The Veg Blog

A few weeks ago, Josh at Herbivore posted a series of simple graphics promoting the importance of buying from vegan-owned businesses during the holidays. The idea is simple and elegant: if you’re buying gifts, make sure your money goes to people whose ideals you support. So, for the next month-or-so, I’m going to feature a series of profiles of vegan businesses. Some you’ve heard of, some you haven’t, and some you may have forgotten about. If you’d like to participate, drop me a note!

It makes sense that we start the series with the folks responsible for the “hey, don’t forget to buy vegan!” reminders: the kind crew at Herbivore Clothing Company.

Who are you and why do I care?

I’m Josh! We’re old friends! You… forgot?

I’m Josh Hooten! I co-founded The Herbivore Clothing Company almost 10 years ago with my partner Michelle here in sunny Portland, Oregon.

What types of great stuff do you have for people to buy from you for the holidays?

You know, we only stock stuff that we would/do use so it’s hard to pick specific items as we like it all. But some recent favorites of mine are our redesign of our Wings Are For Flying Not Frying shirt. I drew and lettered this design by hand, so that was fun for me. And we printed it with a super soft ink so it has a real cozy, vintage feel to it. I’m also really happy with our new Eat A Plant, Save A Planet design. Both of those come in a couple of versions. We also have a gigantic selection of vegan cookbooks which seems to get bigger every time the UPS driver comes. We have been cooking out of Jonie Newman’s veggie burger book, The Best Veggie Burgers On The Planet, and Julie Hasson’s latest, Vegan Diner. We are also really proud of a book we published, the Vegan Pregnancy Survival Guide by Sayward Rebhal. And then there are always our belts, wallets, jewelry, scarves, tote bags, backpacks, courier bags, socks, art, lunchboxes, waterbottles, body care items, purses…the list goes on! And if you can’t decide on a gift, we always have gift certificates.

What inspired you to create the “buy from vegans” series you posted a few weeks ago?

That came out of a series of conversations I’ve had in the past couple of years with friends who own vegan businesses. It seems when we see each other the first thing we ask is “How are you all doing?” with a slight bit of trepidation in our voices because the economy has been down for so long and we’re all afraid for each other. I think it’s important, any time of year, to support people who support the things you believe in, but especially so during the holidays. All retailers make a good chunk of their incomes at this time of year but small shops can’t afford to market themselves like big retailers. This means we aren’t in your face all the time and aren’t bombarding you with messages to buy from us. So we lose a lot of support, I think, because we just can’t market like that (nor would most of us want to.) Small businesses also can’t compete with big retailers on price because those big places order such huge quantities they get better discounts, or better shipping rates, etc. So while you can probably save a few bucks buying a book on Amazon, they also sell stuff that violates your ethics, and I think whenever possible you should support folks who support your ethics. Also, if you buy a bunch of gifts from a vegan retailer, they won’t go out and buy hamburgers with your money, they will buy vegan food. So the money stayed, for a while longer, in ethical places. That is a big deal and worth spending a bit more for, I think.

How important are holiday sales to your business?

Holiday sales are a big deal. I don’t know what percentage of sales we make in November and December but it’s a chunk. A few years ago when the economy really sank November and December, sales wise, were totally flat. There was no boost from holiday sales and it was hard for us to keep the doors open until things picked back up in the Summer. You spend a lot of money getting your inventory up to hopefully have enough stuff to sell. So you have full shelves and no money and hope to sell a bunch before the bills come. When the holiday sales never come, you can feel your heart sink. That was terrifying as we’ve always been really careful and conservative in terms of growth and spending. (Note: This is the only place in my life I’d describe myself as a conservative. Just want to be clear there.) That felt like everything we’d worked on for years could have gone away for reasons we couldn’t control. We’d played it safe and didn’t over spend or stock a million things just to have huge selection and generally done things in a way we thought were right and then all of a sudden we were trying to figure out how to get out of our lease and who could we sublet the space to and all sorts of disaster scenarios. I’m sure a bunch of other vegan retailers were in the same boat. So holiday sales are a big deal, especially in this economy. We pulled through, obviously, but that was scary.

Tell us about another vegan-owned business that you love that other people may not know about.

