Corey Washington
Staff Writer
The City of Long Beach might make the world a little greener— and healthier— now that it has a day dedicated to vegetarian eating. The City is joining a small but growing club of major metropolitan cities in the U.S. that are encouraging residents to avoid eating meat.
Ahimsa Vegan Cafe is one of several vegan and vegetarian eateries in Long Beach that could benefit from the City’s support of a day dedicated to meatless dining.
Local vegan and vegetarian aficionados alike said they considered a vegetarian day in Long Beach to be a win-win for the city and the global environment.
Long Beach joins a growing list of major cities that have already adopted a meatless Monday, including Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington D.C. The trend of supporting a vegetarian day is also growing worldwide.
According to Charlie Ligorria-Diaz, an assistant manager for Ahimsa Vegan Cafe, the idea is good and could become popular. Ligorria-Diaz said he found out about “Meatless Mondays” from kitchen staff and thinks it will be a boon for local restaurants and the vegetarian community.
Ahimsa Vegan Cafe, located downtown on 4th Street, is already a popular destination for vegans and vegetarians, according to Ligorria-Diaz, who estimates that about 50 percent of the restaurant’s patrons are vegan or vegetarian and the remaining 50 percent are meat-eaters, testing out the vegetarian lifestyle. With the adoption of Meatless Mondays, he said he believes local vegan and vegetarian restaurants could benefit from a day that promotes vegetarianism, creating more business.
Ligorria-Diaz is not alone. Joana Tavares, manager of I Love Vegan on Pacific Avenue, a vegan Thai restaurant, echoed the same sentiments. Tavares said many of I Love Vegan’s customers are tourists visiting Long Beach. Tavares said she was unaware the city now has a vegetarian day but believes that eventually the decision could bring additional foot traffic into establishments like I Love Vegan.
“I didn’t know about it, but I think it’s a good idea,” Tavares said. “We have a lot of vegans here.”
Ligorria-Diaz and Tavares agreed vegetarianism is not just about eating healthy. The issue is directly tied to environmental sustainability, particularly water conservation— a point raised at the City Council meeting on May 19.
Water is used to support agricultural growth, which is also how livestock, such as cattle, are fed. Many of those animals, such as cows, wind up slaughtered for meat processing and food consumption. According to the Vegetarian Society, a vegetarian advocacy organization, the estimates of how much water is required to produce one kilo of beef varies from 13,000 liters to 100,000 liters. The organization also cites that more than 8 percent of water consumption is due to livestock production.
Various studies have also linked vegetarianism to reducing the environmental impact on global warming. For example, a study published by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) in 2006 suggests raising livestock generates more greenhouse gases than all cars and trucks in the world combined.
Michael Stanley, a local vegetarian, said he thinks a vegetarian day will enhance Long Beach’s image but is skeptical a day dedicated solely to vegetarianism will gain substantial traction among meat-eaters. Stanley said he has dined at most of the vegetarian restaurants in Long Beach at least once and said he often sees some of the same faces.
“People love their meat,” Stanley said. “There are a lot of hormones and chemicals in meat that make it addictive. Even one day [of vegetarianism] could be hard to stick to, especially on a Mondayt when people are so stressed out and want to eat whatever they want to relax.”
However, Stanley believes a vegetarian day could eventually convert some meat-eaters— or at least encourage them to try out the lifestyle.
