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Is veal parmigiana on its way out?

Started by Pink Jazz, February 10, 2019, 10:29:02 AM

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Pink Jazz


While veal parmigiana has always been in the shadow of its more popular cousins eggplant parmigiana and chicken parmigiana, it seems like in recent years more and more restaurants (especially chain Italian restaurants) are removing it from their menu.  I am pretty sure that these restaurants don't sell as much veal parmigiana as they do chicken or eggplant parmigiana, plus the high cost of veal is likely an issue.  Also, I wonder if these restaurants want to avoid any animal cruelty issues by removing veal from the menu.


Has anyone else noticed a similar trend?


abefroman329

I haven't noticed that, no. It's also an expensive dish, so maybe it's not worth it for the restaurant to keep it on hand if no one is going to order it.

SectorZ

I hope eggplant does first. Veggies masquerading as meat (long before veganism and vegeterianism was a thing) is bad.

formulanone

#3
Quote from: Pink Jazz on February 10, 2019, 10:29:02 AMAlso, I wonder if these restaurants want to avoid any animal cruelty issues by removing veal from the menu.

Let me first say that people are free to eat whatever they like, and so as long as you're not eating humans, my pets, or something on an endangered species list (and has a valid reason to be there), then I don't care, so as long as one keeps their beliefs to themselves. There's totally valid reasons why someone chooses a diet the way they do, and there's justification for emotional/religious reasons that I can also understand, even if I choose not to follow.

But this idea of "cruelty"; where do people think most male chickens or pigs wind up? Most veal winds up this way; there's only so many male cattle needed to increase the heard and most female cattle provide dairy products. The male calves generally wind up as veal. What else is supposed to happen to them? Sure, you're free to keep them as pets (check with local laws first) but that's how it goes.

Veal parmigiana is quite tasty. I like chicken parm, but it's hard to cut it quite the same way as veal. I wonder if it also doesn't "hold up" the same way when frozen and then prepped and readied for the typical restaurant.

Using something like Olive Garden as the template, due to its ubiquity, they also change up their menu as the years go on. I used to like their sausage and peppers meal, because it was filling and usually cost a bit less than most other meals. (Plus it had garlic and red onions.) It rarely makes an appearance any more. Same with their osso bucco (lamb) and a few others. They change things around, but the popular or derivative stuff stays and others are on a trial basis. It could just be that their inflated pricing model pushed out the veal where people feel a little weird about spending $22 for a dish they can get in thousands of other places. For that matter, I usually prefer the local Italian restaurant, there's more variation, it usually is less expensive, and you're patronizing the local owners.

Quote from: SectorZ on February 10, 2019, 12:14:48 PM
I hope eggplant does first. Veggies masquerading as meat (long before veganism and vegeterianism was a thing) is bad.

Eggplant is just vile to look at, and has seemingly no flavor. There's so many other veggie and grain options for meat-like food that I'm puzzled how it still exists. But you know, some folks must like it.

Some of the meatless options aren't half bad; there's some rare times I'm just not in the mood for meat, and that fills a need. But I don't expect nor demand it as an option; I can patronize restaurants who cater to that desire.

hbelkins



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64CatalinaVentura

I love chicken parm, but not eggplant or veal. I have noticed that veal in general seems to be on the way out.
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Pink Jazz

Quote from: SectorZ on February 10, 2019, 12:14:48 PM
I hope eggplant does first. Veggies masquerading as meat (long before veganism and vegeterianism was a thing) is bad.



Eggplant parmigiana is actually the original Italian recipe while chicken and veal parmigiana are Italian-American creations.  While I do prefer chicken parmigiana over eggplant (haven't really had veal parmigiana), eggplant parmigiana actually came first and is the only version that really exists in Italy outside the touristy areas.

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SectorZ

Quote from: Pink Jazz on February 10, 2019, 05:55:25 PM
Quote from: SectorZ on February 10, 2019, 12:14:48 PM
I hope eggplant does first. Veggies masquerading as meat (long before veganism and vegeterianism was a thing) is bad.



Eggplant parmigiana is actually the original Italian recipe while chicken and veal parmigiana are Italian-American creations.  While I do prefer chicken parmigiana over eggplant (haven't really had veal parmigiana), eggplant parmigiana actually came first and is the only version that really exists in Italy outside the touristy areas.

The first idea isn't always the best one.

english si

Veal crates were banned in the UK in 1990, and the meat itself was widely frowned up before that by us Brits. I only saw it on trips abroad growing up.

But then, in the '00s, they came up with 'rosé veal' - male dairy cows fattened quickly and killed young (but more like 8 months, not 8 minutes), but treated better than they were elsewhere at the time (it took until 2007 for the EU to ban veal crates, and they still have low welfare standards - which is why you can't easily buy fresh meat in the UK that isn't British or Irish, other than stuff like New Zealand lamb - market pressures don't allow it). For instance they get a lot more roughage and iron (which makes the meat 'rosé' rather than pale) in their diet than traditional veal, they get more space and even get bedding. The RSPCA has, several times, come out and said "this stuff is good, and if you don't eat it they'll just shoot newborn bulls", however 'veal' is still not common on British menus - like horse we are a bit squeamish about the idea of it, and so a lot of this rose veal is sold in the UK as beef. I've seen it in places as 'veal' or 'rose veal', normally high end restaurants.