We love our vegan mini-mall neighbors Food Fight Vegan Grocery, Sweetpea Baking Company, and Scapegoat Tattoo and our pals on the east coast Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe. MooShoes in NYC are awesome and were a real trailblazer in the vegan retail realm. Hardcore kids shouldn’t miss Motive Clothing on the east coast. Vaute Couture make super awesome coats. Sudo Shoes in Boston are super nice and have a great selection. Vegan Collection belts and wallets are great. Also, Never Felt Better in Sacramento. I can’t wait to visit Nice Shoes in Vancouver someday and Sarah’s Place in Victoria. I’m sure I’m forgetting a bunch more and I’m sure there are a ton I don’t even know about.

I was reading through Reed Mangel’s new book The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book (because, in case you hadn’t heard, we’ve got a second little vegan on the way!) and came across this little nugget of info that, I admit, I hadn’t heard before:

If an ingredient listing contains the term “natural flavors,” the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) requires that, if the natural flavors are derived from animal sources, the label indicates this. The term “natural flavors” on a label without additional qualification means spices, spice extracts, or essential oils were used to flavor the food.

This goes against the conventional vegan wisdom of “natural flavors just mean they weren’t made in a laboratory, so they can be animal-or-plant derived.” I had no idea that it’ legally needs to state if any of those natural flavors come from animal sources.

This FAQ on the FSIS page seems to confirm this:

Can the terms “dried meat or poultry stocks,” “dried broth,” “meat extracts,” and “dried beef plasma” be listed on meat and poultry labels as “natural flavorings”?

No. Substances derived from animal sources must be identified as to the species of origin on the label and be consistent with the definition established by Federal regulation. For example, the listing on the label would read “dried chicken stock,” “lamb extract,” or “dried beef plasma.”

My only follow-up question would be if this includes things like dairy-derived flavoring, but there’s some clarification on that further down the page:

Can hydrolyzed animal or vegetable protein be identified as “natural flavoring” on the label?

No. FSIS regulation requires that animal or vegetable proteins must be specifically identified in the ingredient statement on the labels. The source of the protein must also be disclosed. On the label, you will read “hydrolyzed wheat protein” or “hydrolyzed milk protein,” not just hydrolyzed protein.

What Federal regulation defines what can be listed as a natural flavoring on the meat and poultry label?

On March 1, 1990, FSIS published the final rule, Ingredients That May Be Designated as Natural Flavors, Natural Flavorings, Flavors, or Flavorings When Used in Meat or Poultry Products. The rule did the following:

• Defined the ingredients, i.e., spices, spice extractives, and essential oils, that may be declared as “natural flavors” or “flavors” on meat and poultry labels.
• Required more specific listing of certain ingredients. Substances such as dried beef stock, autolyzed yeast, and hydrolyzed proteins must be listed on the label by their common or usual names because their purpose is not just for flavor. They are flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and binders.
• Required that the specific source of hydrolyzed protein be indicated on the label, for example, “hydrolyzed soy protein” or “hydrolyzed whey protein.”

Note that the title of the page with this information is “Food Safety: Natural Flavorings on Meat and Poultry Labels,” so I’m not 100% sure this applies to packaged foods like snacks and cereals, too.

Vegan RD extraordinaire Ginny Messina was interviewed over on The Thinking Vegan and it’s well worth a read. Ginny talks the standard nutrition talk, but unlike many RDs, she also discusses the ethical side of veganism. This section is particularly striking (emphasis mine):

No one knows what the exact “ideal” diet for humans is, or if there is any single diet that fits that definition. I talk with my colleagues frequently about new research and whether we need to reassess some of our recommendations or advice based on the latest findings – because ideas about the best way to eat are forever changing. Who knows what the research will be showing 40 years from now? But an ethic of justice doesn’t change. The argument in favor of animal rights today will be the same in 40 years. So why not stick with the argument that is 100 percent unassailable, the one that we never have to scramble to defend in light of new findings?

In addition, I think there is a real problem in shifting the focus of veganism away from an ethic of justice for animals toward more anthropocentric concerns. It actually reinforces the idea that our food and lifestyle choices should be all about us – a belief that lies at the center of animal exploitation.

I used to feel that people that came to veganism solely through a desire to eat healthier couldn’t be counted on to be in it for the long-haul. Natala proved me wrong. However, I do still think that at some point during a person’s transition to veganism, the ethical side of it should come into play to help reinforce one’s resolve.

(ETA the link to the interview. Oops.)

