Why A Good Steakhouse Is A Vegan's Best Friend

Food, glorious food.  It is no wonder that was my favorite song from "Oliver."  Like most humans, I love to eat (and, arguably, it shows via the extra fifteen or twenty pounds I can always "stand to lose...")  My love for food notwithstanding, I have been a vegetarian for more than twenty-three years, and a vegan for the past eight or nine of those.  I became a vegetarian after my daughter was born and her mom, a very compassionate animal lover, declared that she was going to adopt a vegetarian diet (along with many pets).  As the dutiful husband (who did not do as much of the cooking as she did) I went along for the ride... and it stuck.  The more I learned about and ate vegetarian, the more I came to believe it was the right choice for me, both for compassionate and health reasons.  When I finally gave up dairy as well and became vegan, my path to becoming a business associate's most hated travel partner was complete.

On The Road Again

Throughout my career I have traveled a lot for business, and from the perspective of many of my business partners and co-workers over the years my choice of a plant based diet has been the object of much frustration.  Dining out is an integral part of business, especially when traveling.  For some reason, everyone I travel with gets overly concerned that wherever they choose to go eat there will be nothing for me on the menu and I will starve (or at least ruin the flow of their dining experience by having an empty plate while they feast on meat, cheese and other contraband).  I always try to assure them...  "Relax," I say. "Let's go wherever you want.  I can always find something to eat.  In fact, why don't we go to that great steakhouse you mentioned."   And I always do find something great (and vegan) to eat.  That's because I have learned how to make a good steakhouse a vegan's best friend...

A Good Chef Is Inherently Creative

Here's how I have enjoyed some of the best vegan dishes I've ever had at some of the finest steakhouses in the world.  It is simple, really.  I toss aside the menu and throw myself to the mercy of the chef.  My theory, already proven at countless restaurants all over the globe, is that cooking is a creative pursuit, and great chefs love to be creative and almost always rise to occasion when asked to create a masterpiece meal from limited ingredients.  Based on my own experiences, a great chef at a fine steakhouse is even more inclined to jump at the chance to be more creative than prepping the perfect rare or medium filet mignon, an act they repeat day after day, serving after serving.  So, when it is my turn to order, I put down the menu and simply say "I am vegan.  Please tell the chef they can prepare whatever they want for me, as long is it is vegan, and I will happily enjoy it."

What Happens Next...

Occasionally I will get a question or two.  Are there certain vegetables you don't like?  What about rice, couscous or quinoa?  I always reply, "Whatever the chef wants to prepare is fine.  I'll trust them."  And this simple process has led to absolutely delicious and beautifully prepared and presented off-menu vegan dishes that have delighted my palate and surprised my dining partners time and time again.  Even better, more often than not, the chef themselves will come out from the kitchen and visit my table to see what I thought of their vegan creation, giving me a chance to thank them in person for   a delicious meal (and always impressing the rest of the guests at the table).  Good times.

Some Examples

So there you have it.  That's why I have come to believe that a good steakhouse is a vegan's best friend.  As I've tested this theory during my travels, I often will post a picture of particularly impressive vegan dishes I am served.  In the video below I've compiled all my Instagram "food related" posts from 2014.  Enjoy!

I'd love to hear from other vegetarians and vegans.  If you have similar tips and tricks for getting a great meal from a "regular" restaurant, please share them in the comments.  Bon Appetit!

Be The Entrepreneur of Yourself

The world has changed.  My grandfather came to the United States at a young age, with a young son (my father) and he went to work in the Brooklyn shipping yard of an industrial pipe manufacturer.  He stayed with that same company for his entire career, a lifetime, working his way through the ranks from physical labor, to sales, to management, to the proverbial gold watch at retirement (in his case, semi-retirement... I come from a long line of workaholics.)  

There Is No Such Thing As Job Security.

What was a relatively common experience for my grandfather - spending a career at one company - is virtually unheard of today.  The notion of "job security" simply does not exist anymore at any level, from the "C-suite" on down.  Today, the best job security one can have is to not need job security.  Today you truly need to be an entrepreneur.  You need to be the entrepreneur of yourself.  You are the startup.  These are the lessons I am trying to practice myself,* and instill upon my kids, all in their 20's.  This is their world.

The Startup is YOU.

Being the entrepreneur of yourself does not mean you can't be working as an employee for someone else's company.  It does mean that you approach being an employee the way you would approach starting a business.  YOU are the business.  Your current product is the job you hold, and your mission is to attack that job as if it is your company, so that you can produce the best product possible - your work, and your work ethic.  Like a startup, you want to grow your business (yourself) and improve, and learn, perform well and grow a customer base of people who respect, rely upon, and value your product (you).

Be The Product.

When you are the product, and the product is simply awesome, your customers will stick with you. It is no different than with a company.  Apple customers buy every new product Apple makes because their products are great.  Your customers - your co-workers, employers, people you do business with, people you encounter online and off - will support your product - you - no matter what you are doing or where you are working, if your product is always awesome.

Stay Focused, But Plant Seeds.

