Now & Zen Unturkey has flown the coop

What a Thanksgiving bummer! It looks like this beautiful creature is going extinct. Yes, this could be the last time a much beloved Now & Zen Unturkey graces our vegetarian table.

I had no problem buying this ungobbler a few days ago at LifeSource Natural Foods. But this disturbing page greeted me when I tried to access the Now & Zen web site. And the buzz over at Veggie Boards isn’t encouraging: Now & Zen is no more. Same message here.

Nor is there any cyberspace sign of Green Options, the company that reportedly bought the makers of the Unturkey.

I don’t believe it. In a world where there’s a jillion brands of cereal, how can we be left with only Tofurkey as a vegetarian alternative? The Unturkey kicks Tofurkey’s vegan butt. It’s chewier and has a remarkable crispy skin.

Over on MySpace Veronica isn’t happy about the demise of Now & Zen. Neither am I.

Tomorrow I’m heading to LifeSource to buy another Unturkey or two, if they still have any. I don’t want to have to go, well, cold turkey after we’ve finished eating what’s in the oven.

If there is a vegetarian god, hear my prayer: “Bring back the Unturkey. Quick! Definitely before next Thanksgiving. Put into some vegan entrepreneur’s mind the thought, Now & Zen’s products are too good to be lost. Yours in meatless devotion, Brian.”

Comments

[portlandman]

Make the break and skip eating the fake meat that tastes the same as the real thing. I can't stand tofurkey cause it reminds me too much of my carnal days 23 years ago when I stupidly ate animals. My wife and I went to NW VEG's Holiday Feast and there were over 100 dishes and I only saw one that was made with tofurkey. I could not imagine trying to recreate a turkey and putting it on my table!

[lin qiao]

Got to say I will not miss one more product using the word "Zen" as a marketing gimmick.

[R Blog]

We had maccaroni and cheese. Delicious. If you squint your eyes it kind of looks like turkey.

[Lyco]

I too morn the loss. I am trying desperately to find one more to keep for Christmas. I love the seitany-goodness!

[Lorraine Asturino]

I've never cared for Unturkey, Tofurkey or any other meat substitute. What I miss is the Hip Whip. It kicks Soyatoo's butt.

[Michael Voigt]

Bummer, does anyone remember or know whether these are MSG free... I have been shocked to learn all the tricky names for MSG and the fact that all my vegeburgers might be loaded with MSG.

I have switched off of boca and I'm eating the ones called Doctor Pregans or something like that. Price costco carries them and all of the ingredients are simple and natural and there are only 14 of em.

Here is a article on the subject >>

http://www.newstarget.com/001528.html

[Sharon]

I too miss the Hip Whip - wish we would have had some warning. Would have purchased cases :). I'm going to try and recreate it :). Soyatoo is ok for toppings but Hip Whip rocked.

[Stacy]

I found this recreation of the recipe online. But it looks tough, I would much prefer to buy it!! :(

http://www.unturkey.org/

[Miyoko]

I am the creator of the UnTurkey and sold Now and Zen to Green Options in 2003. After spending many years developing, promoting and marketing the products, it is also very sad for me to see my creations "die" in a commercial sense. I am touched by the feedback here and hope that some of you will try making it at home. Don't be discouraged by what looks like a difficult recipe: the UnTurkey is actually not difficult to make. You can make components (such as the gluten) months ahead and freeze, and recipes like my light yeast flavoring can be kept yearround for use as a veggie stock, to season tofu, etc. If you have the yeast flavoring and gluten pre-made, the rest of it is actually very easy. Give it a try and let me know how it worked out!

[Donna]

Now & Zen!
Thank you for writing a cookbook. I too have a vegan book out "Goodtime Eatin in Cajun Country" but your Unturkey beats everything I have tried. I was fortunate enough to get an older copy of your book. It is great. Good fortune and happines in whatever your future endevors are.
With Peace Thanks,
& Joy,
Donna Simón

[Cate Long]

Bring back the Zen UnTurkey! As a lifelong vegetarian, I was so impressed with this product. I could now eat a main course with my family that seemed very "normal": besides the look of it, its very name doesn't contain the word "tofu" (which just screams "weird" to all non-vegetarians). It was so juicy and the skin was so fun, too. Yes, it is tragic that this is no longer made, and I have been scouring the internet for it in vain apparently.

