Places to Eat

A tiny - but not horrific struggle with this vegan thing is finding a restaurant to eat.
Okay, wait.
I don't want to EAT a restaurant.
Fuck, you know what I mean...
It's shocking how many restaurants DO NOT have vegan or even VEGETARIAN options.
Check this out:
Gilligan's - NO VEGGIE BURGERS!!
Red Lobster - Unless you're getting a side salad, you WILL be picking dead fish out of your food.
Applebee's - the neighborhood grill...but apparently, it's a neighborhood who can't even make a salad without putting meat into it.
A tad frustrating, but hey - no one's forcing me, right?
Still...you'd think there would at least be the OPTION? I mean - it will only bring MORE people in, right? The meat eaters will still be happy - and the vegetarians can feel like they fit in with all the other normal meat eaters of society....
If the veggie burger is prepared the right way...they MIGHT even blend right in...
In case you don't want to blend in - I've compiled a list of my favorite vegetarian-friendly places around the great City of Roses...

The first off - is pretty obvious:

Place: Bubi's Awesome Eats
Location: 620 University Ave W.
Why: If you're craving a burger - check it out...not ONLY can you get EVERY SINGLE ONE of their UNIQUE burgers in a TVP burger - you can ALSO ask for multi-grain buns!!! Their menu boasts: The World's BEST TVP Burger!! And I have to say...I'm not sure if I've tasted better...
Sure you may have to skip the creamy garlic sauce - but the vegetarian and vegan options are PLENTIFUL all over this menu.
Make sure you check out the Russian Peanuts - DEEEP cooked garlic cloves served with pita.

Place: Taloola Cafe
Location: 396 Devonshire Rd.
Why: VERY vegetarian/vegan friendly - SUPER comprehensive menu spelling out which are vegetarian and which are vegan friendly dishes. Meat eaters will be happy to know they ALSO serve SOME limited meat dishes - but my personal faves are: tofu droo sandwich, The loaded veggie lolla, and - experience an old classic a WHOLE NEW WAY: 100% natural peanut butter on multi-grain w/ jam/banana or grated carrot, and the AMAZING Antipasto Party red pepper spread, eggplant, artichoke and pesto. They also offer raw juices, juiced right infront of you - the ambience is BEAUTIFUL and the people are really friendly. EXTENSIVE loose leaf tea menu as well...and they WILL tell you what each tea does and how long it should be steeped for maximum flavour and effect. FOUR FUCKIN STARS - this place kicks ass!!
It's actually pictured above on this blog today.

Place: Cafe Crepe
Location: 33 Amy Croft Drive Lakeshore,
Why: While it does serve many meat dishes - they do have some GREAT veggie option. And - the bonus - you can make your own crepes – with PLENTY of REALLY cool veggie toppings to put inside – leaks, kale, grilled zucchini, asparagus, spinach..etc. Mega tastey...

Place: Bamboo
Location: 401 Riverside Dr. W.
Why: This is a very vegetarian/vegan friendly catering company! They have a pretty big vegetarian section on their menu - including vegetable parilla, tofu fumar, el terra asparagus, picante haricot vert. Pretty hoity toity...but hey - more options are a good thing!

Place: Three...A Tasting Bar
Location: 63 Pitt St. E.
Why: Very ritzy, but REALLY good. A little pricey too. I highly recommend this place if you wanna go on a like, a date and impress someone, if someone is impressed by hoity toity-ness...
i tell ya...they have this HUGE veggie combo platter - and there is shit on there I never even HEARD of. Never tasted anything like it - didn't even know what the fuck it was - even after the waitor came along and used a fucking pointer stick to tell us about EACH item (true!) - I still had no fucking clue. I THINK it was veggie....regardless - it was FANTASTIC! If you have lotsa money to drop - hit it upstyle the vegetarian way.

Place: World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant
Location: 60 University Ave. W.
Why: They have a HUGE Vegetarian section to their menu including Tikil Goman (Cabbage cooked in martathon turmeric sauce), Goman Watt (spinach, garlic ontion green pepper, tomato), Kik Alicha (mild yellow peas cooked w/onion garlic turmeric + tomato sauce), Meser Wat( red lentil cooked w/ onion, garlic and marathon tomato sauce), Aziffa (green lentil, onion, green chilies, olive oil, lemon dressing served cold), Shiro Wat (ground pea w/ onion, tomatos + green chilies) Leave it to the Ethiopians!!! Yum Yum Yum Yum.

