By Riley Searcey
Opinions expressed on the editorial pages are not necessarily those of NYU DC Violets or the NYU DC Program, and our publication of opinions is not an endorsement of them.
“Soul Food” and “Vegan” are two concepts inherently at odds with each other.
When you picture soul food, you probably imagine fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, dishes drowned in butter and smothered in melted cheese. The signature flavors, the “comfort” that comes from eating soul food, are intertwined with the use of animal products that vegans avoid, whether by choice or by necessity.
At Nu Vegan, each dish is prepared in defiance of this conflict.
When you walk into the kitchen to place your order, you’re struck with the familiar faces of your favorite comfort foods. Fried chicken, burgers, ribs, quesadillas, lasagna— the sort of greasy, satisfying food one doesn’t expect to see when a friend invites you to a vegan restaurant in DC. While my vegan friends faced the rare problem of having too many options on a restaurant’s menu, I faced my own doubts about the food. How could this place possibly capture the flavors and comfort of dishes I had grown accustomed to and missed from home? How could I possibly enjoy “fried chicken” not breaded and fried in buttermilk? How could I enjoy a grilled “chicken” quesadilla without real, gooey cheese melting in my mouth and pulling away with every bite?
My fears were quickly relieved when we received our orders.
The “Chick’n” Drumsticks I ordered were everything I thought they couldn’t be. They were tender and oozed flavor, each bite off of the “bone” made me further question if I had been duped and was eating real chicken. My mac-n-cheese may not have had the soft, radioactive yellow glow of “real” cheese, but it melted in my mouth with a joyful squish just the same.
Next to me, I watched in amusement as my friend bit into her quesadilla and the “cheese” stretched and dripped from each and every bite. Across from me, the vegan lasagna was such a strange concept that my friend took a moment to show her family and excitedly tell her family about the restaurant. But there it was on the plate in front of her, thick sheets of noodles with vegan cheese and meat squished between that pulled and fell apart with every mouthful. The meal was truly indulgent— just as soul food is meant to be. Despite the feeling that I may have overindulged, I was left satisfied in a way that vegan and vegetarian meals had never made me feel before.
Soul Food can provide a sort of comfort, and that comfort is best enjoyed when shared with friends indulging alongside you. We shared this experience tucked away in the corner of the cozy dining area, alongside families, couples, friends, and even the friendly staff who greeted us with “Sweetie” and smiled when they said, “Enjoy your meal.” To extend that feeling of comfort and intimacy to a wider reach and bring more people the joy of food is an admirable goal that Nu Vegan accomplishes and then some.