Green Eating Parisian Style

France has long held the tradition of being the arbiter of fine dining and new trends.Could it be that it could also be going semi vegan too? A Parisian standby ,L'Arpege is eschewing animal based dishes and going green.More and more vegetables are showing up , prepared in interesting new methods. New York Times food critic, the great Pete Wells, explored the restaurant and wrote about it in his Critic On The Road column in today's Wednesday 's Dining section.L'Arpege's chef,Alain Passard has created a unique , but probably soon to be copied, green tasting menu.Since this is France, there was nothing Spartan about the way the veggies were served.Turnips came out, quartered and buttered, accompanied by rhubarb. Vol au vents , usually filled with mashed chicken or pastry creme, now hold vivid carrots and peas surrounded by a milky white onion sauce.The taste is fresh and a jolt ,it seems, to the taste buds. There was a green garlic soup decorated with ham infused clouds of whipped cream.Ravioli is served too, but not the dense meaty kind in opaque pasta sacs.Instead translucent wrappers held a medley of Chef Passard's own grown veggies in a clear vegetable consomme.Mesclun and radishes were drizzled with a hazelnut infused vinaigrette for a nuttier, earthier taste. Is cooking green the start of a trend?It could be that Chef Passard is perhaps becoming bored with cooking his signature quartered meat and fish dishes.L'Arpege had been known for serving both lamb and lobster expertly cut into manageable pieces.These are successful.It could be that he is embracing another aspect of nouvelle cuisine.Another chef, Dan Barber, who has researched the other chef's career for his book about Passard"entitled "The Third Plate"suggests this.He's bucking from the unexpected ,giving him an enviable freedom that fellow cook masters would love to have.Another theory is that he is trying to bring people's attention s to a greener way of eating.Melissa Clark has a tasty bowl dish in her section today as well .It is filled with nothing but quinoa and spring vegetables,sic as artichokes,onions and peas.It makes for healthier eating and a weaning away of meat centered dishes.It could also be that vegetable dishes have been ignored for so long with no interesting and palate blowing recipes. Even the best restaurants, here and abroad ,have simply turned them into uninspired sides. Chef Alain Passard is creating a new trend with turning ordinary vegetables Bles in works of culinary art.Let's hope it inspires other chefs pick up on it.Green eating is healthy eating .Serving it in fancy and innovAtive ways will bring more diners and home chefs into healthier living.