Place: Taj Mahal
Location - Huron Churc Road (near Harvey's)
Why: They are an all-you can eat buffet - fresh nan, chick pea massala, curried veggies, stewed lentils, and fresh naan bread...it's AMAZING.
Also - a PRETTY big salad and fruit bar too! What they do not have in ambience - they make up for in taste! And - very cheap. Fans of Indian food - even the meat eating kind - should really dig this place....

bonne appettite, my dear vegetable-heads...

dan

A few months ago - Peta launched a campaign, asking everyone to write letters in to local fur sellers - stating how disgusted you are with the fact that they sell fur - and I recieved a reply. I wasn' t nasty in my letter...
I just pointed out plain as day facts - like animals that are "farmed" for their skin are usually beaten, stomped, axed or electrocuted to death and most of the time, left unconscious and in AGONY for up to 5 hours - STILL ALIVE after they have been SKINNED.
Of course - this is after they spent their short lives living in FILTHY, CRAMPED conditions.

Anyway...the person wrote me back, and was also VERY polite.
She stated that there are MANy wrongs in the world and that there is NO WAY we can fix all of it.
There are people starving, child abuse, wife abuse, homeless people, and animals - yes - are suffering as well...
But - we will drive ourselves crazy if we try to fix it all...
Sometimes, we just have to merge with the way life goes - with how things ARE.
We cannot change the world - nor should we be expected to.
Sometimes - it is - what it is - because - that's how it is.
FUCK.
THAT.
That's a defeatist attitude.
Not that I'm a big motivator - but seriously - that is BULLSHIT.
Of course ONE person cannot change the world.
DUH.
BUT - if EVERYONE did ONE SMALL PART towards making ONE TINY THING BETTER - rather than just accepting shit for the way things are - it WOULD make a difference. It would. No one can CHANGE THE WORLD.
No one can solve world hunger or child abuse...but why contribute to the all-around general SHITTY aspects of life it by making animals suffer??
This is ONE thing that COULD be stopped - if fur is made illegal.
Here is what I am doing.
I am going to start buying synthetics from now on.
I am going to buy leather alternatives - from now on.
I am going to start attending Animal Activist Groups tha tmeat every other Monday in the OPIRG room behind the 10,000 Villages restaurant in the plaza where hurricanes is.
This is not the "holier than thou" attitude I hear being mentioned...I'm an amateur myself who knows NOTHING really - except that our animal's situation on this planet....
NOT GOOD.
AT all.
In fact - it's horrible.
And in fact,
There is TOOOO much I don't know about how animals are just so FUCKING enslaved...and the more I pick around the edges - the more it just seems so fucking WRONG.
I used to bawl and cry when I saw shit like this - now, the more I learn about things that go on in OUR OWN COUNTRY - now I can only SHAKE my head.
And it's no one's fault for not knowing.
In truth - who WANTS to hear about it, right?
But fuck - we OWE IT to at LEAST give it a shot - in some way.
Animals use what they HAVE TO to survive, because they have no other means.
I want to be PROOF - even if only to a few people - that even people who don't have much money, who don't have much knowlege - who don't even have much capability in the kitchen and food preparation - DOES NOT NOT NOT need animals or animal by-products to survive.
Asking everyone to go VEGAN (fuck - I'm not even vegan yet) is unrealistic and flat out not possible...
BUT - I think if everyone did do something pro-active towards SOME cause they feel is worth attention...the world would be SUCH a better place...and shit WOULD change.
Sorry for the rant.
I just feel totally CHARGED and motivated and I can't wait for next monday when I attend my FIRST EVER animal ACTION meeting.

I just think if we ALL put in a TINY bit extra - SOMETHING good can ONLY come out of it.

We should ALL find some way to help them - even if we do still eat meat...

okay, 'night, (for real this time!)

dan

My Progress Report

It's getting easier by the day, I swear...

