Tonic Decides To Take Vegetarian Money After All
Two nights ago I ordered the vegetarian stuffed pepper at Tonic, on Mount Pleasant Street. (I was there because some sticky goop fell from the ceiling onto my friend’s head last time she was at Tonic, and it took her an hour and a half to get it out, and the management felt bad and gave her a $100 gift certificate to apologize for the inconvenience, and she generously spent it on us, her dear friends.)
Anyway, back to the stuffed pepper. I remembered that pepper as one of the most delicious meals I’d ever had from three years ago, the last time I’d seen it on the menu. When I applauded its reappearance to the waitress, she told me that Tonic had decided a few years ago not to cater to vegetarians, so they took it off the menu.
Hello, Tonic? It’s me, Tanya. You know me, I live across the street and I don’t eat meat and I, like any good participant in our capitalist society, exchange hard-earned money for goods and services, including food that I can eat. What’s up with your anti-veggie business practices? Don’t you know that Mount Pleasant is full of freaks like me that don’t eat dead animals? Well, thanks for giving us back the stuffed pepper, anyway. According to the waitress, they only put it back on the menu because even non-vegetarians liked it. Thank god for them.
PS - Oh, and Tonic? We love the tater tots.
–Tanya Snyder
9 Responses to “Tonic Decides To Take Vegetarian Money After All”
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February 14th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Tanya, glad you spoke up … and let us know. Freak or not, you aren’t alone. A growing number of DC folks are opting for plant-based eating. We may be far behind other regions, but smart restaurateurs know it’s not a market to snub. Too bad about Tonic’s attitude; I would have liked to try that pepper dish.
February 14th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Good eating in Washington D.C. - http://www.happycow.net/north_america/usa/district_of_columbia/washington/index.html - here you go guys - please take a look at the list & add any other good places / inform of any others that no longer cater to plant eaters.
February 15th, 2008 at 8:07 am
Any recommendations for particularly vegan-friendly places or dishes in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood?
February 15th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Check out http://www.VegDC.com for a listing of hundreds of veg-friendly restaurants in and around D.C.
February 15th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
I thought the whole point of restaurants was that they made their money by making and serving food the way their customers want in exchange for their customer’s money.
You are right Tanya, your money is just as green as anyone else’s.
Tonic can keep their attitude and their business.
February 15th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I also live in Mount Pleasant and am a vegetarian. I ordered the vegetarian stuffed peppers a long time ago there and really enjoyed it; however, I was much disappointed with a more recent order of it that I had, although I ordered that for take-out. This most recent order I had was kind of disgusting — the color of whatever grain they used in the dish, or of the goop it ended up being by the time all their ingredients were mixed, was not at all appealing–it was some kind of dull gray, brackish mixture, and it didn’t taste as fresh or as good as I remembered it being the first time I ordered it, either. So whatever they did to it, it was not a good change. I will probably not be ordering it again. I wish they did have more (appealing) vegetarian fare on the menu; if they did, I might go there more often.
About vegetarian money being just as green as anyone else’s…Well, actually, it’s even more green when you consider the fact that vegetarianism is much more of an eco-friendly dietary practice than is meat-eating!
February 15th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
I think the author and posters all need a collective hug.
:::hug:::
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
February 16th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
When I visit DC to lobby to END Farm Bill WELFARE subsidies to giant, unsustainable, disease causing agribusiness, I’ll be looking for vegan food. Why? Remember the story of the “Cleansing of the Temple?” It’s the age old story about Jesus entering His Father’s House, the temple, where for 600 years, priests built power, control, and an economy out of sacrificing animals. He threw over the money changers tables, and was OUTRAGED at the bloody and violent slaughter happening to sentient, innocent animals suffering horrible deaths. Today, they suffer horrible lives as well as torturous deaths, so NOTHING in this so called, “religious” nation has changed. It’s cruel and violent economy still revolves around animal sacrifice, animal feed, animal pharmaceuticals, human disease (health care)and the huge economies surrounding the exploitation and commodification of animals. Three thousand years ago, they found, arrested, and crucified this holy man, much like the current political system wants to do to animal rights activists who aspire to the truth and foundation of Jesus teachings.
Veganism IS the root of all good. Good food, good ethics, good sense of our place on earth, and good respect for all life. We are the epitome of the so called, “pro-life” movement.
October 1st, 2008 at 7:43 am
I’ve long enjoyed the neighborhood feel and food at Tonic , but a recent visit has left me wondering if I’ll return. Their new menu leaves much to be desired. Portions are small and not particularly tasty. I was looking forward to their meaty pulled pork sandwich, but with the menu changes you now get three mini-sandwiches that are all bread and little meat or flavor. And their gniocchi squash pasta dish was so small it should’ve been labeled a tapas–and the squash was undercooked. The manager and the wait staff were laxidasical and seemed uninterested in make things right again. Definitely disappointing.