As for parmigiana, out of 6 (one now defunct) chains of Italian restaurants here I looked at, only Jamie's Italian (the overpriced, failing, restaurant of the turkey twizzler thief) does it - and then only eggplant. The Italian-American chain, Frankie & Benny's, does a Chicken, and now a Vegan 'Chicken', Parm. Beyond that, it's go to non-chain restaurants, or make it yourself.

GaryV

I had the chicken parm last night.  I liked the veal parm that I had a couple months ago much better.  Best thing is they gave enough spaghetti with it that there was plenty of leftovers for lunch today.  (I wouldn't have tried eggplant parm if it had been on the menu.)

Now since it was in a local restaurant run by an Albanian family, maybe it's not a fair test.

corco


hbelkins

I'm not an eggplant fan by any stretch, but it seems to be popular as a meat substitute. My dad was really fond of a mock oyster casserole made with eggplant. He liked oysters, but found the mock oyster dishes to be acceptable substitutes.


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abefroman329

Eggplant is probably my least favorite meat substitute.  I like quinoa as a substitute for ground beef or turkey.

abefroman329


jp the roadgeek

Not many places offer veal as an option anymore.  I don't dine out often, but I do buy many prepared meals at a local store.  They have chicken and eggplant parm, but no veal parm.  When I was in high school, we had a few animal rights activists do the whole presentation about how calves are treated inhumanely when being raised for veal (this sentiment, and its high cost are what make veal so scarce now), and that veal should no longer be served in the dining hall.  In response, we had one guy go around campus putting up signs all over saying "Veal's My Meal!!"  I also had chicken parm for dinner last night, so the timing of this thread is perfect.
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RobbieL2415

Olive Garden ruined Italian food forever.

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abefroman329

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 11, 2019, 11:53:26 AM
Olive Garden ruined Italian food forever.
No more than Taco Bell ruined Mexican food forever.

Rothman

The crowds at the Olive Garden here are very disheartening, especially since there are a few decent Italian places for essentially just a smidge more in the area.
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abefroman329

Quote from: Rothman on February 11, 2019, 01:20:55 PM
The crowds at the Olive Garden here are very disheartening, especially since there are a few decent Italian places for essentially just a smidge more in the area.
It's a popular choice here too, but what I can I say?  Sometimes I'm in the mood for authentic Italian, and sometimes I just want a damn Build Your Own Pasta Bowl.  Every now and then I used to order from Domino's or Pizza Hut when I lived in NYC, because sometimes I was in the mood for pizza from there.

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Pink Jazz

Quote from: RobbieL2415 on February 11, 2019, 11:53:26 AM
Olive Garden ruined Italian food forever.

Veal parmigiana doesn't really exist in Italy; eggplant parmigiana is the traditional recipe while both veal and chicken parmigiana are Italian-American creations, although there are veal dishes that are somewhat related though not identical.

wriddle082

I've really only had eggplant like 4 or 5 times in my life, mainly when cooked by a family member or friend, because most of my family doesn't care for it (especially my wife who hates a lot of foods due solely to texture), but I'm cool with eggplant.  It's not my first choice at an Italian restaurant because I almost always go for a beef or seafood dish first, but if one day a doctor tells me to cut back on the beef, I will probably take up eating eggplant on a regular basis.  Beats the heck out of tofu!

As for the topic at hand, veal is definitely something I could live without if it just up and disappears from all menus and meat distributors for whatever reason or combination of reasons previously mentioned.  To me, either eggplant or a very tender chicken would be very acceptable substitutes.

sparker

It seems that around here, veal dishes are the parvenu of independent higher-end Italian restaurants; the last multi-outlet chain that had it on the menu was Florentine, with outlets in Mountain View, Cupertino, and Santa Clara -- but they went out of business about six years ago.  But most of the veal dishes in the remaining places are scallopine or osso buco; parmesan fell out of favor some time back with area patrons avoiding heavily breaded meats.  Besides, scallopine lends itself to relatively small servings, so the actual amount of veal utilized can be minimized.  I'm making a note to myself to inquire whether the "red veal" mentioned upthread is being subbed for traditional veal in any of the restaurants I patronize.  But I have noticed that some restaurants, particularly in S.F., are now using lamb shanks rather than veal in the osso buco (normally my personal fave; but my propensity to develop gout has led me to avoid high-in-purines lamb).  My GF was a veal parm fanatic, though -- but has learned, if a bit grudgingly, to appreciate the remaining veal dishes.  But at home, chicken-breast scallopine is one of our regular "special" dishes.   



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