The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

7| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,N ovem ber 1,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca 1362 VICTORIA STREET N. KITCHENER 519.742.9188 MON-FRI 9AM-9PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 10AM-5PM W W W . . C O M IN ST OCK POLISHED BACKSPLASH 97¢REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99from97from97 per sq ft PORCELAIN! IN ST OCK CLICK HARDWOOD $297REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99from per sq ft ENGINEERED IN ST OCK 12" X 24" PORCELAIN TILE $197REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99from per sq ft BAMBOO LOOK IN ST OCK 6MM THICK SPC CLICK VINYL $187REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99REG 4.99from per sq ft 100% WATERPROOF IN ST OCK SWISS-MADE LAMINATE 97¢REG 2.99REG 2.99REG 2.99REG 2.99REG 2.99REG 2.99from97from97 per sq ft BACK IN STOCK! 4 DAYS ONLY! FALL SALES! THURSDAY 9-9 FRIDAY 9-9 SATURDAY 9-6 SUNDAY10-5 IN ST OCK 12x12 CARPET REMNANTS $99FROM FIRST COME FIRST SERVED! EACH99EACH99 PLUS NO TAX 4'x6'5'x8' 8'x11' $4999 $6999 $15999 APPROX APPROX APPROX FROM FROM FROM NO TAX! AREARUGS! ON ALL IN ST OCK $167/ LIN FT$157/ LIN FT67¢ / LIN FT 67 / LIN FT 67 7/83 " 5¼" 5½" MDF PRIMED WHITE BASEBOARDS It's the kind of place that prepares tempeh and daiya sandwiches, has a veg pani- ni called the angry vegan and serves kaleslaw instead of coleslaw: Kitchener's Ca- fé Pyrus deserves our atten- tion, perhaps especially so because Nov. 1 is World Veg- an Day. Café Pyrus has been lo- cated across from the tran- sit terminal the past eight years - and with a lot of hard work and a dedicated cus- tomer base, they survived the painful period of ION construction that closed the street. Inside is an uber-relaxed decor that might remind you of your grandmother's basement. You place your order at the counter, pay and take a kid's miniature animal figurine to identify your meal (mine was a jag- uar, I believe) for when staff bring your tray. The menu includes a couple of dozen items, in- cluding gluten-free baking. They also serve carefully selected, small-lot coffee (like Ethiopian Dimtu Es- tate), espresso-based bever- ages and what they call "fancy pants drinks." There are no vente pretensions here, though there is kom- bucha on tap. Most importantly, Pyrus owner Tyzun James asks you to be mindful of what you eat; thereby being mindful of the planet. James can cite data and facts and anecdotes - the in- credible amount of energy needed and the carbon foot- print left in creating a sim- ple chicken dish, or that by not choosing beef you're conserving several thou- sand litres of water - and from that they take up a vegan challenge. In creating their big bang chicken, they meet that challenge: it's a deli- cious sandwich using an or- ganic kaiser bun and organ- ic lettuce and tomato. With a cumin-spiced vegetable soup made in-house, the dish costs $12. "It's our version of a fried chicken sandwich," says James. "It's completely veg- an with organic and GMO- free tofu that we source from Sol Cuisine in Toron- to." The patty is moist and tender "white meat" inside, with a crispy spiced crust made from their crushed chips. It's topped with an or- ganic dill aioli made in their kitchen, and though the patty is cooked on a grill it has a touch of oil as you'd expect in a fried chicken sandwich. I interpret the big bang as a sort of creation story for introducing vegan skep- tics and naysayers to the mindset. "If I have a carni- vore come in scoffing that he or she doesn't like vegan food, I would give them this sandwich and tell them that if they don't like it I will give them their money back," James says. That hasn't happened, he adds. Given that quick-service chains such as A&W have sold out of their "Beyond Meat" burger, there is cer- tainly a call for plant-based eating that James says will continue to gain in popular- ity. "With new products in the near future, you won't be able to distinguish be- tween a chicken breast and a tofu breast," he says. "Veg- etarianism and veganism don't have to be Buddha bowls or beans." DON'T SKIP THIS DISH: BIG BANG 'CHICKEN' SANDWICH FROM CAFÉ PYRUS ANDREW COPPOLINO apcoppolino@rogers.com The Big Bang 'Chicken' Sandwich from Cafe Pyrus is worth the trip to downtown Kitchener for World Vegan Day, according to food columnist Andrew Coppolino. Andrew Coppolino photo OPINION CELEBRATE WORLD VEGAN DAY WITH THIS DELICIOUS FAUX CHICKEN SANDWICH Café Pyrus 16 Charles S. W. Kitchener, ON N2G 1Y6 (519) 954-7705 cafepyrus.com