Survey 2!

Liz rocks and so do her surveys, so when she posted a new one, we had to jump on the bandwagon and fill it in.

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
A: I don't really have a choice, I pick up whatever I can. Australia is very poor in organic, and "Australian made" could mean two time zones away.

C: Depends. I go for organic if it has been produced in Europe (this is mostly France, Spain or Italy). Otherwise, I go for local.

2. Favourite way to prepare potatoes:
A: Oven-baked potatoes with mixed herbs.

C: Oven-baked potatoes with cumin and rosemary.

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
A: Generally not. I mostly use the pre-marinated stuff or use it blended.

C: Yep, usually. It just has a better texture. Also, I like the confused reaction on people's faces when they go "what are you doing?" and you get to respond "what do you think I'm doing? I'm pressing tofu." Most of the people around me can barely identify tofu and it's fun weirding them out.

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
A: We don't really have traditional recipes... My mum cooks, but rarely anything that takes time or effort. She doesn't bake. My Grandmother makes Christmas pudding (a recipe from her mother), but it doesn't really work vegan, so we'll have to come up with our own.

C: My family can't really cook as such, but my grandmother has a rocking pannekoeken (pan-size Dutch pancakes) recipe that comes close to being a tradition.

5. Any food allergies?
A: Alcohol and onion give me a mild headache, but nothing serious.

C: Nope.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
A: Dunno... I'm not used to the whole fancy restaurant lark. I tend to panic if the mains cost more than $12. I guess Mamma Mia's in Vianen is nice. So's the Green Gourmet in Newtown, but much less swanky.

C: I think De Kas in Amsterdam or Kop van 't Land in Dordrecht. I haven't been to either yet, but they look fancy and are supposed to be really good.

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
A: Food. And sleep. Also television.

C: I actually have a pretty bad throat ache right now and a bit of a cold. I currently crave lots of fresh fruit. Also, bed and being unconscious in some way.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
A: Tap. Australian water tastes nice. Buying water wrapped in environment-destroying plastic, at exorbitant prices, does not seem like a good idea to me. Children's teeth especially are getting worse for the first time in decades, due to drinking bottled water. You need fluoride!

C: Tap. I'm addicted to tap water and drink a couple of half-liter bottles of the stuff a day. Dutch tap water is the cleanest in Europe.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
A: I don't particularly like soft drink myself. I don't drink it, so making a flavour for me would not be business savvy for the companies.

C: I don't drink soda, but I would love to see munchkin-tofu flavoured soda. I imagine it would be sweet, but somewhat bitter.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
A: Various Dead Animals on Rice: Sometimes Pasta with Tomato Sauce.

C: Vegetables Smothered in a Sauce of Some Description.

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
A: I think adding another failed crop to my household's rather enviable list of failed crops would be cruelty to plants.

C: Bananas. I don't buy bananas, because they're grown so far away. I miss them a lot. Same goes for oranges. I did actually use a banana (for the first time in months) to make pancakes a couple of days ago, but I shouldn't have and I felt all guilty.

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
A: Swiss Brown. They're so cute when you cut them in half! I imagine they're the sort of mushrooms that gnomes and pixies would sit under.

C: Porcini, purely because it's called "squirrel bread" in Dutch.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
A: The lack of bench space and all the mess. People leave their rubbish everywhere. Neither my brother nor my father have mastered the art of putting stuff in dishwashers. Mum has too many gadgets that she OMGMUSTHAVEONTHEBENCH. Plus, the trolley we have for extra bench space is covered with notes, building samples, toys and other assorted detritus.

C: I have no freezer and no oven. I have to go visit my parents to do baking.

14. Last food you burned?
A: I can't really remember... Ooh, fruit bread. I put it in the oven and started reading blogs...bad idea. It was like a lump of coal. Still tasty if you cut an inch off the crust, though.

C: Toast, I think, but it was a while ago. I forget about my food failures quickly, though, fortunately.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
A: I don't actually get this question a lot, thankfully. Most people I know seem to have realised that beans are protein, at least.

C: I do get this question sometimes. I would love to be able to say "Grass!," which is by far my favourite answer, but I'm usually too cowardly to say that and patiently explain that, actually, a variety of dishes can serve as a complete, reliable source of protein.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
A: I will in fact be making my birthday cake soon. Cheesecake! Probably lemon.

C: A coconut carrot cake, I think. I will also be making my birthday cake soon.

17. Favourite brand of chocolate chips?
A: Woolworths homebrand cooking chocolate. I haven't found vegan chocolate chips yet...

C: You can't really get chocolate chips in Holland, for some reason. My favourite brand to chop into chips is Green & Black's Dark Chocolate.

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma - What do you buy?
A: I regrettably would not be able to buy anything. They don't ship outside the states. Damn America-centrism. In an ideal world where Williams Sonoma stopped ignoring the rest of the world and shipped outside of America, I'd replace my whole kitchen.

C: I would probably let Adele decide, since she's Williams Sonoma-obsessed. I think she'd get much more of a rush out of it than I would.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
A: Very rarely. I might have an idea of what I'll make, but we buy enough food that I don't need to limit myself like that (advantage of living in a family of 4, all with different food preferences). Often it will also depend on how lazy I'm feeling. One tip I'd give is: freeze leftovers in ziplock bags. It's so easy to just heat up one portion when you're tired and don't want to cook.

C: Most of the time, because I get a random bag of organic vegetables from a local organic shop every week. By buying it like that, it stays affordable, but it also means I always pretty much know what I'll be making for most of the week.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
A: I would also grab fruit. Maybe a banana.

C: I'd grab whatever I have in terms of fresh fruit. Probably, that would be an apple or two or a pear.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win and how?
A: I have never seen any of these people (only heard of them) so I honestly couldn't say.

C: I don't know the other two, but Martha Stewart has done time, so she would knock both out with her prison knuckle dusters, spelling "LOVE" and "2COOK."

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
A: Linseed, mostly. A bit of black treacle if I'm feeling extravagant.

C: A bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
A: India.

C: India.

24. Favourite late night snack?
A: Hmm... that's a tricky one. I'd have to say ice cream.

C: Soy ice cream and fresh fruit.

25. Favourite springtime food?
A: Pancakes, because that's when Coppe's here.

C: Spring is usually still quite cold here. Roasted vegetables.

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
A: I don't read any... most are too meaty.

C: I don't really read any either. Too expensive to get one regularly.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
A: Japanese soy sauce. It's lower in salt that other versions.

C: I haven't had the good fortune of trying anything other than conventional soy sauce.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
A: Celery. That stuff is truly foul. Seriously.

C: I like all vegetables and all fruits (even celery)!

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
A: Pepernoten!

C: Christmas pudding. We make it together every year when Adele is over for Christmas.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
A: Richard Dawkins. Then he'd be perfect.

C: Noam Chomsky, then he'd be perfect.