Vegan MoFo 5: The Pleasure of Ordering a Pizza

Right now, I am grateful for diversions. I even went to work for a few hours the other day, just to keep moving. Besides, I got to go hang out in the 1st grade classroom, which proved to be some great therapy. The kids just walk up to you, hug you, and ask you if you want to play. Can't beat that.

While I normally love cooking as a diversion, I am out of groceries. I'm not talking, oh I don't have onions, so I can't make the thing I want.


I have no vegetables - not even frozen or canned, no pasta, no fresh herbs. So while cooking would be a welcome task, grocery shopping never is.

Luckily, when I moved to Baltimore, I moved a few blocks from a place that has vegan pizza options. I like the Tofurky pizza and all, and I love making pizza at home, but being able to just order one and then binge has its place.

Johnny Rad's uses the word "vegan" on the menu after foods that are, and to indicate that some foods can be made so. If you go into the restaurant itself, it's written on their big chalkboard menu. I'm always excited to see the word because that means everyone can, and that it's being normalized.

So I had a Primo with vegan cheese - I love the sea salt and crispy whole basil leaves. I've had it with the vegan chik'n, which is great, but sometimes simple is better.

I tried to order a Caprese, and the guy told me that the balsamic would make it not vegan. While I appreciated the warning, I was confused and suddenly worried that I had stupidly been eating balsamic vinegar as a so-called vegan. So I changed my order.

However, fellow vegans and Google confirmed that I had not been stumbling around, eating animals for years now. So I need to check in at JR's and figure out what's up with that. Either way, extra points for them looking out for me.