ARE YOU VEGAN / VEGETARIAN / WHEY-FREE / GLUTEN-FREE / DAIRY-FREE / CARB-FREE / DELICIOUS-FREE?
February 4th, 2010
I tend to get these kinds of questions a lot in my emaiL. A LOT a lot. And I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to write a bLog post about it. But first thing’s first: “KOGI” means “MEAT” in Korean. It’s not to say that every singLe thing in our truck is made of MEAT, but a street truck that’s got the word MEAT sLammed onto its side certainLy sets the tone, doesn’t it?
But let me break it down for you further…
WHEY-FREE/DAIRY-FREE ITEMS
- Anything cheese-free. (So just steer cLear of burritos and quesadiLLas and muLitas.)
I’ve heard rumors of some outbreak of whey-spiked tortiLLas going on in Texas. Now, I don’t know what’s going down in the Lone Star State, cuz I have no idea why someone wouLd want to put the leftover miLk-protein-water-fLoating-at-the-top-of-your-yogurt into a tortiLLa. That just seems like an added, unnecessary step for our smaLL, mom-and-pop purveyors to go about hiding in their tortiLLas. As far as we know, as far as aLL the ingredients listed in our tortiLLas (a short, simpLe list, indeed!), there is no whey hiding in our tortiLLas. But who knows? Maybe whey is the MSG to those fLat corn and fLour rounds of starchy goodness. (MOST CHINESE TAKE-OUT AND KOREAN PLACES SAY NO MSG, BUT THEY ARE LYING TO YOU, PEOPLE. LYING!!!! Most of the time.)
GLUTEN-FREE
- cheese-and-griLLed-onions muLita
- SaLsa Verde
- ciLantro-onion-lime reLish
What are muLitas? Think of quesadiLLas, onLy w/ corn tortiLLas. That said, most everything eLse on our truck is either a fLour tortiLLa or is coated in a sauce that has soy sauce in it.
THASS RIGHT, KIDS! Soy sauce is made with WHEAT, which makes it NOT GLUTEN-FREE. So any of our meats and tofu (it’s organic!) is MARINATED in stuff that contains SOY SAUCE. YEAH, BASK IN OUR ASIANNESS!!!!!111ONEONE I’d teLL ya to get the saLad, but hey — it’s tossed in a chiLi-soy vinaigrette. So I’d advise you to get griLLed onion muLita w/ SaLsa Verde (roasted jaLapeño, citrus, garLic oiL and ciLantro). AND THAT’S IT. I know, it’s a pretty weak-arse list of options, but that’s the onLy thing I can think of that is stiLL dericious and WON’T KILL YOU. Sorry, foLks, I don’t want to be responsibLe for your trip to the hospitaL.
Oh, and before I forget — based off some lazy internet research, I’ve found out that soy sauce has smaLL quantities of naturaLLy-occuring gLutamate — for those deathLy afraid of MSG. So just keep that in mind.
VEGAN/VEGETARIAN
You don’t want to eat cute, furry 4-legged animaLs on a truck that has the word “MEAT” pLastered on its side? Good for you! I appLaud you. ::cLaps:: Look, I’m happy you’re happy with your herbivore ways. AND I’M NOT BEING SARCASTIC. I don’t judge you and don’t care if you judge me. As long as we eat what we eat and we know why we eat it, we’re square. Ya smeLL me?
Now that we got that settLed, let’s get something straight FIRST:
ANYTHING COOKED ON OUR GRILL IS COOKED ON THE SAME GRILL OUR MEAT IS COOKED ON. Look, we don’t have those fancy trucks w/ 2-3 griLLs and state-of-the-art buiLt-in grease traps. (But a girL can dream, can’t she? Siiiiigh.) Our griLL isn’t studded w/ diamonds and is onLy so big, so there might be a littLe something caLLed “cross contamination.” HELL YEAH, that quesadiLLa is cooked on the same griLL as that spicy pork! And unfortunateLy, we can’t have it any other way at this point in time.
WHAT’S THAT?! YOU DON’T CARE?!!! AS LONG AS THE INGREDIENTS INSIDE DON’T CONTAIN ANIMALS??!!!!11one ALrighty, here are a list of things you can eat: anything w/out meat in it. So you can get the tofu taco, quesadiLLa, muLita and/or burrito. If you’re vegan, I’d get the tofu burrito w/out the egg or cheese. Did I mention that our tofu is organic???
