More groovy new street food in Seattle! Marination Mobile is prowling the streets, dishing up "Hawaiian and Korean curb cuisine". I'm presumably living right, because their Wednesday spot is right up the street from my work in Fremont (outside of Sound Scooters, at the same location that Skillet occupies on Thursday), so I've been able to hit them up twice in their first month of operation.

Marination's truck makes a good impression from a distance - shiny and clean, with cool graphics. Not that you eat the truck, but it makes you think that anyone who cares enough to keep the vehicle looking that good might be pouring some love into the food too. You'd be right.

There are only a few things on the menu: tacos, a kimchi rice bowl, sliders (mini hamburges, ala White Castle), and a kimchi quesadilla, plus occasional specials. I appreciate the brevity: street food is usually best when a few dishes are prepared over & over with fanatical attention to detail.

Marination's tacos and rice come with a choice of meats or tofu. Unfortunately for now at least, the tofu rice bowl isn't veg because the kimchi contains anchovy broth, but co-owner Kamala tells me that more veggie options are on the way.

This is really no tragedy though, because the tofu tacos are vegetarian and delicious. The tofu is marinated (of course), grilled, and topped with a tangy slaw and slices of jalapeno, with limes to squeeze on and Sriracha sauce available if you want to spice them up. Three tacos make a good light lunch, and will only set you back $4.50 total - can't beat that! Their slaw was so good it inspired me to make these roasted-potato and asparagus tacos.

Omnivorous friends that joined me on each visit have tried the other menu items and liked them. I can say that the kimchi rice bowl in particular looked very flavorful and delicious.

Check out their schedule and give Marination a try, I think you'll be happy!

On this blog, I've primarily focused on recipes, with a smattering of book and product reviews.  I wax philosophical about as often as I wax my mustache or the kitchen floor. But I thought I'd take one article to talk about my choice to be vegetarian.

Let me start with a couple of reasons that aren't my reason. Some folks are vegetarian for the health benefits. I've never been too interested in that angle. It seems that there are some net positives, although, as with any area of nutrition and medical research, there are so many confounding factors it is difficult to say much with certainty. I look at this more as a bonus. Since I'm not getting a lot of saturated fat from meat, it means I probably have a little more leeway to eat extra cheese and chocolate. And French fries. And butter. My weight has stayed quite constant for years, and my vitals are all good. So knock wood.

Then there are people that go veg because of the environment. It takes vastly more grain, water and petroleum inputs to produce a given number of calories and grams of protein of meat than if you eat the grain directly. Again, for me the environmental benefit is a nicely aligned bonus, not a primary reason. Undoubtedly being a vegetarian does mean treading more lightly on the resources of our increasingly crowded planet, and I'm all for that, for the same reasons I recycle or compost. But I think that alone wouldn't make me 100% vegetarian, it would probably just make me eat relatively little meat, and choose animals low on the food chain.

I'm much closer in philosophy to those who are vegetarian for animal welfare reasons. You've seen the pictures of calves in confinement boxes, debeaked chickens, tubes forced down the throats of geese to make foie gras, acres of fish gasping for air in the hold of a ship, and a hundred other horrors of factory farming. I'd personally never want to support that kind of treatment.

In recent years, there has been a huge upsurge in demand for and availability of ethically raised animals. For many folks, that resolves the issue. They choose to partake of meat, but only when they know the animal has been well treated in life and death. I totally get that, and certainly if I were going to eat meat, I'd go that route. In my mind there is no question that it is a vast improvement over industrial methods. That concept also goes hand-in-hand with a commitment to eating the whole animal, which is more honorable than wasting much of it.

For me, the choice is even more personal and visceral. When I look in the eyes of an animal, I simply feel this sense of empathy, and there isn't a doubt in my mind that they feel pain, can and do suffer, and want to live. Am I anthropomorphizing? Unquestionably. And I'm not foolish enough to think that they feel or emote or remember in the same way as humans. Still, when I see a pig or a chicken, a cow or a goat or a fish, I just never think "boy, I'd like to cut your head off, skin you and eat your muscles".

I remember feeling this way even as a kid. I never liked even to bait a fishhook. The idea of spearing the living worm was abhorrent to me.

I assume that that basic revulsion towards killing or inflicting pain on animals is there, in me, for a reason. I'm sure that I could learn to override it, but in normal circumstances, why would I want to? Let me be clear: if I ever find myself lost and starving in the woods with a gun (highly unlikely!) and no knowledge of edible plants (sadly, likely), look out deer-boy, you are going down.

I don't judge other folks. The vast majority of my friends eat animals, as does my wife (rather infrequently). I watch cooking shows and read cookbooks that include lots of meat recipes. I often watch Iron Chef (Japanese or American) and see rather gross butchering that makes my meat eating loved ones utterly nauseous, and I can watch usually with equanimity. Because that is simply what other people choose to do, and I respect their choices. I guess I only gently hope that everyone gives it thought and checks with themselves to make sure there isn't too big of a disconnect between their beliefs and their choices. I applaud anyone who has made a conscious decision in any direction.

I can't really argue with the idea that eating meat is a natural, human behavior. Certainly our ancestors have been doing it a long time, though many of our closest primate cousins don't. It just isn't the right choice for me.

I've also found the argument that vegetarians are responsible for deaths of millions of animals in plowed farm fields to be disturbing and a bit persuasive. I've simply had to accept that perfection is not accesible to humans, that we do the best we can. I also undoubtedly step on untold numbers of tiny bugs everyday. Whadaya gonna do?