From an upcoming Playboy interview with Anthony Bourdain:

On his thoughts on vegetarians: “They make for bad travelers and bad guests. The notion that before you even set out to go to Thailand, you say, ‘I’m not interested,’ or you’re unwilling to try things that people take so personally and are so proud of and so generous with, I don’t understand that, and I think it’s rude. You’re at Grandma’s house, you eat what Grandma serves you.”

On his loathing feelings toward vegans: “I don’t have any understanding of it. Being a vegan is a first-world phenomenon, completely self-indulgent.”

Good lord. Really? It’s the hezbollah thing all over again. How hard is it to realize that there’s nothing more “completely self-indulgent” than killing and eating animals when you don’t have to?

Is it just me or has Anthony Bourdain always felt like the phoniest of the phony celebrity chefs? His persona seems so overtly manufactured. Like, I feel that Gordon Ramsay is pretty close to what you get on Kitchen Nightmares. But Bourdain has always come off like a fake jackarse mugging for the camera.

(original link via Mom)

Today marks seven years from the day I drew the line in the sand and said, “That’s it. I’m vegan.” I’d been vegetarian for four years, doing a super-gradual transition to veganism. It’s a change I haven’t regretted a single time.

More posts coming here soon.

(Also, happy 7-year veganversary to Lindsay at Vegan Chai, who went vegan on the exact same day. I cheated a bit this year, prewriting this entry the night before so that I could be the first to wish her our yearly congratulations.)

This is a guest post, written by my wife, Huyen. Several grocery stores in our area are actively advertising “healthy food tours” of their store for children to, supposedly, show them how easy and fun it is to eat good-for-you foods. Sadly, that’s not at all how this tour went.

I had a bad feeling as I committed to attending a mom’s group local grocery store “healthy choices” tour at Bloom. But I wanted to support the moms who organized the outing and I was curious how “healthy” this tour was going to be. So we met up with a few other moms and a frazzled store manager who had had a surprise visit from a health inspector prior to our group.

The manager/tour guide began in the bakery aisle (which is right next to the health food section at this particular store). I knew this was a bad sign especially as there are never any baked goods (besides some French or Italian breads) that are vegan in most grocery stores. We got a frosting demo from a bakery person and then they gave out chocolate chip cookies. The tour guide prefaced by saying, “I know this is a healthy choices tour but…” Chocolate chip cookies at 9:45 in the morning. Good, healthy, breakfast food… Not! And definitely not vegan nor allergy friendly but at least it wasn’t donuts, right? They could have easily offered up bagels or some other healthy whole grain goodness but instead we got a dessert for the breakfast hour because preschool aged, high-energy kids need a good sugar kick to start off the day right. Needless to say, my daughter and I were not a happy campers albeit for different reasons (had to quickly grab a Zbar from the health food aisles that I paid for after the tour). They supplied a sugar cookie to the one girl who had peanut allergies- thank goodness the mom asked if they were made with or near peanuts. Of course they had no alternates for vegan children. And forget gluten-free (the mom who is doing gluten-free for her family opted not to join us for this outing and I began to see the wisdom in her decision).

At least the produce was next to the bakery section so we followed along and they opened a bag of organic baby carrots for the kids. Back on the healthy track! Then they opened up a bag of non-organic carrots for the kids to compare and several kids (including mine) decided the non-organic tasted better. Sigh. But not all variables were the same- the non-organic carrots were smaller, thinner and the organic were quite fat- and I know for certain that my daughter prefers her carrots on the cute, petite side. I ate the remainder of her baby carrots and the non-organic definitely had a slightly older taste to them, even if they were cuter.

We then got a tour of a backroom where a worker was cutting up watermelon and mango slices. The kids were given both to sample but most refused the mango. I commented to a fellow Asian mom that ironically we had the Asian kids who didn’t want mango, a sweet tropical fruit that is frequently seen in Asian kitchens and dishes. The kids got a glimpse of the first of several walk-in coolers and we left the work room shivering.

