It took me nearly four days in Heidelberg to figure out that the Heidelberg Laureate Forum is mostly vegetarian.
Americans find sticking to vegetables difficult. Our best friend in Atlanta became a vegetarian a half-century ago. He can’t go back. He lives in abject fear of chicken stock chefs throw into vegetable dishes without thought.
The food offered the Laureates, the young researchers, and their guests is frankly delicious. There is some meat. Just not a lot, and hardly any in food served at the event itself. During the welcome dinner, as we had our main course, a waiter offered small bites of cooked chicken breast to those who felt they needed it. I took one but felt guilty about it.
Ruth Wetzlar is proving there is nothing to fear. She’s the general manager for the forum. I spoke with her on a boat that was taking us up the Neckar River, surrounded by plates of sweet rolls, savory spreads piped onto bread and sweetened polenta cut into rhombohedrons, which are rectangles with attitude.
She explained that during the forum’s first year “we thought it would be enough to have half of it meat and half vegetarian.” They found that while vegetarians spurned the meat, omnivores ate everything. She first turned toward vegetarian and then “we decided to go vegan,” she said, serving not just vegetarian dishes as a default but seeking those without milk or egg products.
“It’s not very hard, and it’s surprising to me how yummy it is,” she said.
She’s right.
