was received by Bobbie who easily looked up the history of my concerns by using my telephone number. She said that the district manager had been informed and he, in turn, had been in touch with the general managers. I told Bobbie that I would like a call from someone telling exactly what was being done to inform the State College Cracker Barrel staff so that misinformation would not be spread again. Bobbie told me that she would have the district manager call me. I had to ask her from whom I would be getting a call and she told me his name.

——————————————-

July 13, 2011
Enter Cracker Barrel District Manager, Brian Perry. Brian made his call to me from his cell phone while he was on vacation and apologized if I heard children making demands in the background. He felt my concerns deserved attention before he was back to work and even apologized for the delay.

Brian already knew the name of every employee who had handled things badly. I stressed to him that the content of the form letter I received would be better served in the hands of those employees.

I told him my concern was about the misinformation vegetarian customers were being fed (literally) and lack of Cracker Barrel management owning to any problems. He agreed on every count and shared what his plans were.

Brian recognized that he personally could not touch base with every employee but had made sure that every general manager was aware of the problem. He also had plans to follow up by giving a phone call or two asking vegetarian related questions after some time had passed.

Brian strongly encouraged me at least 3 times to give Cracker Barrel another try but I would not commit. I thanked him, expressing that I had received the token of the gilded coupon but was unsure if I would use it after all of the hassle.

In parting, Brian assured me that I would never have to worry about this issue in the future. H said it in a way that he was trying to guarantee it. The end of this call felt like a closure that I could live with; Brian understood the importance of making certain customers dietary concerns should be every employee’s priority and was taking steps to educate them.

——————————————-

Unbelievably and unfortunately this was not where it ended. My rant continues here in Part 2, Leaking through the Cracks of the Barrel.

The Enchanted Kitchen

Update: CLOSED December 2011

It is with genuine regret that I cannot write a glowing review of what is currently State College’s lone vegetarian-only spot. Even after visiting 3 times over the past year and a quarter I still can’t even call it a restaurant.

Please allow this intro to do two things; may it invite and inform. I invite comments in line or to the contrary of my own, whether during the same time frame as my visits or in the future. I also aim to inform readers who have an interest in knowing what I, a vegetarian of 35 years and Central PA resident for a half a century, have experienced first hand.

————————-

As an adult, have you ever been to a little kid’s tea party? As you sit in a cramped chair or on the floor, demi tassi cups get accidentally spilled, the tea might really be water or not exist at all and the hostess might lick the spoon between serving honey to each guest. What you get out of the experience is more than an uncomfortable chair, germ covered spoon and imaginary food because you care. You are patient and will even pretend to enjoy it a little more than you really do because, after all, it’s a kid.

I can no longer try to enjoy The Enchanted Kitchen for what it is or pretends to be. It has cost more than for the price of a locally grown artisan meal; it’s cost me my patience.

—————————

The Uncomfortable Chair

Late May of 2010 was the first time we tried to go to Enchanted Kitchen. Jim and I happened to notice the sign on the door going to the Lotus Center Yoga but the door was locked. We made it a point to do a little research, found out very little but soon after a brand new web page popped up.

The hours and days were erratic, sometimes coinciding with yoga hours and sometimes with a limited menu. I read that they only accepted cash and joined the brand new FaceBook page to read what specials were popping up every other day.

Just after the Summer Solstice, I took a glance online at the hours of the day and made sure to first stop at the ATM and made my way to the Pugh St entrance. Outside was a sandwich-style chalk board with the specials of the day listed. I needed to make up my mind and get something to take to meet Jim in time for his lunch.

I am always shy about entering new spaces but I climbed up the steps and opened the door. It lead to a long descending staircase which ended at a sub-lobby by another set of doors. I could see inside that I had finally made it to The Enchanted Kitchen.

Another open lobby area was in front of me with a coffee table and some cushy chairs and a couch. It had a very Coffee Shop laid back feel to it. Off to my right were drawn gauze curtains which obscured what I sensed as a large open room that was dark and filled with people. I could hear meditative music and an instructor evenly talking.

