Raw Food

The Sprout, a new raw food restaurant, has opened on Johnnie Dodds Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. There's no meat served, just fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, and nothing is heated over 116 degrees Fahrenheit--for reasons involving enzymes and "natural digesters" that are detailed in the Charleston City Paper's review of the restaurant.

It all sounds interesting enough, but it leaves me with the same questions I have often had about vegan cooking in the past: if this sort of diet is more natural for our bodies, why do its proponents try so hard to make it seem like "regular food"? On the meatless side, vegetarians are endlessly experimenting with black bean burgers and tofu "chicken wings" and other dishes that resemble good old American meat-based junk food. On the raw food front, The Sprout simulates spaghetti and meatballs with pasta made from raw squash and zuchinni and "meatballs" made from mushrooms, walnuts, and ginger. All well and good, but it seems like our tastebuds should naturally like raw food in its purest forms if that was what was really good for us.

Maybe someday when I'm feeling like getting back to a more natural diet I'll stop in and see what looks good . . .