As the entrepreneur of yourself, you need to stay focused on the product, but also remain aware of the marketplace.  Being awesome at your current job (current product) doesn't mean you can't also have a product roadmap for the future.  You need to.  To prepare your startup (you) to become a sustainable business, you need to have an eye on the future. You need to be aware of other products (opportunities) that may fit into your longer term plan, and you need to plant the seeds (reputation, relationships, resourcefulness) that will leave you prepared to roll out new products (changing a job, starting a new venture) when the market is ready.

I firmly believe that being the entrepreneur of yourself is the best way to take control of your own work destiny, so you can be ready to create your own opportunities within or without your current job.

Do you agree?  Are you the entrepreneur of yourself?

(* In an attempt to practice what I preach, I recently updated my own product and changed my role from a full-time employee to that of a consultant in order to pursue additional opportunities including Social Object Factory. More on that soon...)

Photo Credit: © Konstantin Li - Fotolia.com

Location ROI: The Relevance of Interruption

Location, Location, Location...  

William Shakespeare once said that "all the world's a stage" and we are merely players... That 
was then and this is now.  Now all the world's a location waiting to be "checked in" to...  Our modern lives are nothing more than a growing trail of digital breadcrumbs as we actively and passively record and broadcast our every move to friends and strangers alike.  Despite the fallout over Facebook and the perils of privacy (or the lack thereof) our liberation of our location is not necessarily the epitome of evil.  There can be benefits to location awareness, if we are just aware of them.

Bring On The Marketers

Last month Jay Berkowitz invited me to speak on a "Location Super Panel" at the 2010 SFIMA Summit held at Nova University, headlined by a great Keynote by blogger, podcaster and all around mensch, Mitch Joel, of the highly regarded Agency TwistImage and author of the bestselling "Six Pixels Of Separation."  An engaging speaker, Mitch set the tone for a day of sharing and learning, and it was my pleasure to contribute a few pixels of my own.  I was asked to prepare a short presentation on location and given the influence of my own experiences and employment in the mobile content industry I gave some thought to the influence of location on mobile content and marketing.  Key points of my talk include:

• We live in a mobile world. 
• In a mobile world, location creates context.
• Context, not content, is King!
• Context creates relevance.
• Relevance determines the impact and success of marketing and advertising.
• Mobile advertising is an interruption.
• Successful Mobile advertising is gauged by the ROI: the Relevance Of Interruption.
• Location Aware Content personalizes your experience.

My slides, and a video of the presentation (courtesy of @iamjeffcohen) are embedded below.


Myxer's Jeff Sass Talks Mobile, Location & Content at the 2010 SFIMA SUMMIT from Jeffrey Sass on Vimeo.

YOU ARE HERE! Myxer's Jeff Sass at SFIMA Summit 2010
 

Do you agree with where we location is taking us?  I'd love to hear your thoughts and views in the comments.

Posted via email from Kiss My SASS!

6 Reasons To Read "Six Pixels Of Separation"

A few months ago I received a review copy of "Six Pixel's Of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone." by Mitch Joel, President of Canadian Digital Agency, Twist Image. I knew of Mitch as I have visited and read his blog, and I am separated from him by less than six degrees through a number of my friends who know Mitch well and even consider him a mentor. As you may infer from the picture, I started reading Mitch's book at the beach over the summer and intended to get my review out before the book's publication. Despite my good intentions, life intervened and I just now was able to finish reading the book. I have good news, and I have good news. The good news is "Six Pixels Of Separation" is a great read, both informational and inspirational. And the good news is, since I am late to the table with this review, "Six Pixels Of Separation" is available now , and you don't have to wait if you take my recommendation to read it (Amazon affiliate link below).

Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone.

The underlying theme of the book is that "everyone is connected," and through a very effective conversational style, Mitch takes us through analysis and examples that, if you're listening, will lay the groundwork for an effective and successful path toward making the most of the social media driven, mashed-up, on-line world we live in, whether you are a business owner, an employee or just sowing your own oats to build a personal brand and make your digital mark. Rather than go step by step through the book, I thought I would just present six tidbits to give you a taste of some of the topics and insights that Mitch pixelates on. There are far more than 6 notable concepts addressed in the book, but here are a half dozen thought provoking headings and/or quotes that should give you a sense of the value within the pages.

6 Reasons To Read "Six Pixels Of Separation"

1. "In a world where we're all connected, one opinion quickly turns into everyone's opinion."

2. "Be curious about everything, but ruthless in what you get involved with."

3. "Part of building your audience will involve ethical link-baiting."

4. "Transparency is easy. Credibility is hard."

5. "Connecting is not engaging."

6. "Content is everything. Everything is content."

To learn more about Mitch's take on these and many other ideas you'll have to get your hands on a copy of the book, and I recommend that you do. Some of these concepts you may think you know, or you may think you have heard them before, but there is great value in reading Mitch's passionate, proactive and practical point of view.

Posted via email from Kiss My SASS!

If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get!

This is going to be a short blog post. The title says it all:

If you don't ask, you don't get!

What should you be asking for?


Photo Credit: © Sergio Hayashi - Fotolia.com