On Vegan Devastation at PF Chang's

From VegCooking, courtesy of PeTA:

The vegan-friendly attitude of P.F. Chang's is largely due to the number of requests that management receives for meatless cuisine. Vegan dishes are among the bestsellers. One manager told PETA Eats that most people prefer the vegetarian lettuce wraps over those with chicken. Wok-seared tofu, red onions, and water chestnuts with hints of mint and lime and served with cool lettuce leaves are a combination that few can turn down.

Balderdash, I tell you!

Oh, the humanity! There I was, going to lunch with newbie vegan, Cristy, who is terrified of restaurants since going vegan.

M: Oh, but you don't have to worry at PF Chang's! Not only do they have vegan entrees, but they will substitute tofu for any meat in any dish, so you can eat just about anything on the menu!

C: What a relief. It would be great to go to a place and not feel like a freak and have them understand and also have plenty of stuff for my (non-vegan) husband.

The server (S) comes over and I brag to the server about Cristy's newfound veganism and what a relief it is to go to a place that has so many options.

S: There's only one thing on our menu that's vegan. Vegans are people who don't eat any animal products, and that includes foods that have been processed with sugar that is made with bone char. All of our sauces have sugar with bone char as does all of our tofu except the silken tofu. Our soy sauce has sugar with bone char, so even that wouldn't be acceptable to a vegan.

M: (long, long pause) So the spring rolls, the vegetarian lettuce wraps and the Ma Pa Tofu I've been eating for years are not vegan?

S: No. But you can get the Buddha's Feast, without the sauce, and with steamed silken tofu instead of the five-spice tofu. That's the only thing that's suitable for vegans. Everything else has chicken stock, oyster sauce or non-vegan sugar.

Now, of course, we have confirmed Cristy's fears--that she will likely be eating animals and not know it. The server clearly knew what she was talking about, but all of that only came out because of what I said. Meanwhile, PF Chang's (http://twitter.com/PFChangs) got a steady stream of tweets from yours truly yesterday. Here's their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pfchangs and here's the "Contact Us" form that's easy to fill out and submit. It's probably more powerful if you were just there and have something to say about your "Dining Experience" (they ask which franchise and at what time you visited).

And it might not be so great if you draft your comment while angry, and end up with:

I was shocked and dismayed to learn that your menu is not vegan friendly. I have been dining at PF Chang's for years under the impression that your Ma Pa Tofu, spring rolls, and vegetarian lettuce wraps were all vegan. And in fact several websites that serve the vegan community mention how friendly you are to vegans.

I understand that the most prominent ingredient that is not vegan in your sauces and tofu is sugar made with bone char. Surely there is another source of sugar and tofu that would make your restaurant a place vegans would frequent again. But until then, unfortunately, the vegans that I am in contact with through my blog and through twitter and other venues online and not, will be dining elsewhere.

Reminds me of how my mother used to say: Write a letter to the person you're upset with, but don't mail it until the next day.

My favorite PF Chang's feature was that it was a chain. I could go to Princeton and there it was. Asheville? Check (it's a newer one). Northern Virginia? Check. Long Island? Check. No need for happycow.net, and friendly to non-vegans.

But I was misinformed.

I'm over it already. I'm good like that--devastated for an hour or two, then pretty much neutral about anything. It's the Buddhist in me, I guess.

But if it's important to you, give PF Chang's a holler and let them know how you feel.

Comments

[Neva]

Can we confirm that this is really true? Not that I don't appreciate the info, and actually there's no PF Chang's remotely close to me, so I don't know a thing about them. However, much sugar now isn't made with bone char and I'm not sure I'd boycott a restaurant just on the word of one server, however well-intentioned. Many people assume all sugar isn't vegan without looking into it further.

[mary]

Neva,
The server spoke with the chef, and then when I returned home and did some research, I discovered that I'm not the first to have this experience. (Google PF Changs and vegan and you'll see what I mean.) Check out: http://veganmasterlist.blogspot.com/2007/09/pf-changs.html A more recent one http://stumptownvegans.com/2008/03/13/pf-changs-china-bistro/ states: "it seems that sugar is the final line. P.F. Chang’s does not guarantee that their sugar is not processed with animal bone char. Make your decision." Again, I was told that the tofu also has suspect sugar. That last one also talks about possible chicken stock in the Ma Pa Tofu sauce, which is on the Vegetarian Menu.