[Nicole]

As another Thanksgiving approaches, i am again mourning the loss of the unturkey! Has anyone found anything else they like better than the tofurkey?

[Tara]

It's almost thanksgiving again and I too am trying to find our favorite tofu turkey. The other bands do come close to what Now and Zen created!
Has anyone found another option besides creating our own?

[allison]

Please, please, please say it isn't so! I am heartbroken over the loss of the Unturkey. Please, please, please bring it back!

[Lynne]

I am so crushed to know that the un-turkey is gone, it made my life complete, I loved that un-chicken. Please come back!

[Chela]

Lifelong vegetarian I have looked forward to Thanksgiving for the last several years because of UNTURKEY season and I have only just discovered tonight that it may no longer exist!!! I can't believe it I'm soooooo bummed. NOt that Thaksgiving season with out unturkey can't still be wonderful, but total bummer about the whole situation.

[Very Sad]

Completely bummed out. Is there someone that is willing to buy it and bring it back to life? I would gladly buy 6/yr to help support the cause (and eat of course).

[Doug]

I didn't get around to buying my Unturkey for Thanksgiving 2007, and I deeply regretted it as I watched my family gobble down the real turkey.

I was devastated to learn last night at my alternative market that they are no longer being made. When I hand out real turkeys to my co-workers for the holidays, I keep the Unturkey box on hand to tease them. I will never forget what a treat the Unturkey was.

[Buddy Greed]

I remember a fake Turkey served at Thanksgiving or Christmas once upon a time. The thing was made out of some sort of soy gelatin that was cooked in a turkey-shaped mold. When it was done it was shaken out of the mold quivering on the serving platter. It had legs and even the wrinkled, mottled look of real turkey skin. It wasn't brown like real turkey, so they put some sort of glaze on it. I'm not going to embelish this by saying it tasted horrible. It had no taste at all except for what you put on it. Really weird. I mean, if you're vegetarian and don't like killing animals just don't have turkey. Why mess with this fake thing with little legs on it if eating turkey disgusts you so much. My favoite part of these dinners isn't the turkey anyway. I like all the side dishes, dressing, cranberry sauce and pie.

[charles]

it was great way to help transition people into into vegan/vegatarian eating, me and my non vegan family had one for tday for a couple years, but hickory smoked tofurky slices fit the bill, but i do miss the gravy...

[david]

We all miss the UnTurkey, I hardly knew him myself. as much as I do miss it, i have found another that is pretty decent. "Vegetarian Plus" makes a bird shaped bit of food that is actually quite good. i dont care for the gravy or stuffing that came with it, but the bird itself is full of flavor and the next best thing, imho!

[Delia]

Wow! I just found out that Whole Foods doesn't carry Now and Zen Turkey because it no longer exists (of course no one there even knew what we were talking about)! We avoided Thanksgiving last year because of my Mother's death. Little did I know that the biggest Now and Zen Turkey you could buy, which she ordered back in November 2006, would be the last of our family Thanksgiving tradition. Bummer!Bring it back for the next generation!

I'm sort of glad it's gone. I have a gluten allergy (as do a large percentage of humans in general, who sometimes go through their entire lives without finding out), so I wasn't supposed to be eating it in the first place.
It was so good that I would have kept making excuses (and exceptions) for one holiday, for the last couple of years of its existence I actually made my own gluten-free tofu roasts.

However, I now avoid all of that crap and have gone completely raw.

I've never felt better in my life, and now I make all sorts of fun holiday things with nuts. :)

[Kitty]

That's too bad. At least this gives us the opportunity to get creative with vegetables, nuts, and seeds. Nut loafs, tofu loafs, stuffed pumpkins and squash... I could go on and on. Ditch fake meat and use veggies!

Fake meat is okay, especially for a treat. But we can live happily without it. Vegheads don't miss meat at all, right?

[Phil McCracken]

To Buddy Greed,

Real vegetarians can't eat the dressing either since that is made using some sort of animal stock.

Go screw yourself.