Last night at the Fireworks downtown at Summerfest (freedom fest before we fucked it up by NOT paying the Guess Who to play) - I resisted the urge to get an ice cream or chocolate bar - and I discovered that one of my favorite snacks - SMART FOOD POPCORN - is NOT vegan friendly.
Kinda sucks.
But whatever.
I do have regular microwave popcorn at home - which to my delight I discovered has "butter flavour" but contains NO actual traces of butter or dairy...vegan approved!!!

As for today - here's what I've eaten so far:

Breakfast:
1 cup hemp granola w/ soy milk
1 mini cucumber

mid-morning snack:
1 organic peanut butter granola bar

lunch:
cup of vegan black bean soup
3 mini tiny cubes of non-dairy rice cheese
2 chopped mini cucumbers
2 rice cakes

mid-afternoon snack:
1 small green apple

Dinner:
I splurged!
Life Partner, Anna and I went to the Mini - where I indulged in a fucking GLORIOUS vegetable stirfry topped with barbecued TOFU, with red chili sauce.

Vegan - and fuckin DELICIOUS.
We ended the night with an impromtu walk down by the water - for like, an hour and 45 minutes! So yeah...I'm giving myself 4 stars today!!

Drinkin' lots of water now...

So far - healthy, tastey and surprisingly....EASY!!

Recipes tomorrow...

Night,
Dan

Hangover Cure

Two words:

Cucumbers.
Strawberries.

Just try it.

WOW.

The Saga Continues...

Howdy folks...

A little tip - if anyone is thinking about EVER becoming vegetarian, but is having doubts about whether or not they can do it - I recommend you do it - for a week - then switch to being vegan.
Just for one week.
When you switch back to being a vegetarian - it feels like the EASIEST thing in the world!
Now - do NOT mistake this as an admittance to failure.
In no way have I dropped my attempt at being a vegan.
In fact - I am empowered EVEN MORESO as of late.

I just went grocery shopping and bought a FRESH LOAD of veggies for juicing, nibbling and creating vegan delights.
I've been eating NOTHING but whole grain breads, soy-rice-tofu-fake-cheese and soy milk.
Now...there HAVE been times, when i snuck a timbit at work.
I also had a homemade strawberry tart made by anna which had eggs and milk in the crust...but other than VERY small slip ups...I've avoided egg/dairy pretty much altogether...

More recipes will be posted soon...

I just wanted to direct everyone's attention to a GREAT blog - it is by a mother who lives in the U.S. - and she is posting her experiences as a vegan...it's a fascinating read to anyone interested - and spawns some great ideas too...

http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

it's called Vegan Lunchbox. Really cool stuff...

At any rate, I'm out for the day,

laters!
dan

Pu-Erh Tea-time!

Evening folkies,
I'm just about to settle down to yet another experimental session of tea-drankin'! Karmen really had no IDEA what a great gift she was giving me when she gave me the selection of chinese teas.
Tonight, I will be breaking my Pu-Erh Tea cherry!!
Again - this is loose leaf tea - so if anyone knows where I can pick up a tea-leaf strainer...I'd be happier than a chinese monk with a big fat au-naturale boner from green tea intake.
The dry leaves don't look much different than the Ooo Long tea.
Pu-erh tea, has an ... "earthy" taste, I guess you could call it - and really pretty reddish/brown - almost pale-wine colour..
Supposedly - it aids in digestion and like many teas - speeds up fat metabolism and is KNOWN as the PERFECT tea to include in a weight loss plan. After a bit of research, I discovered that Pu-erh is also named after its place of origin in China. Drinking Pu-erh tea can help reduce cholesterol, and it helps digestion (particularly of fatty foods), so this would probably be REALLY good after a heavy meal.

Today - all I had to eat was a bowl of soy milk and granola for breakfast, a garden salad with a garden wrap in a whole weat tortilla for lunch - and another bowl of granola with a few whole grain tortilla chips on the side for dinner.
Yeah...kinda boring.
But - I think by making a conscious effort to mix up my liquid diet a bit by using these cool teas and some juicing - I'll be healthier as hell.
FYI - there are six (6) cold beers in my fridge...the low carb sleeman clear - that I LOVE LOVE LOVE...and I really SHOULD(n't) be having those right now....
but - I guess for tonight, I'll stick to tea - with tea on it.

