A Vegetarian Food Chain Restaurant Opening In Somerville

IMHO we need more vegetarian food chains!

A chick pea fritter? I'd order that!

I've often wondered why there are no local vegetarian drive through restaurants (that I know of) because I believe if we had that choice, we would chose it. Maybe not every time we're rushing around looking for something to stuff in our pie hole, but maybe often enough to make a difference in our diet. And by "diet", I mean what we choose to eat every day.

There's a new vegetarian food chain restaurant opening in Somerville, Clover Food Lab. They have about a dozen locations in the Boston area. This particular Clover Food Lab will be located in Assembly Row. They move in next month...which is just days away!

My daughter's pretty much vegetarian. Though I'm still a carnivore, I do have many meat free meals and am one hundred percent open to eating mostly vegetarian meals. My meat eating stems from habit, what I grew up eating and not knowing how to quickly prepare a lot of tasty, interesting vegetarian dishes. I did stop eating meat many years ago for about eight months but eventually started incorporating meat back into my diet.

There are parts of the country where you have more vegan choices. 2022's Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians lists the top ten cities you might expect to be in the top ten: Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, Seattle. And some that might surprise you: Orlando, Florida and Lexington, Kentucky. Out of those 100 cities, Boston ranks 89th for vegans and vegetarians. Yikes!

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-vegans-vegetarians/39706

India ranks number 1 for most vegetarian country with 38 percent of the population adopting a vegetarian diet, followed by Israel at 13 percent. Most meat eating countries? According to this study, no surprise, the US, Australia and Argentina.

We're all products of our environment; our culture, where we live. Which doesn't mean we can't learn and grow and change if we choose. For me, the good news is it doesn't have to be done all at once. Just little adjustments here and there. And more vegetarian drive through restaurants would be a good start. More options!

Here's a brief list of vegetarians we know and love:

There are so many famous vegetarians that to list them all would be quite a feat. Therefore, I've included some of the most recognized and revered.

Their reasons for a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle vary which you can hear in their own voices below.

The story goes, Paul and his wife Linda were watching sweet little lambs romping around a field on their beautiful Scottish farm... while they were enjoying lovely leg of lamb. And that put an end to the eating of the meat. He's been a vegetarian since the mid '70's. He and his daughters started "Meat Free Mondays" in 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmmeclYa9_s

Madonna follows a strict "macrobiotic diet" which prohibits wheat, eggs, meat and dairy. And that's why she looks as svelte as she does with that flawless complexion of hers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wag9Fj5arAk

Billie was raised vegetarian and has taken the extra step to strictly vegan. She loves animals and wants them to be left alone. She encourages her fans to become vegan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP6RoVu-B9s

Stevie Wonder decided to adopt a vegan diet in 2016. He says eating healthy is important for his body and the planet at large.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC4HT2bb-bE

Pam Anderson is a long time vegan and animal activist. She was PETA's 2016 Person of the Year and has even opened a vegan pop up restaurant in France.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIaxqQocq5Y

Another long term vegan who advocates for animals. Mayim has also published her own cookbook, Mayim's Vegan Table.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0A6P53PoeM

Colin went vegan to help him recover from injuries sustained from his football career. He even has his own flavor of Ben & Jerry's vegan ice cream!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohX2hTRCxrs

Bryan says he stopped eating animals and fish when he was 28 and has never looked back. His life's motto is: "If you love animals, don't eat them."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqp0Zl-KJgI

The Queen guitarist and astrophysicist only recently made the decision to go vegan. He believes there is a link between the pandemic and eating animals.
https://twitter.com/DrBrianMay/status/813163767131410432

Casey learned about the animal agriculture industry in the mid '90's and has been vegan ever since.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COQVRYPRsCY

This tennis phenom follows a mostly vegan and vegetarian diet. She changed her diet after her sister Venus was diagnosed with an immune system disorder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9zQMTpFQeA