TVS Thanksgiving 2009
FAQ - General Questions
How much does it cost? How do I pay?
Please see our Payment FAQ.
What are the directions to Parizäde?
Parizäde is at 2200 W. Main Street in Durham (see a map of the location). Take the Durham Expressway (NC 147) either north from I-40, or south from I-85/15-501, and exit at Swift Avenue. At the end of the exit ramp, turn right if coming from I-40, or left if coming from I-85/15-501. At the light just ahead, turn left onto Main Street. Go through one light at Ninth Street and in 100 yards or so, turn right into the Erwin Square complex.
What are the directions to Spice Street?
Spice Street is in University Mall, at 201 S. Estes Drive in Chapel Hill (see a map of the location). From I-40, take Exit #270 and follow 15-501 south for approximately 2.5 miles. Turn right on Estes Drive. University Mall will be on the right. From Hwy 54 take 15-501 North to Estes Drive. Turn left. University Mall will be on the right.
I had heard that there was going to be a seating at Butternut Squash Restaurant in Chapel Hill?
In fact, that was planned. Unfortunately, we were disappointed just a few days before reservations were to begin when we found out that they were canceling their plans to host the evening meal. But the good news is that we will have an elegant seating at Spice Street Restaurant, instead.
How should I dress?
If the past is any judge, expect to see people dressed neatly. Some will be in suit and tie, many will be in more casual but neat attire.
Is it okay to come alone?
Absolutely! As in the past, we'll have folks with TVS making sure you're comfortable and can certainly help to seat you and introduce you to others.
In addition, at Café Parizäde, we will have a designated Community Table for guests who are coming to the event alone (this table was called the Singles table in previous years). The Community Table will be available at 12:00; if you would like to be seated there, choose the 12:00 arrival time and answer "yes" to the question on the reservation form: "Would you like to be seated at a Community Table?". If the 12:00 arrival time is full, or you are unable to arrive at that time, we will try to seat you at this table, but cannot guarantee you a seat there. If no seats are available at the Community Table when you arrive, we will be happy to seat you elsewhere in the restaurant.
For the evening seating at Spice Street, we don't yet know if there will be sufficient demand for a Community Table. If you are coming alone to the 6:00 pm seating, please answer "yes" to the question on the reservation form: "Would you like to be seated at a Community Table?". If there is enough demand, we will have such a table and you will be seated there when you arrive. Otherwise, we will be happy to seat you elsewhere in the restaurant.
My reservation is for a large group. Can I reserve a table for our group?
Generally, we have both small group and community seating and, though our event is always crowded, we haven't had a problem seating groups. If your reservation is for a group of 7 or larger, and your entire party is arriving at the same time, we will reserve a specific table for your group. If your group of 7+ guests will be spread across multiple reservations, please let us know in the "notes/questions" box on the reservation form that your reservation is part of a larger group, and include the name that should be used to reserve the group table.
For the evening seating at Spice Street, more details will soon be provided about group seating.
What can I expect at the event?
Besides happy people and a wide variety of great food in superb restaurants known for their quality, service, and decor, we'll have a raffle and free literature that you can browse or take home about vegetarianism. The press is often at our Thanksgiving Feast, so don't be surprised to see TV cameras or newspaper reporters.
When should I arrive?
To help keep the food lines down, we require that you choose an arrival time when you make your reservation. The possible arrival times, for the daytime seatings, are 11:30 am, 12:00 pm, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, and 3:00. There are limits for each of these times. We aim to start the raffle around 3 or 3:30; there should be enough space for all who have reservations, and you are encouraged to stay through the raffle. Our setup is made much easier if we don't have to host arrivals before the event begins.
For the evening seating, please arrive between 6 and 6:15 pm. Please remember that the evening seating is in Chapel Hill at Spice Street.
Do we have the restaurants to ourselves?
We do at Parizade! This includes the main dining room, more intimate club room and boardroom in the back, and additional seating in the restaurant next door also owned by Giorgios Bakatsias, the owner of Parizäde.
At Spice Street, we will have the main dining room all to ourselves. As with Parizade, the food will be served buffet style. Spice Street may have small additional (non-vegetarian) seatings for the general public in their smaller spaces.
The menu sounds great but I'd like to also have wine with my meal. Can I?
Sure! We are providing apple cider, herbal tea, and water, but you can certainly also order from the restaurant's bar. Wait staff will help you; you will need to pay when a waiter delivers your drink. (Though the meal price is all-inclusive, you should tip for bar service.)
I would like to bring my own bottle of wine. Can I and, if so, is there a corking fee?
Café Parizäde has a well-stocked bar that you can order from. However, if you have a special wine that you would like to have served, we have made arrangements with Cafe Parizade to allow you to bring it. Please bring the wine to your server and pay him/her directly the $10 corkage fee. Consider supplementing what you bring with fine selections from the restaurant, as well.
