Letters From Readers

People wonder why vegan fare isn't more "mainstream." Well, I don't wonder at all, and Bridget Bentz Sizer's little contribution, Vegan Venture: Going All-Veggie in the Company of Carnivores (March 5), confirms my theory. An article about a non-vegetarian who wants to "see if a vegan could dine with carnivores" was doomed before it was even written. Of course preparing a vegan menu for non-vegetarians is a challenge; so is asking a fan of Hollywood blockbusters to sit through Michelangelo Antonioni's "L'Avventura" or Federico Fellini's "8 1/2 ." It's just not familiar fare.

I've been teaching vegan cooking classes for many years, and one thing I know for certain: The way we eat, the way we learn to cook, the palates we develop -- these are all habits. And habits are meant to be broken, but that takes time. I encourage you to accept more articles about the joy, versatility and ease of eating vegan -- written by vegans. Sizer's article proved nothing about how easy or difficult "vegan food" is. It just proved that she's got some practicing to do (and that she has a silly friend who thinks human incisors are equivalent to the flesh-tearing teeth of carnivores). Didn't someone brilliant say, "Judge the cook, not the cuisine"?

-- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau,

founder and director,

Compassionate Cooks,

Oakland, Calif.

Got something to say? Send letters tohttp://sundaysource@washpost.com.