VEG-N makes vegan cuisine accessible

I once had a vegan roommate who shunned products that approximated meat because she felt they normalized meat culture. This is clearly not the sentiment held at VEG-N, where the menu focuses on burgers, chili and hot dogs — all plant-based and fully vegan.

My first experience with VEG-N was after a physical therapy appointment. Famished, I stumbled upon the drive-thru at its previous Lansing location, a retired fast-food restaurant on César E. Chávez Avenue. I was thoroughly tickled at the thought that I was saving the Earth from the air-conditioned comfort of my gas guzzler. The owner, who comes up with all the recipes, patiently answered my questions in a way that told me we weren’t at McDonald’s anymore and assured me several times that the food is really all vegan. I loved the breakfast burrito.

Sadly, VEG-N opted not to renew the lease at its César E. Chávez location last October, making drive-thru vegan cuisine a thing of Lansing lore. But I was excited to give the food another try when the restaurant popped up last month in another place you’d least expect to find an all-vegan eatery: the Meridian Mall food court.

The stall has no sign yet — it just reads “Italy.” For now, it’s open limited hours Thursday through Sunday. It’s also serving a limited menu, so I couldn’t order my beloved breakfast burrito.

Nevertheless, in a place where I once happily consumed many a Steak Escape cheesesteak, I tucked into my Not-Dog, ordered Coney style with chili, onions, mustard and shredded “cheddar” on top. (At two for $10, it’s hard to beat the price.) I’m not a fan of mustard or onions, so I enjoyed the one I got without those fixings more.

My children munched on burgers and chili mac and cheese without knowing they were eating their vegetables. The little guy didn’t seem to catch on at all, and the older one, who can now read, raised one eyebrow, asked what “vegan” means and continued eating. My husband, who later devoured some of the leftovers while standing at the kitchen countertop, described the mac as “convincingly cheesy.”

We all shared a “side” of french fries, which was a generous portion. As a fry aficionado, these were my standout favorite of the meal. They were oily without being greasy, very thin — thinner than I remember them being at the Lansing location, which is my preference — and had a nice balance of soft and crispy textures.

You can pick out VEG-N’s clientele in the food court — they’re the ones sitting with serene, grateful smiles, awaiting beloved dishes they haven’t tasted for months. The restaurant has brought to the food court more rainbow dreadlocks, gray hair and parents of small children who expressed open approval of my pro-abortion T-shirt.

Not being vegan myself, it’s just nice to have a quick and easy plant-based alternative in a fast-food setting. The next time I find myself hungry at the mall, I’ll be happy to default to VEG-N for my next fix of clandestine vegetables.