Spice Street, however, does not allow customers to bring their own wine. As with Parizade, Spice Street has an extensive bar.
I have particular food allergies. Will I be able to find a variety of food I can eat?
All of the food will be plant-based. There will be a wide variety of food but if you have a concern, feel free to contact us before the event to see how we can best accommodate you. Please ask us at the event for questions on ingredients of any particular dishes and we'll do our best to help you.
I have problems eating sugar. Will there be desserts that I can enjoy?
None of the desserts will have refined white sugar or honey. Other sweeteners, like turbinado sugar, are used. If you wish to avoid all added sweeteners, fruit is available.
It sounds like a big event! Will the lines be long?
This event has grown in popularity so much so that we used to have long lines just getting folks into the event. In 2005, we solved the problem of ever-growing lines into the restaurant by requiring pre-payment, so people came in fairly quickly. But the restaurant couldn't keep up with the quickened pace of entry and we, unfortunately, did have some long lines that year for getting food. In 2006, we addressed this issue by staggering people's arrival time, opening up an additional 12:30 pm seating, having a two-sided and an additional one-sided serving line, designing the menu to facilitate easy serving, and capping the number of people in the afternoon seating to 400 (we had 475 in 2005). Amazingly, in 2006, 2007 and 2008, there were only reasonably fast-moving lines getting folks into the event and there never seemed to be a wait at all for getting food! This year should be similar; there will no doubt be some lines, but we aim to keep them pleasantly moving.
I will be attending with my children. Will there be food that kids will enjoy?
We sure hope so. Thanksgiving is a family holiday and we want to make sure that families enjoy our event. We get rave reviews about the food at this event every year, and aim for a wide variety of dishes. Most of the dishes have gourmet sensibilities, but we aim to always have a relatively simple pasta dish, as well as salads, breads, and grains. We hope that the discerning as well as not-so-discerning diner of any age, vegetarian or not, will come away loving the food!
I have special needs that preclude me from standing in the buffet line, as I'm in a wheelchair / have very young kids / other.
We are happy to accommodate you! When you are seated, please alert your server about your needs and, as required, the server can put a plate of food together for you and bring it to you.
Is the event non-smoking?
Yes, it is. No smoking is permitted inside either of the restaurants or immediately in front of any of the entrances.
How does the raffle work?
We always have many generous donors who provide gifts to TVS, including cases of food products, books, gift certificates from area businesses, t-shirts, various services, and much more. Many of these prizes are of value of at least $25-50 and sometimes much more. We will sell raffle tickets for $1 apiece and draw for these prizes around 3 or 3:30 pm at Parizäde.
Our plans are to keep the evening meal at Spice Street more quiet. We anticipate having a welcome and some announcements around 7 pm or so, and hope to have a small raffle of a few prizes then, as well. Raffle tickets will be sold at Spice Street after 6:30 pm.
Is the raffle in the evening at Spice Street separate from the raffle in the daytime?
Yes. This will be our first year to have two seatings, and winners at either restaurant will be drawn only from tickets sold at that restaurant.
Do I have to be present to win a prize in the raffle?
Yes and no. We are again requiring that somebody with a winning ticket claim each prize. It has required tremendous effort, sometimes lasting months, to contact winners who don't claim their prizes, and some prizes nevertheless never get picked up. That said, if you purchase raffle tickets and can't stay for the actual raffle, you can certainly give your tickets to somebody else who will be present and who can collect, on your behalf, any prizes that you won.
I am planning on coming but will also be attending another Thanksgiving event after I eat. What happens if I leave early and miss the raffle drawing after I enter?
Please see the last question. Please note that if we draw a ticket and nobody present is holding the winning number, we will simply draw again.
I have something that I would like to donate to the raffle. Can I?
Yes; please contact Dilip Barman at dilip@trianglevegsociety.org before Thanksgiving.
I am attending Thanksgiving at somebody's house this year and can't attend the TVS event this time - but I would just love to bring some food from the TVS Thanksgiving along with me. Can I pay to stop by and "pack and run" with some food?
Yes, indeed. As long as you pay your admission price, just let us know when you make your reservation and then again when you get to the event that you need to pack your meal, and you will be given a takeaway container. Even better, we encourage you to bring your own reusable container to avoid waste.
We love the food! Can we bring containers to bring home extra food?
In general, no. Food is made for the number of people coming to eat at the event. Some event organizers and volunteers actually don't eat until the event concludes.
However, in the event that there is an excess of some item(s), an announcement will be made during the raffle. The restaurant will have containers for your use then - or you will be able to use your own reusable containers - to take home any such items.
What does vegan mean?
The food at the event will all be vegan, which means that no animal products will have been used. There will be no meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, or honey in any of the dishes, and we also won't have any refined sugar. If you're new to veganism or vegetarianism, you may be surprised at how delicious and diverse our menu is!
Why vegan?