Gonna go watch a movie...

night,
Dan

Drinks-a-Go-Go for those on the...Go-Go...(who like the Go-Go's)

Hey vegan-enthusiasts, wannabees and experts,

My parents bought me a juicer last Xmas - and while I was thrilled at the time, I am ashamed to say I have not fully utilized this contraption to my best advantage.
It's sat in a closet under my staircase for nearly 9 months, much like Karmen's ill-fated blender I recently gave lament to on her Magic Bullet Blog.

Now, if you're like me (a grizzled, sometimes-bitter late-twenty something/early thirty-something who wants desperately to fit into a niche and you think you MIGHT have finally discovered it with a half-ass attempt at veganism) - you're probably looking for convenient, quick, delicious and nutritious ways to:

A) Eat more compassionately.
B) Eat more health-il-y.

I know. There's no such word.

Regardless, I have come up with a few juice recipes guaranteed to give you a kick in the good ole compassionate ARSE - and ensure that you get your proper intake of FRESH veggies!!!

Personally, I'm a woman (man) on the go - career-girl(boy) oriented - dedicated to my job and committed to putting in long and grueling hours for "THE MAN" (woman).

I discovered a way to use my juicer to HELP me become vegan, lose weight AND get my proper daily intake of vitamins and vegetables.


First recipe:
(I call it:)
"THE BEETNIK BREEZER"
(the ONLY drink dedicated to wannabe-vegan spoken word performance artists and the people who love 'em!)
This slut-of-a-drink is easy-like-sunday morning to make:
1 cup chopped, peeled beets
2 cups strawberries (hulled of course, but if you're a fucking purist hippy who doesn't want to hurt the straweberries' feelings - like me - you can leave the hulls on)
1 small fuji apple (or granny smith - or fuck ANY kind of fucking apple) - not peeled - leave the skin on (just take the core out)
1 table spoon of freshly squeezed lime juice (of course, you don't NEED this - but being the seasoned borderline alcoholic that I am - I ALWAYS have fresh lime on hand)

Instructions:
Throw that shit in the juicer and then just juice the FUCK out of it - drop it in a glass and gulp that good stuff back!
WOO HOO!!!
Tastey - and you got all your minnies and vities :)

NEXT!!!!!

I call this next studpuppy of a beverage:
THE COOL-ASS CUKE-COCK-SHUN
(The ONLY drink dedicated to people who love nothing more than a big fat cucumber on a sweaty summer day......)

You need:
2 or 3 English cucumbers, peeled and chopped
8 fresh mint leaves (trust me folks - they aren't as hard to find as I thought - check your local Market)
1 bottle of water (!!!)
3 limes
2 table spoons of maple sugar
2 cups of crushed ice

Alright - nice and easy - and this hoity toity piece of liquid-vegan-yum-yum will have you impressing your snotty neighbors AND have the lawyer who lives down the street SALIVATING with envy. Put 'em to shame, FUCKERS!!
Combine the chopped cucumbers, mint, water and the JUICE of the three limes in a high speed blender and process until smooth.
Strain through a somewhat fine mesh sieve or filter of some kind into a pitcher.
Add in the maple sugar, and ice and stir it up to mix.
Then - for an EXTRA-CUKE-TASTIC effect, pour into chilled glasses and garnish with FOUR thinly sliced cucumber slices. Also - should the need grab you - you CAN use some freshly ground sea-salt as well (which Life Partner recently bought).
Whoa-la!!!
The PERFECTLY vegan and HEALTHY cocktail for ANY Saturday afternoon....

FYI - if you wanna REALLY get the party going - throw a little Honey-dew melon liqueur in there and see what happens (wink wink)

Night,
Dan.

FUCK

I blew it.
10 Jello-O shots last night.
UGH.
Why?
WHY!??

why?

Quick and Easy Vegan Sammy

I made this up.
I call it the "Danny Sammy".

It's quick, simple, delicious - and TOTALLY Vegan.