HEY, WHAT ABOUT THE KIMCHI QUESADILLA? GLad you asked.
This is Maangchi. AND NO ONE BETTER RIP ON MAANGCHI. MAANGCHI IS ADORABLE. MAANGCHI IS COOL. MAANGCHI IS THE SH*T. Maangchi’s aLso the one who heLped me through some hard times in BrookLyn when every Korean restaurant I found tasted like overpriced nastiness. She’s so cute!!! I don’t know if I want her to be my mom or my friend, but I just want to SQUEEZE her every time she subtitLes her vids with emoticons!!!!11oneone >__< – !
Anyway, as Maangchi demonstrates, kimchi (traditionaLLy) is NOT vegan or vegetarian. Thass right, it usuaLLy contains some kind of raw shrimp paste or fish sauce. (Mmmmm, s’good.) Sometimes it even contains Mama’sSpeciaLGoodstuff. So be carefuL when labeL-reading. And risk that some pLaces may sneak in MSG anyway and not even teLL you!
Our kimchi has fish sauce in it. Because that’s how kimchi’s SUPPOSED to be made. We couLd get vegetarian kimchi, but 1 – it wouLdn’t taste right, and 2 – it’s more expensive for some reason. So to get vegetarian kimchi wouLd be to stock something that tastes…less robust — pLus we’d probabLy have to raise the price on our kimchi quesadiLLas and KoGi dogs by at least a doLLar to compensate.
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Are we going to add on more vegan, vegetarian, whey-free/dairy-free or gLuten-free items to our menu?
::shrugs::
Maybe. But don’t hoLd us to it. Papi wiLL make what he wants to make in the context that he’s spearheading the menu for a truck caLLed “KOGI.” His first priority is to make it deLicious and his second priority is to make it affordabLe. Making food that’s limited by the many stringent dietary restrictions out there is not the top thing on his list of things to do to knock out. So pLease keep that in mind.
That said, he has created a vegan taco at The ALibi Room that vegans reaLLy, reaLLy love. If I recaLL correctLy, it’s mostLy raw as weLL, w/ kkaenip (sesame leaves) acting as its peppery green “tortiLLa.” I personaLLy don’t much care for it. I mean, we’re caLLed “KoGi.” It’s like wanting to go dairy-free, but wanting a quesadiLLa, so asking for a cheeseLess quesadiLLa. Where is the fun in that?
Granted, we’re not your everyday, gLorified fLeet of LA loncheras, but we’re not exactLy The Green Truck is, either. No one wouLd go up to one of LA’s finest taco trucks and ask the cook for fuLL-discLosure for his list of ingredients or demand for a vegan version of carne asada. At the same time, one can feeL righteousLy indignant if one of the new wave of food trucks has no idea where its meat is sourced or if something’s organic or not. What they do is great, how they approach food is admirabLe.
Our approach is just a littLe different, that’s aLL. We know exactLy where our meats come from, our tofu’s organic and we use the best ingredients we can possibLy find day to day. But we aLso use Spam, Vienna Sausage, Oreos, gummy worms, chicharrones and other gas station foods in our weekLy speciaLs from time to time.
HopefuLLy this heLps you catch the rhythms of what we’re aLL about. Our entire menu may not be dairy-free, gLuten-free or corn-free, but we are free to serve whatever it is that we think our brood of AngeLenos (and now OC peopLes) is craving.
Think about the oLd-schooL spirit of hip hop: we’re aLways taking sampLes of the cLassics, the stuff we grew up on in our youth on the streets of LA, and laying it over a phat beat. They’re littLe fist bumps to a past that didn’t know what organic, vegan or unprocessed cheese meant. They’re the Vienna sausages our immigrant moms put in our kimchi chiggae when “reaL meat” was too pricey or they didn’t have the time to cook a 5-course, 5-star meaL. It’s a past that fed us through chain grocery stores, doubLe coupons and the excitement of having your dad buy you a preservative-laden treat at the gas station the once in a bLue moon the famiLy goes on a forever-unwinding road trip that’s crammed w/ back-to-back activities so that they can make sure that they get their money’s worth and squeeze in every iota of famiLy time on the rare occasion of some extra time off.
