5/25 Take Me Out To The Ball Game
My favorite summertime sporting event to attend is a home town baseball game. The sun is always shining, the beer is always cold and you get to sing out loud, really loud during the seventh inning stretch. Ever since the first 70 degree day I have been looking forward to going to a game. Even with my enthusiasm I couldn’t help but silently lament, “Too bad they don’t have veggie dogs, because how awesome would it be to have a veg dog and a chilly brewski right behind home plate?” Imagine my delight, surprise and home town pride when I read that Detroit’s own Comerica Park came in third on PETA’s list of Top Ten Veg-Friendly Major League Ballparks! Go Tigers!
Here is the article I found by Eric Fortney of This Dish is Veg. Thanks Eric.
As you may expect, vegetarian San Francisco Giants fans have much to celebrate for a variety of reasons, including leading the Top 10 List.
If winning the 2010 World Series and currently leading the N.L. West was not enough reason to pop a few corks, the veg-friendly confines of AT&T Park—the Giants home stadium—took home the top spot in PETA’s latest installment of the Top Ten Veg-Friendly Major League Ballparks.
Menu selections like veggie dogs, veggie burgers, portobello mushroom sandwiches, meatless burritos, grilled vegetable sandwiches, and noodles with ginger, sesame, and veggies helped AT&T Park land the number one slot.
But if you are a veg baseball fan and you don’t happen to live in the City by the Bay don’t worry, plenty of major league ballparks are adding plant-based fare.
Indeed, the remaining nine teams on the list are a testament to that very fact.
Without further ado, here is the list in its entirety:
1. San Francisco Giants’ AT&T Park
Menu features veggie dogs, veggie burgers, portobello mushroom sandwiches, meatless burritos, grilled vegetable sandwiches, and noodles with ginger, sesame, and veggies.
2. Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park
Vegetarian offerings include Southwest black-bean burgers, mock-steak sandwiches, breaded faux-chicken sandwiches, and tangy hummus with pita chips and for dessert vegan rice krispie treats.
3. Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park
Menu selections include Italian sausages and black-bean burgers on the grill, vegetable stir-fries, veggie dogs, veggie burgers, vegetable sushi, and hummus plates.
4. Atlanta Braves’ Turner Field
Vegetarian Braves fans can enjoy veggie burgers, veggie dogs, meatless burritos, vegetable sushi, veggie pasta, and dairy-free smoothies.
5. Colorado Rockies’ Coors Field
Coors Field offers grilled portobello sandwiches, veggie dogs, veggie burgers, vegetable wraps, baked potatoes, and meatless burritos.
6. Oakland Athletics’ Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Menu choices include veggie burgers, meatless burritos, made-to-order salads, and portobello sliders.
7. San Diego Padres’ PETCO Park
San Diego fans that like to avoid the cruelty and unhealthiness of meat can indulge in veggie dogs, veggie burgers, hummus and vegetables, roasted corn, edamame, and fresh fruit salads.
8. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Angel Stadium
Angel Stadium offers its vegetarian fans black-bean burgers, vegetable sushi, bean burritos, edamame, fresh fruit cups, corn on the cob, and roasted vegetable sandwiches on ciabatta rolls.
9. Houston Astros’ Minute Maid Park
Meat-free options include veggie burgers, mushroom sliders, fresh fruit smoothies, baked potatoes, made-to-order salads, and sun-dried tomato rigatoni.
10. Milwaukee Brewers’ Park
The current home of vegetarian power hitter Prince Fielder offers portobello mushroom focaccia sandwich, a vegetable wrap, fresh fruit, build-your-own burritos, and a hearty veggie dog.
If your park did not make the list then take the opportunity to have your friends over before the game for some veg dogs and Cowgirl Baked Beans. The next day, make sure and email the ball park and team owners to gently suggest that they add healthy options to their food vendors menus. Ball park customers of all ages demand and deserve more delicious and compassionate food options. We can vote with our wallets.
If you have experienced compassionate cuisine at a sporting event please share. I would love to hear about it.
Have a delicious day.
Tags: compassionate eating, dairy free, PETA, plant based diet, trying vegan, trying vegetarian, veg, veg friendly ball parks, vegan, vegan challenge, vegan wannabe, vegetarian gazpacho
May 25th, 2011 at 10:34 pm
Proud to hear this! Thanks for posting Sherry!!!
May 28th, 2011 at 9:38 am
I am headed to Comerica tomorrow, this is good to know!!
May 29th, 2011 at 8:12 pm
Lisa,
I was too. I am really proud of our ballpark and cant wait to have some vegan chow while rooting for our home team.
May 29th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Erin,
Please share what you saw and enjoyed at the ball park. Cant wait to hear about it.
May 30th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
I ended up eating a veggie dog while I was there. It was really good! It actually freaked me out a bit at first, it was so much like a non-veggie hot dog. I had to double check with my husband that it really was vegetarian. I didn’t look around at the food too much, but what I did have was pretty good.
May 30th, 2011 at 11:46 pm
Erin,
A veggie dog at the ballpark sounds pretty great. Although I enjoy the uniqueness that being vegan presents when eating outside of our home….sometimes I just want to do what everyone else is doing and enjoy myself without standing out or taking a stand or making a statement. A veggie dog amidst throngs of other people enjoying the ritual of a treasured pastime is a beautiful thing. I also love that because the park is such an average American place to be, people that may not have come face to face with a veg dog may try it through novelty and that is great too. Whatever gets you there is okay by me.
June 3rd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
I love going to Coors Field and the fact that the veggie dogs are actually good makes it even better. I have yet to try anything else since the hotdogs are all I can think about when I go. It is also nice that they have four places in the park that sell them. One thing that I did not see on your list is that they even have a couple of salad bar type stands set up that are operated by Mad Greens if you are looking for something a little healthier / fresher. I can tell you from experience outside the park that Mad Greens has some definite tastiness.
June 12th, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Jenifer,
Thank you for the recommendation. I never thought that going to a Major League baseball game could be a culinary adventure for a vegan. What an exciting time to love compassionate cuisine.