Vegetarian society holds potluck picnic

Carnivores needed not apply at the CSRA Vegetarian Society's potluck picnic, held Saturday afternoon in honor of October's designation as World Vegetarian Awareness Month.

Lisa Dyches, the group's Aiken coordinator and picnic organizer, estimated that a little less than half of the society's 80-plus membership roster lives in Aiken County, and she expected a minimum of 18 participants for the drop-in picnic. Members brought dishes fit for all types of plant-based diets, including vegan (no dairy products), pescetarian (plant and fish products only) and fruitarian (fruits and nuts only), Dyches said.

"We do potlucks once a month, and we try to do at least three or four meet-ups each month because we do a lot of charity work also," Dyches said.

Members Bob and Julie Gilbert brought tamale lasagna, made without cheese. Other foods included vegan coleslaw, potato puffs, a sausage substitute and potato casserole, sweet potato crisp, pea salad and homemade granola.

"We came because we certainly support and live the vegan lifestyle, or try to," Bob Gilbert said. "We started eating vegan because of concerns about our health, and that expanded into concerns about animals raised for food, the techniques used for handling them and especially slaughtering them. One of our concerns that developed as we learned more and more is about how Big Agriculture has taken over food production."

The CSRA Vegetarian Society formed in 2007 to provide area vegetarians with resources and support in the transition to a plant-based diet and to raise public awareness of vegetarianism. The group maintains a listing of vegetarian-friendly grocery stores and restaurants on its website and posts information about scheduled meet-ups and dinners.

For more information about the society or to contact its organizers, visit www.meetup.com/csravs.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.