Love and tacos,
Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice
@KOGIBBQ ON TWITTER
February 4th, 2010
Thanks for posting! Just a thought, but La Choy Soy Sauce (cheaper than Kikkoman) has none of that nasty Wheat Gluten stuff I’m so unfortunately intolerant of… I’ve never been able to make it to a truck because I basically knew I couldn’t eat anything cuz of the SoY sauce. Moving to Austin soon so I suppose I’ll just HAVE to try the only gluten-free item soon. PEaacE
February 4th, 2010
Thanks ALICE! I am sure you get all these questions alot. The straight answer is, “get away from my Meat Truck if you don’t eat meat”. You have your reasons, we have ours. In response to the “Red Meat will kill you” theories… I say, “No, eating BLUE/GREEN Meat might kill you.”
February 4th, 2010
Love Maangchi. Wow–My mom makes kimchi different, but she’s Vietnamese… I’m curious–Maangchi’s way sounds and looks delicious (though, not sure about the squid, lol). Thanks for sharing.
February 4th, 2010
I love Maangchi’s tutorial, I have always wanted to see how it’s made. Thanks.
February 4th, 2010
So you’re saying don’t trust other places because they most likely have MSG, but how can I trust nothing you use is processed? I mean, you guys are KOREAN as well. How can I trust you guys?
February 4th, 2010
“To Serve Man”
- It’s a cookbook!
Delightful Papi pic – thx!
February 4th, 2010
Jenni – I’m unfamiLiar w/ LaChoy and hence, don’t trust it. It’s kind of like Koreans using 7-Up or Sprite in their marinade in lieu of Fresca or any other lemon lime drink. But who knows? The future is aLways open. But I’ll be a sonovagun if I find a bottLe of LaChoy and not Kikkoman in the cupboards of the Korean AngeLenos I know and love.
LAXSixSigma — ahahaha. I’m not saying “get away from my meat truck if you don’t eat meat” — but what I AM saying is that it’s ridicuLous to expect for us to be friendLy towards every dietary restriction there is when our first priority is GOOD FOOD that’s AFFORDABLE.
Laura — you know the A-One Vietnamese grocery store we park at used to have this open buffet of kimchi? I had no idea Vietnamese peopLe were so into spicy pickLeage! And YES, Maangchi is faboosh!!
@nickichai — no need to thank me. Thank Maangchi! She’s got a crapLoad of other reaLLy cooL videos. Everything from jjajangmyun to muL nengmyun. And her MUSIC. Sooooo steLLar. I don’t know if I want her to be my mom or my BFF, she’s SOOOO CUTE!!!!
panda — you can’t trust us, dude. You just can’t. Us Koreans are just shaaaaaaady. Runs in our YeLLow bLood. (facetious sarcasm.) As for processed foods — I’d advise you to read the last haLf of the bLog post. (I know, it’s long. But hang in there. Maybe you’LL grasp my point.) We DO use processed foods — did I not mention mayo, chicharrones and Oreos???
sLeepyhead — you are aLways, aLways weLcome.
POINT: everyday we’re bombarded by peopLe teLLing us HOW we shouLd be doing things or asking us WHY we don’t fit into their dietary restrictions and stating WHAT WE SHOULD DO ABOUT IT. But we can’t be everything to everybody without losing what we are.
You don’t compLain to your neighborhood candy store for not carrying sugar-free snacks (I’d hope) and you don’t teLL a butcher to carry vegan aLternatives. If they happen to do so anyway, aLL the more power to them. But if they choose not to, no need to get upset about it.
If Tupac Shakur and Kurt Cobain took out every singLe lyric that their management teams deemed as potentiaLLy offensive, they wouLdn’t be Tupac or Cobain. We do what we do, so just chiLLaaaaaax.
We’re not WhoLe Foods. We’re KoGi.
P.S. There was a comment that took offense to this post that I deLeted because it was just ridicuLous. THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK ON VEGANS or VEGETARIANS or PEOPLE WHO CAN’T EAT GLUTEN. It’s a response to those who demand for us to fit into their dietary restrictions. So, in that context, IF YOU TAKE THIS POST PERSONALLY, you compLeteLy missed the point.
February 5th, 2010
P.S.
I’m a glutton for gluten!
February 5th, 2010
Freakin health freaks…. Eat what taste good… Work out later…. If you are so lazy that it is easier to “not” eat than working out I guess do it… You could die tomorrow…. so much for being so particular about sauces…. Taste it…it is great
February 5th, 2010
Just wondering…do you ever come to Long Beach or anywhere around the area like Lakewood or Cerritos?