Looking up and beyond the lobby was a U-shaped counter with retro diner-esque stools that were cool enough that you almost couldn’t tell that the space had been a bar and a club. In the center of the curved counter space was the center of Enchanted Kitchen’s universe, the owner, the kitchen and the food.

I didn’t venture any farther than the first available seat on the edge of the EK universe. Before I sat down I found out that food wasn’t being served that day until 11:30 and we were to use hushed tones during the babies’ (The Babies’!) yoga class.

In sotto voce I expressed an interest in ordering one of the specials from the chalkboard displayed street level.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have that today, that was yesterday’s special. I didn’t get to change the board yet,” the owner apologized and told me what was available to order in a few minutes.

I chose one of the things she mentioned and ordered it to go. “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t have any containers for that dish to go.”

I offered to go and get my own handy “to go” container from my bike bag and described the size of it. A baby from the yoga class bawled and the owner looked uncomfortable, “I’m afraid in that shape of a container I wouldn’t be able to present my food in the way it was meant to be seen.”

I grinned and tried to put her mind at ease, “It will all get mixed up in my stomach when I eat it anyway.” Another baby whimpered and a second customer bustled in for a pre-order of pâtè. The owner said she would be back to me in a moment.

I hadn’t been rushed when I first came in but I really needed to get this transaction moving and get across campus. I realized that ordering a meal to go was going to be out of the question so I decided to order a Ginger Apple Smoothie and grab some soup as I buzzed across campus, I even had my thermoses for it.

The woman getting the pâtè and owner quietly chatted like they were close friends and had a lot of catching up to do. I sat there, uncomfortable but trying to find peace and acceptance of spending 1/2 hour to get a drink.

As the owner finished packaging the pâtè, I guessed that from the shape of the containers that it’s presentation wasn’t as vital, she excitedly asked if the customer wanted to see her latest creation. She then pulled out a huge plate of coarsely grated strings of zucchini, “Zoodles! I just finished making them,” she declared as a yoga baby hiccuped in the adjoining room.

She finally returned to take my order and I pretended to enjoy the amount of time it took her to make 3 of the same smoothie. Both she and the other customer both decided that my choice sounded so good that they wanted one too.

I tried to be grateful for the healthy drink, paid in cash, tipped well and was resigned to never being able to rely on Enchanted Kitchen for lunch. How uncomfortable and sad it made me when I was secretly hoping it might work out as a regular choice.

The Germ Covered Spoon

It’s funny now that I look back on it to realize that Enchanted Kitchen tended to draw me in on the Solstices. The second visit was our 26th wedding anniversary and Jim was off for the Winter holidays.

I had been following the updated hours and specials on the FaceBook page. They added supper hours on some days, a new staff member and more food options. Reviews coming in from diners all warned of the long wait but raved about the food. EK was also set up for take out in December 2010. With the exception of occasionally whimsically closing with only a warning on Facebook, it seemed the place might be getting their act together.

We still had never had any of the food so, as a special treat for our anniversary, we set aside the afternoon EK was open from 11 – 2:30 the day we went. Knowing they sometimes have a slow start with actual serving of food and not wanting to be swamped by any lunch crowd, we chose to enter at 1:15 PM.

I planned on enjoying every bite and went hungry. Jim and I followed another couple down the staircase. They chose to sit at the counter but we, wanting to face each other and enjoy lingering, walked beyond the U to an area of tables and chairs.

There was another group of 4 there who seemed to be winding down their meal with hot beverages. They chatted animatedly about different rallies, marches and liberal fund-raising for groups they were sympathetic to.

The owner was again in her U-space putting together some food. She waited on the customers at the counter by giving them menus and water. It took her the better part of 10 minutes to touch base with us by waving in our direction and saying she would be right over.

I had warned Jim about the wait but we were both determined to get a vegetarian meal served to us on our anniversary. We looked around and I noticed some things were being remodeled. It looked like a wall was being built between the yoga classroom and the space used by Enchanted Kitchen. There were a lot of raw looking construction materials lying around, just off of the dining area.