Now, I have tweeted them and written them and if they respond, I'll be the first to run over there and have some veggie lettuce wraps. I'll let you know.

[Rahzh (Hungry Hungry Veganos)]

I think it all depends on location. I have been told that many are franchises and they have some control of the items they use.

Last April I contacted them and got a reply and they stated that more than one thing is Vegan (even once sugar is excluded)

"pfc@pfchangs.com
On 4/24/2008 3:13 PM, P.F. Chang's China Bistro wrote:
Thank you for your note and inquiry. There are a couple of items on our menu that are vegan and others that can be when modified. If cane sugar is not an issue for you, I recommend any items from our “Vegetarian Plates and Sides” and vegetarian marked menu items. If cane sugar is an issue, I recommend the following: Steamed Buddha’s Feast - you can add soft tofu or pressed tofu to this dish Stir-Fried Spinach - garlic, salt and pepper. You can add soft tofu or pressed tofu to this dish. Garlic Snap Peas - garlic, salt and pepper. You can add soft tofu or pressed tofu to this dish. You can also order any vegetable or tofu with a modified sauce. Please ask to speak to a manager and they will be happy to accommodate you accordingly. I hope this information is helpful."

We make our own Lettuce wrap snow (was the only reason we were going to PF Changs). We like them better and they are cheaper!

http://hungryhungryveganos.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/tasty-tofu-lettuce-wraps-or-move-over-pf-changs/

[Vladimir]

FYI - It's Ma Po Tofu.

[mary]

I wondered about that Vladimir, once I saw your correction, and the menu does indeed list it as Ma Po Tofu. However if you google it you find plenty of references to Ma Pa, which I guess is incorrect. Time to call on Chris in Beijing and sort that out, I guess. Thanks!

[Nick]

I have had similar experiences at many other restaurants, and in my university's dining hall. It's almost enough to make me never want to eat out, because at home I know that everything is vegan.

[Marija]

Wow, thanks for writing this. I never would've figured that it's not safe to eat there if you're a vegan.

[mary]

Chris says Vladimir is indeed correct and points me to the wikipedia page, which he says is pretty accurate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapo_doufu. He also says, and it does seem to be the case, that Ma Pa might be a play on Ma and Pa (i.e., your parents). In any event, I stand corrected and Ma Po tofu is the proper name of the dish. Thanks Vladimir and Chris!

[R. Nestor]

So, have you also called your local utilities to inquire whether your water supply was also processed with bone char, and if so, dug your own well?

[R. Nestor]

I apologize for the bile in my last comment. I understand it that the Vegan Society defines veganism as doing everything possible and practical to avoid animal products: it is impractical to find alternative sources for residential water but not so much to avoid dining at a particular restaurant or partaking of much of its menu. My contention was thus fallacious and motivated in part perhaps of a slight sense of projection or a chip on my shoulder. However, it was my impression that whether bone-charred sugar was vegan was generally accepted as a matter of contention on which morally serious vegans could disagree. I myself have used the ingredient guide on the P.F. Chang's website to check the vegan status of its meal options before, and I do feel that the source of the sugar should probably have been disclosed in the nutritional information on the site for those who do not consider bone-charred sugar vegan.

[Angus]

The matter of sugar produced with (though not containing) bone char, raises the issue of how far back and forward in the chain of causation we ought to go in our moral deliberation, given that almost no action can be entirely free of exploitation. Does anyone have an opinion on the recent decision of the government of Newfoundland to ban traditional roadkill meat?
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/charities-have-a-beef-as-nfld-ends-moose-donations/article1203845/
I can imagine a rigorously logical vegan in a Newfoundland restaurant saying, "This tofu is bone-charred?! Take it away right now and bring me some moose meat!"

[Tiffany Hamby]

I came across this blog and wanted to apologize for the miscommunication. There are a couple of items on our menu that are vegan and others that can be when modified. If cane sugar is not an issue for you, any items from our “Vegetarian Plates and Sides” menu section would be appropriate. If cane sugar is an issue, you can order any vegetable or tofu with a modified sauce. The tofu we serve does not contain sugar. I hope this informations is helpful.