That would be awesome if you did…
February 6th, 2010
@ Alice
I wasn’t implying it’s because you were Korean, I was stating that it was you who actually said that other Korean places use MSG, so I was stating through the transitive property, how could you absolve yourself of such evils when you very well might be doing the same? And you just admitted you used process food; so then what’s wrong with MSG?
Furthermore, people who are vegan or vegetarian or something-free aren’t always doing it for strictly dietary reasons. They may be doing it because of their religion or their because their bodies can’t properly process the foods correctly. You mind as well say, “Hey, if you have AIDS, don’t come here because you’ll be standing in line and get a cold and die of pneumonia” or “If you’re on chemo, don’t come here because the metallic taste you get from eating food may not compliment your cancer well.”
Get me, a’L'right?
February 6th, 2010
panda — again, you miss my point. I wasn’t absoLving ourseLves of ANYTHING. I didn’t bag on processed foods or MSG because we use processed foods and soy sauce has some naturaLLy occurring MSG.
My point was that soy sauce itseLf has some naturaLLy occurring gLutamate (MSG). And unLess you’re deathLy aLLergic, it won’t kiLL you.
Most pLaces lie — consciousLy or unconsciousLy — because of the stigma attached to MSG. That’s the pLain truth. It’s not to attack them, it’s just a statement of fact. (And it’s FUNNY!) If a sign says “NO MSG” but there’s soy sauce in their food, there’s stiLL MSG in it. Ya dig?
HonestLy, I think you’re reading way too into the post and taking it too personaLLy and too seriousLy.
“Tongue-in-cheek” — it’s an expression. Look into it.
February 6th, 2010
Question- my bff is allergic to all things citrus. So can u share the awesome kogi experience with her? Besides the tres leches which is the bomb so she has to get her own!
February 8th, 2010
This sucks my girlfriend is religiously vegetarian and hearing that they use fish sauce in the kimchee means we can never go back to kogi. This sucks cause I love getting a kogi short rib burrito. We used to make it a weekly ritual to go to the kogi truck. It’s sad that they just can’t include vegetarian fish sauce which is about the same price.
February 8th, 2010
Yes, gluten free soy sauce please! Otherwise it’s perfect.
February 8th, 2010
I’m a life long vegetarian and I’m your number one fan. I first discovered you outside an art gallery opening a few months ago. They had crap for food inside and I was starving!!! I had your tofu taco and it was so good, I mean amazing good……the kind of good that you honestly don’t want to swallow each bite because it is just that friggin’ good. You Korean’s may be shaaaaddy, but you can sure cook.
Di
February 9th, 2010
You can still get Tofu Burritos without the egg and cheese and it’ll be vegan.
February 9th, 2010
This might be a distorted perspective, but you guys seem to be making money hand over fist (compared to the other guys), so lamenting that you don’t have money to upgrade to trucks with separate grills appears (from an outside view) a bit disingenuous.
Whether you care about veggie people or not, it’s a decent market segment in LA, and basically saying “tough shit” to them is just bad economics. Tofu cooked on a grill where meat is cooked is NOT vegan (and I’d imagine most vegetarians wouldn’t think it’s veggie either), so please don’t tell people in line that you have vegan options.
Your company has been very savvy, so I think there was an expectation by vegans that a question of “is this vegan” would be answered correctly. I appreciate this blog post laying it all out, but it also means that I (and probably many others) can’t patronize your trucks any longer until a vegan option becomes available. Best of luck to you, and I hope you will make changes to have something on the menu for non-meat eaters that isn’t prepared where meat is cooked.
February 10th, 2010
@Brett – We do have a pure vegan option. We can cook tofu separately on foil so that it touches no meat upon request.
Also, “making hand over fist”. Hmmm… do you know how much it costs to run one of these trucks with the size of staff and quality of products we use? Ain’t that cheap, I’ll tell you that. We give back to you guys and our staff as much as we can while still trying to make profit to grow and do great things like opening our future restaurant. If we make enough profit, I’m sure we’d be happy to install separate grills as well as working deep friers. But that stuff ain’t cheap to install. If you can get us a great deal on a new grill and installation, let us know. Seriously… I’d LOVE a new grill on Azul.
February 10th, 2010
Preach ON Sistah!
I will hopefully make it back to my hometown of L.A. soon, and when I do I will seek out the Kogi. Besides the delicious sounding food, I for one, love the attitude!
February 15th, 2010
I am just wondering, what does Maangchi and Joo got it Mang means?
Thanks!