Her hair flying behind her, the owner hustled over and gave us an apology and two menus, “I’m sorry,the other woman who normally helps me has left for the winter holidays so I am short-staffed. I will bring you some water as you look over you menus.” My second visit had started much like my first, with an apology.

We sat for 10 more minutes as we made our meal decisions. The Walnut Melt sandwiches advertised to be served with shredded carrots and granny smith apples. That with a warm cheddar sounded divine and Jim agreed, we were both getting hungry. We overheard the customers at the counter order the same kind of sandwiches and the owner offered bread choices that included a local Gemelli Baker’s Olive Bread – yum.

Twenty minutes finally landed me a water and the owner offered another apology as she took our orders. She didn’t offer the olive bread as choice so I admitted having overheard the couple at the counter and thought that combination sounded wonderful. She laughed nervously,”I guess we have come up with a new favorite combination!” Jim also ordered a Ginger Smoothie.

She flew back to her kitchen universe and was chopping and heating and preparing furiously. She had what seemed to be 4 plates ready to be served. I was excited since the couple, Jim and I had all ordered the same thing and was all ready to have the 4 sandwiches being made and served at the same time. Not too bad after a half an hour wait…

…but NO! It was four plates of food for that group in the corner who I had assumed were having an after meal chat!! That meant she hadn’t even gotten started our meals yet!! My stomach was growling!

Jim and I shook our heads and chuckled because this reflected every Yelp review that we had come across that said, “Don’t be in a rush” or “Don’t go hungry.” We thankfully weren’t in a rush but were really starting to get hungry.

It was about this time an off duty yoga instructor/ owner person came in to ask how things were going. The EK owner, to her benefit, kept hustling while she was talking. No dwelling over a newborn bowl of Zoodles today, she shared how she was really crunched since her staff went on holiday break. The yoga person went to do something on the yoga side of the building and after about 45 minutes from having entered EK, Jim got his smoothie. I was out of water and asked for some more.

For the next 20 minutes or so we had a fun time sipping the smoothie, overhearing conversations and watching constructions workers try to quietly sneak their supplies into the area. We assumed they were to be ready to start to get back to work at 2:30 PM and that was but a few minutes away.

It was just about then another couple came to sit at the counter, the table of 4 in the corner departed and the couple at the counter got served. I assumed since our order was identical to theirs that it couldn’t be far behind.

The yoga woman re-emerged to say goodbye but just before she pulled on her winter mittens, the owner told her that she had run out of Olive Bread and asked if could she go to Gemelli’s and get her some more. The woman was fine with that, since it’s really only outside and upstairs and was gone but 5 minutes.

Here is the disturbing part; she brought it back from outside of the store in her bare hands, not in a bag. She hadn’t cleaned her hands before departing and had handled at least 2 doorknobs in transit on her return. Our eyes bulged out a bit when we saw this and we started to wonder about the sanitary conditions of everything. Did the owner wash her hands after taking money since she was the only one doing food prep? What else were we not noticing?

The construction workers were appearing more and more frequently since we had passed the official closing time. They were getting antsy to start and were bringing in more boards and equipment and we still didn’t have our anniversary meal. It was like a parody and we refused to leave because we wanted to see the outcome.

We never did see the owner wash or disinfect her hands, it took us almost 2 hours from arrival to get our sandwiches (SANDWICHES!!) and as we paid we were showered with apologies. We felt more like inconveniences that customers she so readily posted that she held such “gratitude” for.

The food was just as good as everyone had said it would be but, as I said before, it came at a price higher than over-priced sandwiches that I could make exact replicas of at home in less than 2 hours. I would also get my Gemelli bread put into a bag until I got it home to wash my hands.