Two pieces of whole grain bread (toasted if you want)
On one piece - spread some roasted-red-pepper hummous.
On the other, a splash of hot sauce and one slice of Vegan cheese.
It's actually soy - it's the kind that looks just like Kraft singles...if you are a fan of kraft singles - you'd never even KNOW this stuff is vegan for real.
Then - microwave a chick-pea burger (the frozen microwavable kind) for 2 mins - and (in the words of the Great Bill Cosby):
Ka-BLAZEM:
Put it all together and enjoy a mouth-watering "Bubi's worthy" sandwich straight out of pretentious-vegan-cafe land.
It was DEEEE-LICIOUS and it took me no more than 4 minutes to make!
Lots of protien, some lettuce or even some chopped up veggies like cucumber or red/yellow bell peppers would give it some crunch and probably make it even better, but I was going for timing and taste only here - and in my opinion, i did a pretty dang good job.
sorry, no picture, I ate it too fast.
Boo hoo.

But next time, I'll have the "cammy" to snap a pic of the Vegan "Danny Sammy".

happy saturday,

Me want beer now.

dan

Off the Wagon

I've fallen.
Yeah. I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd fuck it up.
Mind you - it could have been FAR FAR worse...
See, I came home from work Thursday night, STARVING, and instantly went into the fridge (acting on nothing more than SHEER male aggression and my own animal instinct), gravitated to a plate of leftover vegetarian pizza and tore two pieces to shreds with my bare hands and teeth in mere seconds.
Vegan diet: BLOWN.
Both cheese AND eggs.
I then began eyeing up a box of ice cream sandwiches in the freezer...a primal growl growing in my throat.
The good news: I withheld my urge.
However - Friday (yesterday) I blew it again...while I maintained a 100% vegan diet for breakfast and dinner...I came home and had some flat tortilla with some vegan hummus.
Wait a minute? Are flat tortillas (like, for burritos) made with eggs? I'm assuming so...but I guess I really don't know...I know they are mostly corn.
Ah fuck.
I'll count it as another fuck up.
Two pieces of veggie pizza...not the biggest slip up in the world.
Tonight I am going to a house party for a friend at work and I was debating bringing jello shots...but jello shots have animal bone marrow in them, which is ridiculous.
Mind you - if I do make jello shots (which are always a fun and playful hit at ANY party) there's no way I "WON'T" be having one...
At the same time...this could be a test...
No, fuck it.
No jello shots for me, unless I can find some kind of non-animal jello...
Ugh.
I think that's just disgusting.
Jello - in truth - is fucking nasty anyway.
I hate jello, have since I was a kid.
But - the fact that this jiggly, gellatinous, flabby fruit flavoured crap comes from inside animal bones....
BARF.
Sold. no jello shots tonight.

Back on the wagon,
Daniel.

OOOooooooh-ing and Ahhhhhh-ing Over OoooooLooooooong Tea!

Hi Tea-heads.
Lately, I've discovered the joy of experimenting with different types of fucking teas.
It's a ...jolt to the tastebuds, to put it lightly.
A dear friend and tea-activist Karmen "Whisper-Starfish" (sic) gave me a Chinese-themed birthday gift basket for my 28th birthday last year.
It included various sodas, foods, noodles and teas from the Chinese market.
This week, since coffee with cream is now out of the question for my newly Vegan-ass, I decided to whip out the assorted tea-tins and give 'em a try...
Today - I enjoyed a steaming hot cup of Oolong tea as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up at work, while I frantically wrote radio commercials for ritzy Ottawa Street clothing boutiques.
I decided to do a little research, since I know there's a lot of punch that's packed into a cup of ANY kind of loose-leaf chinese tea.
It is said that oolong tea (pronounced WU-Long) first began to be produced at Mt. Wu Yi Shan in Fujian Province at the end of the Ming Dynasty about 400 years ago.
In order to enjoy the flavor and rich aroma unique to oolong tea, an art of drinking it delicately was developed.
This so-called "art" involves preparing and drinking oolong tea by using a tiny teapot and a tiny teacup.
*giggle*
Chinese people are just SO CUTE!
Kidding.
Anywya, Chinese people have adopted this style for generations and they still use it to this very day...
That was bascially all it said about the "art" of making Oolong Tea, except a mention that it is "difficult" to make using loose leaves, which would explain my experience today.
I used the average pinch of tea leaves (but they were actually more like dried mulch and sticks) in my cup and poured boiling water over them.
I let it steep until it turned a pleasant-looking shade of light brown...
(FYI - I could REALLY use a tea-leaf strainer!)
Anyway...it kinda tasted...well...the way it would taste if you tried to make tea using dried mulch and sticks from your very own backyard.
It had a pungent taste, with a small dog-food accent and a subtle yet unapologetic hint of squirrel piss.
But, I squinted and sucked her back anyway.
Ya see, Ooolong Tea is rich in antioxidants called polyphenols.
And ANYOne who is ANYONE would know that Polyphenol in oolong tea is effective in controlling obesity.
I'm sure you knew that though, so it was most likely unnecessary that I even published that little tid-bid.
Basically, these special antioxidants activate the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving triglyceride.
Triglyceride - in a nutshell, is what makes us store fat.
Continuous drinking of Oolong tea enhances our body's function of fat metabolism and helps us burn that shit off faster than we can say "DEAL-A-MEAL!"
Hopefully.
Anyway, that alone kinda sorta sold me on Oolong tea. I might try it again next week.
Tomorrow, I am gonig to tackle a different kind of "fucking tea".

