Saturday, August 11, 2007 Batangas's The Farm makes it to Peta's list
WITH more and more people across Asia eliminating or cutting down on their meat intake, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) Asia-Pacific director Jason Baker scoured the continent for his column in Appetite magazine to find the 10 restaurants that are best meeting the demand for meatless meals. After completing the most delicious tour in Peta's history, the results are in, and Batangas' The Farm restaurant ranks among the top.
The Farm, located in San Benito, offers extensive raw lunch and dinner buffets (don't let the 'raw' factor scare you, raw cuisine is actually nutritious and delicious). The elegant cuisine-made entirely from fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds cooked at low temperature to retain their nutritional value-will tempt your eyes and satisfy your palate. Amazingly creamy yet dairy-free pastas, rich soups, tangy stir-fries, and fresh salads blanket the buffet tables. The lentil and walnut pâté-served with toasted coconut crackers-is not to be missed.
Also ranking high on the list is the Korean Temple Cooking in Seoul, which specializes in an array of perfectly prepared mountain-grown greens. Bangkok's Vegetarian Cottage offers an eclectic selection of French, Italian, American, Japanese, and Thai favorites, all prepared with delicious mock meats. Next is Taim Hakaim ("a taste of life"), located in Israel and famous for its barbecue twist sandwich-complete with mock meats, gravy, and dressing-and other delicious dishes. If you'll be in Tokyo any time soon, don't miss Nataraj, which is unique among all Indian restaurants in Asia because it serves a spectacular array of wheat gluten- and soy-based mock meats in addition to traditional Indian vegetarian fare.
Rounding out the top 10 are Hong Kong's Hoi Sum (a favorite haunt of Peta's staff), Singapore's Fortune Centre (a mall full of vegetarian restaurants), Shanghai's Vegetarian Life Style, Mumbai's Little Italy, and Bangkok's Govindas. Check out the current issue of Appetite magazine for a review of several of the restaurants.
Why go vegetarian? One reason is for better health. Consumption of meat and other animal products has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and several types of cancer; bird flu and mad cow disease are also directly related to the meat industry. Another reason is animal suffering-pigs, chickens, goats, cows, and other animals raised and killed for food are tormented, mutilated, and terrorized throughout their lives.
"Going vegetarian is the single best thing you can do for your health, for animal welfare, and for the environment," says Baker. "And judging by the fantastic food on our tour, Asians have gotten the message loud and clear!" he added,
For more information and to read more about the restaurants, please visit www.GoVeg.com. (Press release)
