Thursday, December 24, 2020 by Matthew Peddie (WMFE)
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During the holidays- food becomes a focal point for celebration. But while the traditional images of the holiday table may include a roasted ham or turkey as the centerpiece- for many, plant based food takes center stage. And in Central Florida a growing roster of restaurants are offering vegetarian and vegan holiday dining options.
Joining intersection to talk about the elevation of vegetarian and vegan food for the holidays- and how the pandemic has upended traditional holiday dining- are
Local chef Hari Pulapaka has never been one to shy away from engaging Central Florida s food community on sociopolitical causes. When it comes to immigration policy, food waste and sustainable farming, the outspoken chef and former owner of DeLand s Cress Restaurant has, in fact, embraced his role as a provocateur. Now, with his latest book
Dreaming in Spice: A Sinfully Vegetarian Odyssey the 54-year-old forages the world of plant-based dining and establishes himself as an advocate for vegetarian and meatless diets.
The book, a follow-up to 2018 s
Dreaming in Spice, centers around Pulapaka s claim that Americans aren t exposed to enough thoughtful vegetarian food. He makes his case in an 11-chapter narrative that s brutally honest, wryly funny ( There is no r in masala ) and, at times, pedantic and esoteric the section devoted to connecting cooking and mathematics in particular. Yet the experiences and observations Pulapaka recounts the road trips, racist encounters