Tiffany Hamby
Guest Relations Manager
P.F. Chang's China Bistro

[Maureen Koplow]

I suggest you read this article -

http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/act-how.html

How Vegan? Ingredients vs. Activism

Animal Rights Activism
From All-Creatures.org

By Matt Ball, Co-founder, VeganOutreach

When I first got involved in animal rights around 1990, "How vegan?"
had a simple answer – either something is vegan or it isn't. The way to
tell was to compare all of the ingredients on every product against lists
of all animal products. This list eventually became a book, Animal
Ingredients A to Z, which for years was the best-selling book at
Vegan.com.

This simple means of defining "good" and "bad" attracted many of us
because it was so straightforward. But even before the list began to
grow into an encyclopedia, it was inconsistent. The production of
honey kills some insects, but so does driving (and sometimes even
walking). Many soaps contain stearates, but the tires on cars and
bicycles contain similar animal products. Some sugar is processed
with bone char, but so is much municipal water. And adding "not
tested on animals" to the definition of vegan added a whole new
level of complexity.

Still, it can be difficult to give up a black-and-white set of rules. Over
the years, people have added "exceptions," definitions of "necessity,"
or claims of "intention" to save the laundry-list approach. But trying
to have a hard definition of what is "vegan" is, ultimately, arbitrary.
Even the production of organic vegetables injures and kills animals
during planting, harvesting, and transport.

Of course, we could all "do no harm" by committing suicide and letting
our bodies decompose in a forest. But short of this, the best path is to
take a step back and consider why we really care whether something
is vegan.

The question of "How vegan?" is important because the slaughter of
animals for food is, by far, the most significant cause of suffering
today, both in terms of the numbers and the level of cruelty inflicted.

The Numbers

Vastly more animals are raised and killed for food in the United States
each year than for any other form of exploitation. Ninety-nine of every
100 animals killed annually in the United States are slaughtered for
human consumption. That's 10 billion animals, more individuals than
the entire human population of the Earth.

The Suffering

Animals raised for food endure unfathomable suffering. Perhaps the
most difficult aspect of advocating on behalf of these animals is trying
to describe the indescribable: the overcrowding and confinement, the
stench, the racket, the extremes of heat and cold, the attacks and
even cannibalism, the hunger and starvation, the disease…the horror
of every day of their lives. Indeed, every year, hundreds of millions of
animals – many times more than the total number killed for fur, in
shelters, and in laboratories – don't even make it to slaughter. They
actually suffer to death.

Effective Advocacy

Knowing this, the issue for thoughtful, compassionate people isn't,
"Is this vegan?" Rather, the important question is: "Which choice leads
to less suffering?" Our guide shouldn't be an endless list of ingredients,
but rather doing our absolute best to stop cruelty to animals. Veganism
is important, not as an end in itself, but as a powerful tool for opposing
the horrors of factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses.

This moves the discussion away from finding a definition or avoiding
a certain product, and into the realm of effective advocacy. In other
words, the focus isn't so much our personal beliefs or specific choices,
but rather the animals and their suffering.

If we believe that being vegan is important, being the most effective
advocate for the animals must be seen as even more important! The
impact of our individual veganism – several hundred animals over the
course of a lifetime – pales in comparison to what we have the potential
to accomplish with our example. For every person inspired to change
their habits, the impact we have on the world multiplies!

Conversely, for every person we convince that veganism is overly
demanding by obsessing with an ever-increasing list of ingredients,
we do worse than nothing: we turn someone away who could have
made a real difference for animals if they hadn't met us! Currently
the vast majority of people in our society have no problem eating
the actual leg of a chicken. It is not surprising that many people
dismiss vegans as unreasonable and irrational when our example
includes interrogating waiters, not eating veggie burgers cooked
on the same grill with meat, not taking photographs or using
medicines, etc.

Instead of spending our limited time and resources worrying about
the margins (cane sugar, film, medicine, etc.), our focus should
be on increasing our impact every day. Helping just one person
change leads to hundreds fewer animals suffering in factory farms.
By choosing to promote compassionate eating, every person we
meet is a potential major victory.

Hard Questions and Results

Admittedly, this results-based view of veganism is not as
straightforward as consulting a list. Areas of concern range from the
example we set to the allocation of resources, asking questions such
as: Do I bother asking for an ingredient list when with nonveg friends
and family, perhaps not eating anything, and risk making veganism
appear petty and impossible? How should I spend or donate my
limited money and time?