From produce, we visited the seafood area and the worker at that station pulled a live lobster from the tank to show everyone. The kids were scared but slowly gathered courage to touch the lobster. He pointed out how the big claws are tightly rubber-banded together so they don’t snap or fight with each other and there are little claws that can pinch you if you are not careful. He pointed out the gender of the lobster. The worker shared facts like lobsters can live up to 6 months in his tank without any food and the lobsters are not fed because it keeps their insides clean. I think he may have also shared some details about how to prepare and cook them but I kind of zoned out at this point. Then he told an anecdote about working at a different grocery store where a woman complained about animal abuse in regards to the lobsters but she didn’t get far because there are no laws protecting against mistreatment of food-animals. He clearly did not understand why the woman was upset and felt the law supported his own belief that the lobster were not mistreated in any way. He spoke of banging on the glass to make sure the lobsters were still alive and not fighting and how he makes sure to return the lobster right-side up because they can drown in the tank if they return to the water upside-down. Interesting bit of trivia but my daughter didn’t think it was too nice that the lobster was tied up and stuck in a tank with no food. She was shocked to hear people would buy them to eat them.

From there we moved to the meat section where my daughter and I purposely got distracted in another area as they discussed meats and demonstrated some ground beef going through a mill. Of course there were no mentions of healthy, cholesterol-free, sat fat-free, tasty meat alternates like tofu, tempeh, seitan, Gardein, Boca, Yves, etc. I kept thinking, maybe they’ll talk about these items when we come to the health food section since it is a healthy choices tour and the store was beginning to label items with a special symbol to note that it is a good choice, two symbols for a “better” choice, and three symbols for the “best” choice in terms of healthiness. I was attempting to figure out what their requirements were for each symbol designation but did not quite grasp it. I should hope that with this system, the entire produce section should be labeled/rated with three healthy symbols! I have a strong suspicion it was not.

We rejoined the group to briefly peek in the dairy and ice cream cooler (by this time all the adults and children were shivering as we were dressed for 90 degree weather) and walk down the dairy aisles. Unfortunately this particular store did not have any cheese alternatives like Daiya or Follow Your Heart on display and the manager/tour guide did not mention any dairy-free options for those who are vegan or lactose intolerant. So I tried to distract my daughter from the string-cheese giveaway (when is someone going to make a vegan string cheese?!) by perusing the frozen food aisles in search of our Tofutti, So Delicious, and Amy’s.

Finally the tour group came back to the front of the store and I thought, “At last, they are going to do the healthfood section as the grand finale to this healthy eating tour!” Nope. They gave out goodie bags to the kids which had another item in it I had to find a sub for and the manager went to the health food section to point out a single product that had a coupon special to a mom who had requested it. What?!?! The mom who organized said the store was planning to reorganize to incorporate the healthfood section in with the other foods but still, they could have said that to all the moms and shown us the items in that department anyway since it was still grouped together. I cannot imagine why in the world they would skip a section that would bring in some money and promote the healthy eating image they are attempting. Clearly the manager and the store were ignorant of healthy eating options, allergy and special diet options, and we had wasted our morning on this un-veg-friendly tour that made my child feel left out and me feel angry. Needless to say, we will not be shopping at Bloom.

For more of Huyen’s writings, see her book reviews at vegbooks.org.

In my never-ending attempt to catch up on cookbook reviews, here is a trio of books that came out a while back from Surrey Books. Thanks to Surrey for sending these along for me to take a look at.

The Veganopolis Cookbook
by David Stowell & George Black
Surrey/Agate, 2010

Authors David Stowell and George Black ran the Veganopolis restaurant in Portland from 2003 to 2008. They’ve since moved to Chicago, but put together this hefty collection of recipes from the restaurant’s five-year run.

Being that these are recipes that were created to build a strong menu, they aren’t necessarily simple choices that you’ll turn to late on a Monday night. But, on a weekend with some extra time, you might want to spend the afternoon in the kitchen putting together the lasagna or Blackened Tofu Étouffée. There’s no shortage of intricate, unique, restaurant-quality dishes to be had.

Being a family that’s always eating a late dinner, we’ve only been able to try a few of the less ambitious recipes. We liked the Classic Pot Pie, but didn’t go for the spelt crust. We really enjoyed the Easy Vegan Dumplings and had good success with the simple Cabbage, Carrot, and Parsley Slaw, both served as parts of a larger meal.

There’s limited food photography and what’s there is harshly lit. Nevertheless, the food itself is the star and I suspect there’s a lot here to like for home cooks looking for something a little more advanced than the typical beginner’s vegan cookbook.