I also learned that there is now "canned" Oolong tea available, which I am guessing is like the pre-mixed, manufactured "Lipton's" type version of Oolong.
It's supposed to be DELICIOUS though...and while I do agree that Oolong offers some FANTASTIC benefits - I can't QUITE agree that what I had today was delicious.

Unless of course, you're accustomed to drinking liquified tree poop.

Bye for now,

Dan

"Take Ya Fuckin' Vitamins!"

Apart from some fruit flavoured Flinstone chewables when i was a kid (that I used to pop like candy - I was such a pillhead) I have NEVER taken vitamins.
I figured with this new diet, I should probably stock up on some daily vitamins "just in case".
I discovered Vege Multivitamins and Minerals One Per Day capsuls.
They contain NO artificial preservatives, colour, milk, Soya, Corn, Wheat or Yeast.
My first question was - "well then what the FUCK IS in it???"
Vege multivitamin and minerals One Per day is formulated with a natural green food matrix base of Alfalfa, Broccoli,Chlorella, Green Cabbage, Dandelion, Kelp, Parsely, Spirulina and Watercress.
Now, I'm no nutritionist, but I do know that the darker greens - the higher the calcium and protein, which they say are the two BIGGEST pieces of the puzzle missing from a vegan's diet.
This, in reality, isn't true.
Just by eating dark greens - you get all the calcium and protein intake you need - and THEN some.
But hey - like I said, I'm not a nutritionist, so I figured a vitamin a day will keep the hot sexy doctor away.
These vitamins are formulated for adults who have a semi-unbalanced or irregular diet (HELLOO!!!) and moderate-to-high stress days, and my work is PRETTY frantic lately.
It contains absolutely NO iron, which is probably a good thing.
It also makes your number 1 and number 2 turn funky colours.
I've been taking them since Saturday (when I started my whole vegan thing) - and aside from the colours of my bathroom creations, no real changes.
But - they say vitamins do a body good - I read the research on these pills - and they really can't hurt you. Lots of anti-oxidants, and the normal goodies like Vitamin C etc...
If you're interested you can grab them at Zehrs (in the organic section, - where else?).
Here's some more info...
And - if anyone notices anything HORRIBLE in them that I should NOT be taking...PLEASE tell me....

