This fun article presents a great opportunity for animal friendly letters to the editor. The Chicago Sun Times takes letters at http://www.suntimes.com/geninfo/feedback.html
Chicago Sun Times
July 13, 2006 Thursday
NEWS; Pg. 04
Field of Greens: PETA ranks veggie offerings at Sox Park among top 10 in baseball
Janet Rausa Fuller, The Chicago Sun-Times
U.S. Cellular Field is more than just home to the World Series champion White Sox.
The South Side stadium also is one of the top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks in the nation, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
"The Cell" came in ninth on PETA's annual rankings for offerings such as veggie hot dogs, veggie burgers, fruit cups and "corn-off-the-cob," said Dan Shannon, the group's manager of youth campaigns.
"There are more vegetarian options on the menu at U.S. Cellular Field than there are White Sox on the All-Star team," he said.
Still, that doesn't quite top the "inspired items" at No. 1-ranked AT&T Park in San Francisco, Shannon said. There, Giants fans can nosh on edamame, grilled veggie kabobs and baguettes, and vegetarian sushi.
Making the list for the first time is Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, where fans can choose salads, veggie burritos and a pasta bar.
CUBS NEVER MADE VEGGIE LIST
PETA's rankings are based on the variety and availability of vegetarian options in the main concessions. The Cell has consistently ranked on the list.
Wrigley Field has never cracked the top 10.
"So," Shannon said, "the crosstown rivalry is heating up" -- though most baseball fans tend to agree the Sox rule when it comes to food.
New York-based Delaware North Companies SportService manages concessions at the Cell. Chicago-based Levy Restaurants handles the rest of food operations for the Sox and the Cubs.
Levy took over concessions at Wrigley last year, revamping what was generally seen as average fare and adding more, albeit meat-heavy, sandwiches.
New items last season included calzones and pork chop sandwiches with caramelized onions.
Officials with Levy and SportService were unreachable Wednesday.
MORE THAN PEANUTS AND POPCORN
Shannon said more ballparks are going the way of the Sox and the Giants with options beyond the "vegetarian by default" items such as peanuts and popcorn.
Other stadiums noted for their vegetarian offerings include the Tampa Bay Devil Rays' Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., which sells black beans and rice and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, which offers a cheeseless gourmet tomato pizza.
Steve Sciuto, 43, a vegetarian and cook at Victory's Banner, a vegetarian restaurant in Roscoe Village, said he still feels "limited to pretzels or hot dog buns or nachos" when he goes to a baseball game.
The last game he attended was a Cubs-Cardinals game at Wrigley last year. He couldn't recall what he ate then.
"That's probably a good thing, I think," he said.
jfuller@suntimes.com
(END OF CHICAGO SUN TIMES PIECE)
-----
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.dawnwatch.com/cgi-bin/dada/dawnwatch_unsubscribe.cgi You are encouraged to forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts but please leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)
----------------------------------------
You are subscribed to DawnWatch Illinois using the following address:
example@example.com
Date: Fri Jul 14 15:28:02 2006