Venturesome Vegan Cooking
by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch
Surrey/Agate, 2004/2010

Originally published in 2004 as Venturesome Vegetarian Cooking, Venturesome Vegan Cooking delivers creative, whole food vegan recipes that don’t require extravagant preparation and are elegant in their simplicity. There’s nary a mock meat dish to be found and the flavors are bright and exciting.

Our successes in this book: a super simple tofu salad, the bright tasting Zippy Zingy Pasta Shell Salad, bordering-on-too-fudgey fudge pops, and the surprisingly pleasing combination of apples and kale in the Apple-Fried Greens and Orecchiette Pasta. And one of these days, I may even be extra venturesome and try the vegan haggis, something I thought only existed on the shelf at Food Fight.

The only frustrating thing in this book is that it’s VEFH (Vegan Except For Honey). Thankfully, honey’s one of those things that can be easily be subbed for, but until we stop putting honey in recipes labeled “vegan,” we’ll keep getting served items with honey by omnis that think it’s a vegan ingredient.

I highly recommend Venturesome Vegan Cooking as one of those books you’ll keep finding new inspiration in years after it’s found its way into your collection.

Vegan Baking Classics
by Kelly Rudnicki
Surrey/Agate, 2010

When I went first went vegetarian over ten years ago, I never would have thought that the day would come where I’d see a vegan baking book and say, “Wow… another one?” It’s got to be difficult for a vegan baker today to stand out with so many excellent books already on the market. Kelly Rudnicki, who you may know as Food Allergy Mama, throws her hat into the ring with Vegan Baking Classics.

As with most baking books, a few pages are spent explaining the basics of vegan baking for those that are terrified at the notion of not using eggs in their cookies. The recipes include the standard list of breads, muffins, biscuits, cookies, bars, cakes, cupcakes, pies, and “other.” There’s beautiful, simple food photography on glossy pages for the majority of recipes in the book.

Thusfar, we’ve enjoyed just about everything we’ve made. The chocolate chip brownies are a great midway between cakey and fudgey, the zucchini bread was delicious (and we subbed in half whole wheat flour), and the Heart-Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes and oatmeal muffins are two excellent go-to recipes for breakfast. Our two favorites were the Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (we added chocolate chips and used a mixture of spelt and whole wheat flour) and the chocolate chip cookies (I have yet to make a chocolate chip cookie I didn’t like). Our only dud recipe was the dinner biscuit recipe. Compared to others we’ve made in the past, the dough was really hard to work with, though the end result was tasty enough.

The one recipe I really can’t wait to make: Snickeroos. Oh man. I loved those things growing up and haven’t had one in many, many years.

Rudnicki’s book is another worthy entry into the series of vegan baking books that are likely on your shelf. Do you need another? Yeah, sure… couldn’t hurt, right? I mean, come on… Snickeroos!

Since I’ve been a slack-arse blogger again and have fallen so far behind on cookbook reviews it’s embarrassing, I thought I’d toss something up here for you to read. A few things I’ve seen recently that I think you should see, as well:

1. Deb’s Lemonade

Don’t be scared by the picture of a yellow liquid in a jar sitting on a windowsill! This is just a simple recipe for not-to-sweet lemonade. I’ve been looking for a good sour lemonade recipe and this one just about fit the bill. I used freshly squeezed lemon juice and used just a touch less than a 1/4 cup, but I think I may want to go just a touch more than a 1/4 cup next time. It’s really nice to have a lemonade that’s not completely sweet.

2. Vegan Butter Recipes

Still trying to throw off the Earth Balance shackles? Give these recipes a shot. They look pretty good. (via Sheryl, I think)

3. King Oyster Mushrooms

Anyone know where I can find these penis mushrooms? I really want to make some Baked King Oyster Mushroom Calamari.

Back in my early days of begin vegetarian, Erik Marcus was one of the first vegans I talked to and met up with. I remember meeting him for a breakfast in Ithaca when my wife and I were in town visiting Farm Sanctuary.

Erik’s always been one to try new things in terms of book promotion. A while back, I remember him giving away free PDF copies of his first book, Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. And now, he’s drastically dropped the price on his most recent book, The Ultimate Vegan Guide. The paperback price has been slashed from $14.95 to $8.95 and the Kindle price has dropped to a mere 99 cents!

Getting a 99 cent book about veganism onto a family member’s Kindle should be a great way to plant the seed in their mind. It should be interesting to see how this experiment of Erik’s works out.