Next Wednesday is Great American Meatout Day.

The aim of the meatless day, begun in 1985 by the Farm Animal Reform Movement, is to persuade Americans to "kick the meat habit," at least for a day, and pursue a diet that FARM and other participants, such as the Chicago Vegetarian Society and EarthSave, say is more environmentally sound and healthful (to both humans and animals) than the typical American fare.

(The meat to be "meated out," incidentally, includes fish and poultry as well as red meat. Some vegetarians shun dairy products and eggs as well.)

"It's supposed to be a day of fun rather than a day of harping," said Penny Scheff, who is organizing activities locally for FARM. The idea, she said, is to show meat-eaters how good vegetarian dining can be.

To that end, vegetarians are asked to invite non-vegetarian friends over (or out) for dinner. At least two vegetarian restaurants - Davinda's, 1716 W. Lunt, and Country Life in Oakbrook Terrace - will encourage that practice by featuring two dinners for the price of one Wednesday night.

This Saturday at 5:30 p.m., there will be an all-you-can-eat, $3.75 vegetarian buffet at the University of Chicago's Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St.

(For more information about the Chicago Vegetarian Society, call 312-764-VEGY.)

Once considered radical by much of American society, the idea of eating meat-free meals is mainstream these days. Vegetarians point to the celebrities who have said "no" to meat, including Paul and Linda McCartney, k.d. lang, Dick Gregory, Darryl Hannah, Lindsay Wagner, Cicely Tyson, David Bowie, Rosanna Arquette and Fred "Mister" Rogers.

When asked if the National Live Stock and Meat Board had any plans to counter the Great American Meatout, spokesman Tom McDermott seemed puzzled.

"Actually," he said, "we never heard of it."

TO B12 OR NOT TO B12: Speaking of vegetarians, there's a long-standing debate over whether a vegan diet (that is, one devoid of all animal products) can supply enough vitamin B12, an essential nutrient that helps in the synthesis of DNA and RNA and the maintenance of bone marrow. The vitamin is found primarily in animal foods: dairy products, fish, meat, poultry and egg yolks.

A report in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Nutrition tends to support advice that vegans take B12 supplements. Dutch researchers analyzed 40 plant foods, including some fermented foods thought to be rich in B12, and discovered that only two, the seaweeds nori and spirulina, were rich in the vitamin.

Adding the two seaweeds to the diets of five schoolchildren who had a vitamin B12 deficiency, however, did not correct the deficiency. (B12 deficiency can cause anemia and eventually more severe problems.) Of five B12-deficient children who added fish to their diet, four improved markedly. Another child took vitamin B12 pills and improved as well.

HIPPIE TO YUPPIE: The USA Rice Council recently reported that sales of brown rice, once a staple of the counterculture, rose 16 percent in 1990 over the previous year.

Although white rice has more iron and thiamin (thanks to enrichment), brown rice has more fiber, vitamin E, protein, phosphorus, riboflavin and calcium. But quicker cooking certainly has helped boost sales.

Because of its bran coating, brown rice usually takes from 40 to 50 minutes to cook, a definite drawback when you want to throw together a quick weeknight meal. Now brown rice that has either been partly precooked or shaved of its outermost bran coating is readily available in supermarkets. Depending on the brand, the quick-cooking brown rices can be prepared in 10 to 20 minutes.

The USA Rice Council offers two free recipe booklets, "Brown Rice" and "Light, Lean and Low Fat" (which includes both white and brown rice recipes). For each booklet, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to USA Rice Council, Box 740121, Houston, Texas 77274.

DASH OF GARLIC: Garlic News, a newsletter of the Fresh Garlic Association, shares an easy way to make tasty, inexpensive garlic salt: Slice 3 cloves of garlic into an empty salt shaker with large holes. Fill with salt. If the salt cakes up, stir it with a knife. When the slices start to dry out, replace them with fresh ones.