Vancouver leads the country in vegetarian dining options

Stuart Hunter, The Province
Published: Sunday, March 19, 2006

Break out the tempeh burgers and yam fries with miso gravy. It's official: Vancouver is the top spot in Canada to be a vegetarian.

And Victoria isn't far behind.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has for the second straight time named Vancouver the most vegetarian-friendly city in the nation.

Victoria took second-place honours in a recent veggie poll.

"Vancouver has a lot to offer vegetarians," PETA spokesperson Reannon Peterson said from Norfolk, Va. "In addition to a lot of great restaurants, there is the Vancouver Vegetarian Association. EarthSave Canada has a large vegetarian festival they sponsor every year. A local bed-and-breakfast offers vegetarian food. So there are a lot of ways that vegetarians can have a good time in Vancouver.

"We look at the number of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in each city, the variety of vegetarian food offered and other veggie perks like vegan donut shops and local organizations," Peterson said.

"We also gather personal testimonials at our website goveg.com, and we polled our travelling campaigners who are always on the road doing demonstrations and looking for great places to eat."

Rounding out the top Canadian cities were Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Ottawa. Portland, Seattle and San Francisco were the top three large U.S. cities.

Among the Vancouver veggie eateries mentioned by PETA were Greens & Gourmet, Jamaican Pizza Jerk, Chai, East is East, Om Vegetarian, Bo Kong and the famous Naam, where co-owner Bob Woodsworth wasn't surprised by the accolades.

"I'm not that surprised because Vancouver has always been that way since we started in the 1960s," Woodsworth said from his Kitsilano landmark, which is open 24/7.

PETA campaigner and rock star Chrissie Hynde of Pretenders fame is a confirmed Naam fan.

Peterson said she wasn't sure if another PETA campaigner, Vancouver Island's own Pamela Anderson, voted in the poll.

"I'm not sure if she voted but if you asked her, I'm sure she'd agree with the results," Peterson said.

Among the Victoria restaurants named on goveg.com were Green Cuisine, Lotus Pond, The Mint, Rebar Modern Food and Cascadia Whole Foods Bakery.

There are an estimated 1.2 million vegetarians in Canada.

shunter@png.canwest.com
© The Vancouver Province 2006