Ingredients: Each caplet contains - Beta Carotene-10,000I.U.; Vitamin D3-400I.U.; Vitamin C (Calcium Ascorbate)-200mg; Vitamin E (D'Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate)-100 I.U.; Vitamin B1 (Thiamine Mononitrite)-50mg; Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)-50mg; Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride)-50mg; Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)-50mcg; Folic Acid-1mg; Niacinamide-50mg;Biotin-50mcg; D'Pantothenic Acid (Calcium D'Pantothenate)-50mg; Biotin-50mcg; MINERALS - Calcium (HVP Chelated)-125mg; Magnesium (HVP Chelated)-50mg; Potassium (HVP Chelated)-10mg; Iodine (Kelp)-0.1mg; Copper (HVP Chelated)-1mg; Manganese (HVP Chelated)-5mg; Zinc (Hvp Chelated)-10mg; Selenium (HVP Chelated)-25mcg; Chromium (HVP Chelated)-25mcg; LIPOTROPHIC FACTORS - Choline Bitartrate-50mg; Inositol-50mg; dl Methionine-50mg; ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS - Para Aminobenzoic acid- 40mg; Phytosterols-20mg; Rutin (Eucalyptus)-20mg; Apple Pectin-20mg; Quercetin-15mg; Echinaccea-5mg; Papaya Fruit-25mg; DIGESTIVE AIDS - Betaine-15mg; Betaine HCL-15mg; Bromelain-5mg. Formulated in a natural green food matrix base of Alfalfa, Broccoli,Chlorella, Green Cabbage, Dandelion, Kelp, Parsely, Spirulina and Watercress.

Remember - in truth - I really don't know what the FUCK I'm doing here...

night,

Dan

Hunger Hurts, But Starving Works

I'm a stubborn son of a bitch.
Goes hand in hand with being a taurus.
Which I think, is why I am giving this Vegan experiment my best shot.

So far today - I had a glass of soy milk, a bowl of granola and a banana for breakfast.
A bottle of water and a bowl of INSTANT vegan chili for lunch + a green apple.

In the words of yoda:

Tastey, it was. But hungry, I still am.

While I am not about to rip into a big ole STEAK anytime soon - or EVER - a nice dinner role and some butter woulda went oh-so-nice with this small bowl of vegan chili.

Oh! I also had a granola bar as a mid-morning snack.

Went home - sliced up a cucumber - big son of a bitch about 15 inches - doused it with some vegetable oil and vinegar, some freshly ground pepper and ground seasalt, and harfed it back, then ate two rice cakes with a piece of soy fake mozzarella (nuked, and yes - it DOES melt) and then washed it all down with some wah-wah and a slice of veg-cajun chicken lunchmeat.
Gross.
God only KNOWS how you make lunchmeat, minus the meat.
"Compassionate, young Daniel," I think to myself. It is my Mantra. "Compassionate."

Ending off the night with a long walk and a bottle of Tropical Mist fruit wine.
Vegan, and BOY does it pack a punch.

So far, so Vegan...

night for tonight,

Dan

Heroes and Zeroes: The Fur Trade

*all articles are written solely by moi!

HERO OF THE DAY: Ralph Lauren!!!
No Hairy Bush for Ralphie!

You know that designer Ralph Lauren? He made this REALLY nasty cologne called Chaps - his store has a cameo in Madonna's Sex book (jizz gets wiped on a Ralph Lauren shirt) and he is considered one of the most respected fashionistas in all of fashion-land?
Well - he flicked his gears from "fashion" to "compassion" recently and chainsawed ALL fur OUT of his apparel and home collections - based PURELY on the put-put of his heart for our loving animals. Awwwww.
His VERY influential corporation has been humming and hawing over whether or not they should eliminate fur from its lines for some time, but this decision was put into motion after Ralphie witnessed the hideous abuses endured by animals on Chinese fur farms.
A brave move. Congrats to Ralphie!

ZERO OF THE DAY: Jennifer Lopez!!
Jenni-FUR from the Block Needs to get her Block Knocked Off

Did you know J-Lo has a clothing line called Sweetface?
I had no idea.
Did you know - she has an extensive line of furs?
I didn't either.
Bitch.
Yeah sure, we all love to laugh at what a "diva" she is...but truth be told - she stands for something that SHOULD be left in the dark ages - especially in this century.
Fur equals TORTURE, plain and simple.
Anyone who claims they "don't know" this (as J-Lo has many a time - and turned down an invite by Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders who offered to "educate" Ms. Lopez) is just being fucking smug.
Many a MEGA hot designer - Stella McCartney, Betsey Johnson, Marc Bouwer, Todd Oldham, Oleg Cassini have turned their backs on fur and offer up fur alternatives which are JUST as hot a commodity.
Why J-Lo continues to use FARMED animals, who live in filth until they are brutally killed (sometimes only stunned - and then skinned alive) is nothing short of sickening.
Don't support this cold ass bi-otch as long as she continues to pimp out road kill.
Seriously - do people STILL wear fur???
Is that not the most TACKY thing you could do?
Yeah - it was cool for Eartha Kitt back in the day - but come on...J-Lo???
Grow up hon..
Someone oughtta wax her back and make a muff out of her uni-brow.
See how she likes it.
Anyway - If this interests you at all - follow this link and learn how you can help stop the fur trade.