This event is hosted by the Triangle Vegetarian Society, and we invite you to browse our links section and other resources for more context, including a presentation put together by Dilip Barman. Not only is veganism great for the environment, human health, and the animals, but also we want to ensure that most everybody will be comfortable eating anything at the Feast and to showcase to the public how easy and exciting vegan food is!
What is TVS?
The Triangle Vegetarian Society was founded in 1986 to promote the nutritional, ethical, and environmental aspects of vegetarianism. TVS is an active group with monthly potlucks and restaurant reviews, as well as many special events like our Thanksgiving Feast. We encourage membership not just for vegetarians, but for all who have an interest in any aspect of vegetarianism.
Do I have to be a member of TVS to come?
Absolutely not; in recent years, for example, only about 45-50% of the attendees were members. But if you decide to become a member when you prepay for the event, you can pay the lower member price.
Either my membership is due for renewal, or I have always wanted to join but never got around to it. Can I pay the member's price?
Yes, if you renew your membership or join when you prepay for the event. If you make your reservation online, just choose the option to renew your membership or join TVS, and the membership cost will be included in your total cost. If you make your reservation by phone, please print the membership form and include this form when you mail TVS your check. You can use one check to cover membership and the cost of the Thanksgiving event. (See the Payment FAQ for more information.) Annual membership is $15 for individuals and $20 for families; 27-month memberships cost double. Student and low-income membership is $10 per year.
I'm a member. Can my out-of-town family members get in with me at member prices?
Yes, they can get in with you at member prices.
What is the history of the TVS Thanksgiving?
TVS was formed in 1986. In 1986 or 1987, we apparently had turkeys for Thanksgiving - i.e., live turkeys eating alongside us at a potluck dinner, and made it on national TV. We continued to celebrate Thanksgiving as a potluck dinner for several years at a church meeting room near Duke University in Durham. Around 1994, we decided to try a restaurant Thanksgiving, and ate at Govinda's in Carrboro. If memory serves, since Govinda's went out of business, we had our feast at the Regulator Cafe in Hillsborough in 1995 and 1996. (Every year from 1996 on, we have made it to the evening news!) Unfortunately, they, too, went out of business, so in 1997 we had our feast at the Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh; we had about 100 guests and were on both channel 5 and FOX TV. We were again on the news, but just for a 20-second spot, in 1998 at Irregardless, and began having a raffle. We made our move to Cafe Parizäde in 1999, had 83 people, sold 238 raffle tickets, and had exceptional media coverage (Channel 17 did a piece a few days before, and Channel 11, the News & Observer, and possibly the Spectator all covered the event). In 2000 at Cafe Parizäde, we had over 100 attendees, sold 368 raffle tickets, had 86 raffle prizes, and were on 3 or maybe 4 of the evening news programs. In 2003, brimming with 281 attendees sharing the restaurant with the general public in the back, we had excellent coverage by both of the major local newspapers (Durham Herald-Sun and Raleigh News and Observer) and were on at least one evening news program.
2004 was a particularly exciting year as we believe we now had grown to be the country's largest vegetarian Thanksgiving with 360 attendees. We had good local press coverage with a pre-event Nov. 17 article in the Durham Herald-Sun newspaper and Channels 5 and 17 covering us and giving positive coverage in their news on Thanksgiving Day (November 25), plus having three large and delicious pictures from our event on the cover of the November 26th food section in the Durham Herald-Sun. In addition, we attracted national attention with freelance writer and photographer Linda Long flying down from New York to cover the event for California- based VegNews and New Jersey-based American Vegan; we subsequently had cover articles in the summer 2005 issue of American Vegan and Thanksgiving 2005 issue of VegNews.
In 2005 we had 475 attendees, in 2006 we had 365, in 2007 we had 525, and in 2008 we had 578 attendees. We continued to enjoy widespread TV and print coverage each year. Dilip Barman's organizing of this event and his own cooking made it to a nice feature in the November 2009 edition of Our State magazine.
Is our vegan Thanksgiving unusual?
The truly "traditional" Thanksgiving was probably vegan, with the possible inclusion of deer, according to historian Rynn Berry. The European settlers' first Thanksgiving when they arrived on November 11, 1620, likely consisted of beans and corn that they stole from the Native Americans. In November 1621, the Pilgrims joined the natives in their centuries' old harvest festival.
According to Rynn Berry, "The main meal was a sort of corn meal mush along with nuts and fruits ... popcorn and popcorn balls made by the Indians with maple syrup were served as a sweet. There was a variety of breadstuffs ... it is also possible that other native foods such as pumpkin and squash were served." The meal was primarily vegan, with the possibility of some wild game included.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving to be a national holiday. The idea of eating turkeys was popularized by an article in Ladies Home Journal in the 1930s.
Photograph from Thanksgiving 2005 courtesy of Keith Dixon of Picture Perfect Photography and Videography Services from South Carolina, and used with his permission. (More pictures available online.)
Back to Main Thanksgiving Page