One consequence of living in a hippy town like Madison is that you start to question your life choices. Do I drive my car too much? How much trash do I produce per week? And, the hardest one for me, should I become a vegetarian? which inevitably becomes the much scarier, should I become a vegan?
I quickly realized that while vegetarianism could possibly exist in my future, I could never become a vegan. That would mean giving up cheese, which would mean giving up one of life's greatest pleasures. No way. Apparently, though, giving up cheese is a major hurdle for many wanna be vegans. Anthony Grani, Toronto-based filmmaker and vegan, even created a blog called "Vegan Cheese Reviews", dedicated to finding the tastiest non-dairy based "cheese".
Enter Daiya, a cheese substitute made mainly from Tapioca and water. Two Canadians, Greg Blake and Andre Kroecher, are the masterminds behind the food product (pictured above in a grilled cheese sandwich). Kroecher first started trying to make vegan cheese in 2005 by experimenting in his own kitchen. By 2007, with the help of Blake, he perfected the recipe and began looking to sell Daiya. It premiered at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California in the form of a dairy-free cheese pizza and was an instant success. Daiya is picking up steam and was named Product of the Year at the 2009 Veggie Awards.
Daiya is available in many stores around the U.S. (including at the Whole Foods in Madison). I'm intrigued enough to search it out, but don't count on me leading a cheese-less vegan life anytime soon!
Sources:
-Macleans article on Daiya
-Daiya website
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