Along the same lines, I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I eat dairy products and eggs, and I know that often involves cows and chickens living uncomfortable or unhappy lives. I'm simply not willing to go vegan, but again that is a choice I respect. I do try to choose the most ethical dairy and eggs I can get my hands on.

I want to be honest. For me there are significant downsides to being vegetarian. As you know I'm an extremely avid cook, and hope to open a restaurant someday. That path would be drastically easier if I ate and cooked meat. There would be many more restaurants where I could apprentice, and many more potential patrons when I have my own place.

As a cook, I'd probably enjoy the added challenge of learning how to work with a whole additional range of ingredients. And I firmly believe that planning menus around meat is much easier. Simply starting with the "protein", as it is euphemistically called, lays a big flavorful foundation which requires only simple accompaniments to make a great plate of food. Vegetarian cooking requires generally more prep and more creativity.

Also, I dislike the feeling of social disconnection that comes from not being able to share in other people's food culture and hospitality, especially when traveling abroad. I recently read an article by another long-standing vegetarian who chose to eat meat while visiting his friends in France. That wouldn't work for me, but I can understand the impulse. It was a pleasure to travel in India a few years ago, where being vegetarian is a totally normal, accepted way of life.

All of that said, I don't think of being vegetarian as some sort of privation. I love to cook, I love to eat, I love to drink, I love to share the pleasure of the table with friends. I love the incredible variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and dairy products that are available. I love the farmer's market. I love great restaurants whether with 5 stars or 5 greasy tables. I love exploring new cuisines. I love the thrice daily ritual of dining, and the multi-sensory experience in a world that lately seems to be confined to keyboards and pixels. I love when a bite of food makes me say "oh holy shit that is good".

So there you go. Now you know why I'm a vegetarian, and next time someone asks I can just rattle of this URL, right?

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Are you a vegetarian with similar or different reasons? A pescetarian? Flexitarian? Vegan? Unabashed carnivore? Does my thought process ring true to you or sound ridiculous? Does it make you mad? Talk to me.

Soft tacos in a Mexico City form factor: just a fistful of delicious ingredients in two soft, steamed corn tortillas. Perfect to pick up in one hand, and never put back down. I can enjoy other, overstuffed tacos that require a fork, but to me the street food version is best.

Today's tacos contain oven roasted Yukon gold potatoes and asparagus, a kohlrabi slaw, avocado, feta cheese, and cilantro, with a little lemon crema. Obviously the feta should have been cotija, but that's what I had on hand.

The potatoes were from Olsen Farms, which grows an astonishing selection of heirloom varieties. I think they are near the end of their storage collection for this year, but if you are in the Seattle area, look for them when the new crop comes out and be amazed.

I blatantly snagged the slaw concept (not the ingredients) from Marination Mobile, about which more very soon. I picked kohlrabi basically because it was the nicest looking crispy vegetable I saw at the market yesterday, but you could just as easily use jicama.

The slaw was dressed with Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champagne vinegar.  I'm not a big TJ's person at all, but that vinegar has a really bright, citrusy taste that I've used countless times to bring a dish to life. Granted you could easily combine champagne vinegar and fresh orange juice yourself, but in a pinch, this stuff is a real winner.

Because there are a lot of components to assemble on each taco, it is really important to have hot plates, and all of the ingredients prepared and organized in advance. Otherwise you'll be serving cold tacos, and who wants to do that?

Oh, and a note about corn tortillas: do not buy the ones at Whole Foods! They are terrible. The texture is completely wrong, and when heated they get all crumbly. It is as if they had hired a team of food scientists to make the worst possible tortilla. In order of preference: homemade, made at a local tortilleria (ask around, you might be very pleasantly surprised!), or a national Mexican brand.

Roasted Potato and Asparagus Tacos with Kohlrabi Slaw
Makes 8 tacos, serves 4 with rice and beans
Vegetarian and gluten-free; not vegan unless you substitute or omit the dairy products

• 6 medium potatoes, 1/2" dice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2" lengths
• 3 small or 1 large kohlrabi, peeled and julienned, preferably on a mandoline, or grated
• 1/2 small sweet onion or white onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Trader Joe's Orange Muscat Champage Vinegar or 1/4 cup champagne vinegar and 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema, sour cream, or yogurt
• juice of one lemon
• 1/4 lb feta or cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 ripe Hass avocado, peeled and sliced
• a few sprigs of cilantro
• salt
• 16 soft corn tortillas

1. Heat the oven to 375 F. Toss the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the cumin powder, and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt. Roast on a sheet pan in a single layer, turning occasionally with a spatula until golden brown and crispy. Taste and adjust salt. Set aside in a heatproof bowl.
2. Toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and roast on the same sheet pan until tender and beginning to brown, maybe about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt. Set aside in a heatproof bowl.
3. Reduce oven to 175 F.
4. Combine the kohlrabi, onion, vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
5. Combine the crema and lemon juice with a pinch of salt and whisk. Put it in a squeeze bottle if you like.
6. Put the plates in the oven to heat, and return the potatoes and asparagus to the oven to reheat.
7. Wrap the tortillas in a clean, moist kitchen towel and microwave until steaming hot and soft. Start checking after 1 minute.
8. To serve: on each plate, make two stacks of two tortillas each. In order, top with the potatoes and asparagus, then slaw, cheese, avocado, creama, and avocado.