March 20th, 2010
I’ve been a vegetarian/vegan since I was 9 (I’m 24 now) and I consider myself damn dedicated to it, and I thought this post was incredibly helpful. I fully understand the frustration of people with dietary restrictions who can’t eat everywhere their friends eat, but I just don’t get anyone who replied to this with any amount of indignation. No where in the post did anyone say, “You! With the dietary restriction! Flush off!!” This post is funny, informative, an not half-assed. And honestly, where do people get off assuming the net profit, and accusing them of being cheap for not putting in another grill? Businesses cost A LOT of money to run well (and this sounds pretty beloved).
Furthermore, Brett, who is the same person that made the assumption about the profits, you’re also making up rules about veganism. You personally may not consider vegan food cooked on the same grill as meat vegan– I consider it gross and not something I want, but vegan all the same. There’s no accounting for taste, but let’s not pretend our personal tastes are law. I also generally assume, to be safe, that about 99% of food places with meat and veg options do not have a “veg grill” or a “meat grill”. Most non-veg’n people don’t think about stuff like that, so if you rely on the hope that they do, I would suggest not eating out anymore.
March 20th, 2010
CharLotte: (( H U G )) I like you. I reaLLy, REALLY like you! Ahahaha. Consider yourseLf one of the few and the proud that understood the intention behind my post. I got nothing but respect for peopLe who choose to be reaLLy conscious of what they decide to put into their bodies — and, even more admirabLe, is when they compLeteLy respect the dietary lifestyLes of others.
It takes a lot of discipLine because it takes a lot of creativity and fLexibiLity to figure out how to eat dericiousLy in a majority omnivorous worLd.
And whiLe we’LL continue to do what we do, I’ve got nothing but love for those who continue to do what they do. Even if we can’t feed them. Ess aLL love, ess aLL good. ^__^
August 6th, 2010
HEY! ANIMALS HAVE BEEN EATING EACH OTHER FOR LIKE EVER! SUPPOSEDLY WE ARE ANIMALS RIGHT? IT’S A NATURAL ACCURANCE THAT’S NOT GOING TO CHANGE. EVER!!! HAVE A HAPPY DAY! BE WELL!
August 9th, 2010
vegan food trucks dont serve meat so why would a taco truck with the word MEAT plastered on the side of the truck get so much crap for not having vegan/veggie options? since there is tofu tacos and burritos that can be cooked on top of foil i think that is just a bonus for veggie people and they should feel lucky that they have that. as a meat eatter i would rather kogi come up with other MEAT creations i love their short rib and cheff specials and all the creative things being made in those trucks. i love how kogi keeps it real keeps it street keeps it gooood. I would’nt go into a Vegan Food Truck and expect to get a burger, so as a former veggitarian i know i wouldent go into a food truck that says MEAT on the side of their truck and expect to have something in store for me. keeeep up the goood work and bring back the CREAM quesadilla- it was soooooogoooooooooooood!!!!!
August 10th, 2010
i am a vegetarian and i’m thankful for any meatless options any place serves. i truly enjoy the tofu tacos and tofu sliders, i never thought i’d ever eat anything that tastes so good without any meat. so thanks kogi for giving vegetarians and vegans delicious food! i understand you guys don’t have veggie options as your top priority but your current ones are enough for me and will keep me tracking your trucks down.
Gustavo, not everybody knows what kogi means. Vegan places of course wouldn’t have meat because all they would carry are vegan foods but not other restaurants. Other places have items in their kitchen that aren’t just meat even steakhouses have vegetarian options since they usually have salads and vegetables they can combine to make a meal for a vegetarian.
October 11th, 2010
LaChoy is gluten free but I wouldn’t say it even resembles soy sauce. It just tastes bad. San-J s Tamari Organic Soy Sauce comes in gluten free and has a really good soy sauce taste that equals Kikoman.
October 12th, 2010
Katy Del — I’ve never seen San-J’s before. Where do you get it? I’ve got to try it myseLf. I know about LaChoy’s, but I couLd never do that to our tacos.
They wouLd be so sad and undeLicious.
November 4th, 2010
veggan foods are always the best for anyones health because it is low fat and low sodium _
December 3rd, 2010
well, if you really want to be healthy, i believe that veggan foods are the best “*,
January 24th, 2011
;-, I am very thankful to this topic because it really gives useful information `”"
February 6th, 2011
“`, that seems to be a great topic, i really love it ;,,