The Imaginary Food

Why did we ever return? How could I not!? I started compiling all of my foodie posts from other blogs and realized that a Central PA Vegetarian blog would be incomplete without a review of The Enchanted Kitchen. I know that so many in the center region, Centre, Mifflin, Snyder, Union, Juniata and Perry counties could really like the place. For those folk and to hold the flame throwers at bay, I needed to give it one more try.

On July 15th I read that EK was going to be open for business from 11AM – 6PM. A perfect window and we chose to go closer to 3PM to have a time when they wouldn’t be swamped. It was during the Central PA festival of the Arts so the owner should know that she needed to be staffed for a crowd. I figured with both the off time and over staffing that we would have no problem getting served in less than 2 hours.

Not imaginary - Red Pepper Bisque and White Miso were very good but nothing I couldn't easily make at home.

Jim and I read the menu that was posted near the outside door before going down into the EK vortex. I thought a cup of Miso and to split a Nori Roll with Jim. He also wanted to try a cup of the Red Pepper Bisque.

We went down and sat at the same table as we did in December and laughed a little about that. There was only another couple at the counter and a woman at the back most table eating and tapping on the keyboard of her lap top.

There was one woman working behind the U-counter and she quickly came to take our order. We placed our order and the first thing she responded with… “I’m sorry…”

GAH! I am sorry for it ALL! I am Sorry to have gone back, I am sorry that everything I order is met with an apology, I am sorry I don’t like it, I AM SORRY! ok, to continue…

The waitress said, “I’m sorry, the woman who knows how to make the Nori Rolls just left.”

I looked confused and said I had read that EK was open from 11- 6. She confirmed that it was and we ordered our soup. The soups were great, they were amazing beyond belief except the Miso had too much raw garlic. I actually could review the food properly, hijiki and all, but what happened next spoiled my taste for that place all together.

That night the owner was expounding on how much gratitude she felt for meeting all of the new faces at arts fest on the EK Facebook page. I was tired of all the sunshine and lollipops talk and posted, “We were hoping for some Nori this afternoon. Seems we always come in when it’s understaffed.”

Her response, “Terri: I’m sorry that you felt that my cafe was understaffed. I had 2 women working in my one hour absence this afternoon. When were you here?”

As if MAYBE I wasn’t really there at all!? I wrote back, “I was there during a time one woman was taking a break (until I was paying my bill) and the other was untrained to make the Nori on the menu. This is the 3rd time I have visited and been met with apologies each time I order. Under staffed or under trained, you can choose. The sad part is I came today to round out a Central PA vegetarian blog I am writing.”

Her grateful response sealed the deal, “It’s unfortunate that you have had an unpleasant experience and that you made no mention of it until now. I choose to run my business with love, integrity and with the best energy that my staff and I have to offer. I take great joy in feeding this community, which has offered me much support and positive energy. I am filled with Gratitude for all who come here.”

I had no need to make mention of it because everyone was fully aware of the shortcomings thus the apologies each time, every moment along the way. Gratitude with a capital “G” is swell but it doesn’t solve a lot of the reoccurring problems Enchanted Kitchen has. It all feels more like someone’s hobby or like a kid’s tea party than a place to expect real food service of any kind.

BiNaH Rating
2.5/5
I know that EK is probably dear to the hearts of a few who claim to enjoy the “groovy food” so I am aware I might rankle those loyal locals and some who have had positive experiences. Read above if you don’t understand my reasons for the low rating and feel free to comment below if your experience has been to the contrary (or similar for that matter) to my own. Knowledge is power and everyone’s opinion matters, not just the glowing ones.

This curb has no cut for wheelchair accessibility yet is the only route ( a BLOCK away around 2 corners) that was suggested.

Although the food is very well presented, wholesome, some raw, all vegetarian and tasty not even a 5 star rating on the food can hold up to the bloated priced, the ridiculously long waits, questionable sanitary conditions and unprofessionalism. Claims made about being established for 5 years when the business has even now not even been open a year and a half (History on bottom of Yelp), claiming Wheelchair accessibility (same Yelp page) when there is one unavoidable curb and frequently closing the business for school delays and other family related needs have all factored into the overall rating.