Rockin' Reuben

Today was a monumental day for me! I hate something that I have never eaten in my life before. Behold!

Some people may be thunderstruck that I spent those 17 Meat Eating Years of my life in New Jersey, where Reuben sandwiches are almost as plentiful as Pork Rolls, yet I never ate one until I got my hands on a vegan Reuben today. But let me give you a brief itinerary of the contents of a Reuben that I didn't like during those 17 Meat Eating Years. 1) Corned Beef and / or Pastrami 2) Sauerkraut 3) Swiss Cheese 4) Russian and / or Thousand Island Dressing 5) Rye Bread. In other words, I wouldn't have eaten a single ingredient that one would put on a Reuben sandwich! The closest I would have gotten to a Reuben would have been a Bologna and American Cheese Sandwich with Iceberg Lettuce on Wonder Bread! But now that I have conquered sauerkraut to the point that I actually love it, I figured the time had come to experience a very famous American sandwich!

I have been eating at Native Foods for about as long as I've lived in Los Angeles. You pretty much can't go wrong there. I'd consider it to be a Must Eat place for any vegans visiting LA. Now, you're probably wondering, what the heck goes on a vegan Reuben?!? The answer is: Thinly-sliced, deli-style Native Reuben Seitan piled high on grilled marble rye.  Topped with homemade sauerkraut, Native Horseradish Cheese and a slather of Russian dressing.

Anyway, it was great! I believe that my life has improved by my new found ability to eat Reuben sandwiches. I know there are a few other places around town that offer them. And I'd be happy to sample each and every one of them! I sure have come a long way from  a Bologna and American Cheese Sandwich with Iceberg Lettuce on Wonder Bread! :-)

However, too many trips to Native Foods will make one feel a bit Rubenesque.

I ate something else crazy at Native Foods, but you're going to have to wait and wonder what it was, until tomorrow.... let's just say that Everything Was Coming Up Roses.....