Situations are subtle and opportunities unique, thus there can be no
set answers. But if our decisions are guided by a desire to accomplish
the most good, we each have enormous potential to create change.

It is not enough to be a righteous vegan, or even a dedicated,
knowledgeable vegan advocate. The animals don't need us to be
right, they need us to be effective. In other words, we don't want
to just win an argument with a meat eater, we want to open people's
hearts and minds to a more compassionate lifestyle.

To do this, we have to be the opposite of the vegan stereotype.
Regardless of the sorrow and outrage we rightly feel at the cruelties
the animals suffer, we must strive to be what others want to be:
joyful, respectful individuals, whose fulfilling lives inspire others.
Only then can we do our best for the animals.

[Angus]

Very good. Thank you for posting that, Maureen.

[John Carbonaro]

... the issue for thoughtful, compassionate people isn't,
"Is this vegan?" Rather, the important question is: "Which choice leads
to less suffering?"

**This sounds like welfare. With this reasoning, 'happy meat' could be defended.

Our guide shouldn't be an endless list of ingredients,
but rather doing our absolute best to stop cruelty to animals.

***No need to define the list was 'endless'. People can do a good job in their own right deciding how much on the list is acceptable to them.

Veganism
is important, not as an end in itself, but as a powerful tool for opposing
the horrors of factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses.

**Veganism isn't just a 'tool'. It is a way to live in the world, and if people saw how much living like it *was* an end goal would help sentient beings (human/nonhuman) they might not have a narrow view of it.

...the focus isn't so much our personal beliefs or specific choices,
but rather the animals and their suffering.

***Why create such a split? Our personal beliefs are directly related to suffering.

The
impact of our individual veganism – several hundred animals over the
course of a lifetime – pales in comparison to what we have the potential
to accomplish with our example.

*** Again. why split off the two with making 'comparisons'? This is where Matt starts to really reveal his agenda : It is better to give people an *impression* of veganism OVER living an authentic , thorough vegan life.

For every person inspired to change
their habits, the impact we have on the world multiplies!

** I inspire people with the depth and consisttency of my convictions.

Conversely, for every person we convince that veganism is overly
demanding by obsessing with an ever-increasing list of ingredients,
we do worse than nothing: we turn someone away who could have
made a real difference for animals if they hadn't met us!

***Portraying vegans as obsessive and turn-offs rather than dedicated, joyful, and determined in their exposure of the depth of animal exploitation is more welfarist-derived drivel.

It is not surprising that many people
dismiss vegans as unreasonable and irrational when our example
includes interrogating waiters, not eating veggie burgers cooked
on the same grill with meat, not taking photographs or using
medicines, etc.

***So we are supposed to eat animal fat on our vegan burgers so we don't *turn-off* people? If one presents the request in a ill-mannered way-sure someone might be turned off to that. But i can make my requests respectfully, reasonably and postively.It can make for a good connection for non-vegans to see this in action.

Instead of spending our limited time and resources worrying about
the margins (cane sugar, film, medicine, etc.), our focus should
be on increasing our impact every day....
By choosing to promote compassionate eating, every person we
meet is a potential major victory.

*** In other words, meet halfway with the conformist lifestyle that includes exploitation so that we can make people less guilty for their roles, and feel better about 'compassionate' choices. More welfare-based decisions.

Do I bother asking for an ingredient list when with nonveg friends
and family, perhaps not eating anything, and risk making veganism
appear petty and impossible?

***No Matt, you find ways to make veganism attractive, wholesome,& delicious.You can cultivate wonderful feelings in the approach to vegan ideals.

It is not enough to be a righteous vegan, or even a dedicated,
knowledgeable vegan advocate. The animals don't need us to be
right, they need us to be effective.

** I don't see how you can present the two as mutually exclusive.

... we have to be the opposite of the vegan stereotype.

***I'm not getting caught up in worrying about 'stereotypes', as my foundation for presenting veganism.

Regardless of the sorrow and outrage we rightly feel at the cruelties
the animals suffer, we must strive to be what others want to be:
joyful, respectful individuals, whose fulfilling lives inspire others.
Only then can we do our best for the animals.

***I think that vegans can do their best for animals by presenting veganism as a way of living that finds joy in the pursuit of eliminating exploitation in as many ways as possible. This can be done patiently, progressively, and inspirationally.