Birthdays, vegetarianism and cheese

Garlic bread with cheese for my birthday

It's sunny, it's Saturday and yesterday was B's birthday. Today we're celebrating by going to Richmond Tea Rooms. I've never been there but I've heard good stuff and to judge by the menu, we're in for a good time. If nothing else it will be exciting to meet up with everyone.

Meanwhile I thought we should get to know each other a little better, at least one way around. The infamous blogosphere way of doing that is by interviewing yourself, and I'm no exception, so here we go...


You're a personal trainer and wrestler. Why do you write about food?
Last year I was pretty active on my PT blog writing about fitness, health and eating. To me those subjects go hand in hand, but it felt like the food posts didn't always fit in. Eating is not only a health issue in terms of nutrients, it's also about enjoyment and a pleasure that we shouldn't feel stressed or guilty about, as that's not exactly healthy either.

I started thinking of writing about food separately but at the time I was so busy that I didn't get around to it, but now I've got a bit more time on my hands so I thought 'why not?'

Does Internet really need another food blog?
Hmm, does Internet really need anything, except perhaps being fed new content? I've heard that Internet is about democracy and in such a system there should be room for everyone.

To be more specific however: yes, although I love to drool over recipes containing 28 steps of how to get the perfect mash - and believe me, Internet is full of those - I think it's hard to get to anybody but already convinced food geeks with that sort of cooking.

My aim is to be more about ideas than precision; about how to easily and quickly eat a little bit better thanks to a lot more simple homemade food.

Why the name 'Roasted Sweet Potatoes'?
I wanted something that's associated with comfort food, but something healthier than chips and pizza from the local takeaway. Roasted sweet potatoes is pretty close to the best comfort food I know.

Why a vegetarian blog?
Because I'm a vegetarian, and have been for the last 16 years. I honestly wouldn't have a clue how to prepare or cook meat. I know how to fry sausages and fish fingers, but that's about it.

So why did you become a vegetarian?
When I was 12 I started hanging out with some really clever people. We used to meet up, make vegan taco buffets and talk about interesting stuff, like meat. I became more and more convinced that I didn't want to support the meat industry, me and my mum agreed that I would eat vegetarian for a test period and I realised how easy it actually was. I haven't looked back since. Any little good I can do, I will try my best to do - that doesn't just concern meat.

However, it's not only for ethical reasons, but also about health. I've always felt really fit, strong and energetic on a vegetarian diet. It works well for me so I can't see any reason why I would need meat. Nor can I see why my guts would be very much different from anyone else's.

Though this blog is not about persuading anyone to eat this and that. I just want to offer ideas about how to eat greener and I hope that meat eaters will find some of them useful as well.

Why doesn't your food look prettier?
I prefer taste, texture and simplicity and leave the prettiness to other bloggers.

What's your favourite dish?
Pasta bolognese, risotto, everything my mum cooks and pretty much anything with cheese. If I really had to pick just one, it'd be cheese. That's a dish, right?

Vegetarian Pasta Bolognese

Favourite fruit, vegetable and root?
Tomato, onion and sweet potato.

And last, best drink?
Beer and water, please don't make me choose...