Night,

Dan

My First Vegan Meal Day Plan

Today I made my first-ever conscious effort to eat 100% vegan.
Not as hard as I thought, really.

Here is my meal plan for the day:

Breakfast:
1 cup of organic grape juice
1 cup of granola
1 banana (sliced and put IN granola)
1/2 cup of Soy milk over cereal and fruit

Comments: I LOVED this breakfast. This was one of the most satisfying morning meals I've had in a long time. I don't think a vegan breakfast will be very hard to get used to.

Lunch:
1 can of soup - carrot and butter-bean (absolutely NO eggs or dairy - I checked the can)
1 green apple
1 bottle of water

Comments: Very yummy. At the same time - pretty plain and pretty typical. Soup and an apple. Nothing special -but - it's pretty much what I have everday for lunch anyway...no real challenge here though. Would have gone well with a piece of Manna Bread, but unfortunately, left it at home. More on Manna Bread in another blog.
Great lunch for work ...I think sandwiches will be a challenge...so far so good, I am full.

Din-Din:
1 cup of soy milk
1 green apple
1/4 cup of non-salted, shelled sunflower seeds
An average-size slice of tofu-soy fake "mozarella" cheese (for extra calcium)
pretty MAJOR bowl of salad w/ lettuce, green peas, radish
crusty croutons (made with - to my delight SOY!)
and - a vegan-friendly soy-based zesty oriental-type dressing!

Comments: A good supper. The salad was very much a dinner-sized salad, so I was completely full. With the fruits, tofu/soy and veggies - I think I definetely had my fair share of proper calcium and protein (especially w/ the dark greens in the salad). For the most part - I am completely stuffed and satisfied. Will it take some getting used to? I think so. Is it POSSIBLE to eat this way EVERY day - sure. Can I do it...I don't know yet.

I must say though - all things aside - writing down what I ate today was a FANTASTIC excercise. I really watched what I ate and thought about anything I was contemplating eating VERY hard. I'm not much of a nutritionist at ALL - anyone who konws me can attest - but, I don't think I ate half bad today.
I might even drop a few pounds outta this... you just never know.

Went for a walk with Life Partner in the evening. We walked by an icrecream store and I felt my buttcheeks TWITCH with desire for a nice creamy scoop of chocolate dairy heaven.

I withheld myself.

"The lord is my sheppard," I whispered in my head. "I shall not want."

But fuck that! I wanted it. I wanted it so bad I could almost taste its creamy cow-goodness.

But I withheld.
Bravo to moi.

Tomorrow, I'll kick this blog up a notch.

Day One: A complete success.

Night,

Dan

VEGAN POETRY

Welcome to my "side-project-blog".
A little something I call Vegan Poetry.
It's a record, if you will.
I've been a vegetarian for 4 months now (after on-again-off-again stints with vegetarianism for over 10 years,) and so far, so good.
I don't miss meat a single bit.
Knock on wood.
Cross your fingers.
Spit.
In fact - I think I am going to try to attain the unthinkable: start a VEGAN diet!
Not the easiest thing in the world - and while I KNOW I am (hopefully) off meat forever - I don't know if I am able to make the same promise about sticking to a completely vegan diet.
That's the point of this blog.
This blog will document my struggles day-by-day.
My road blocks, what I miss, what I find hard to replace, and some fantastic vegan substitutes.
So...you can expect recipes, and meal plans, brand reviews, supplement reviews, and activism on this blog.
And probably a FEW failures on my part, particularily when it comes to cheese on pizza.

Truth is, I really know NOTHING about being a vegan.

Each and every day will be a learning process for me and could quite possibly be RIDDLED with fuck-ups.

It's gonna be a bumpy ride through the green forest.

But hopefully, a few of you might even be inspired to come along for the stroll...

'Night,

Dan