Vegan Mofo: The Highlight of the Year!

OK, so this is not strictly about food but it is about a food festival - the 14th Annual Boston Veg Food Festival, to be specific!

It's coming up at the end of this month and this year it's extended to 2 days! Saturday Oct 31st and Sunday November 1st will see me - and My Beloved - in Boston living the life. The vegan life! Because, although the organizers plump for the term 'vegetarian', the festival is vegan to the core. Dr Michael Greger will be there, as will Dr Caldwell Esselstyn and Lauren Ulm along with Zoe Weil, Emilie Hardman, stand-up comedians Myq Kaplan and Zach Sherwin, Stella Zhou and Dr Paulette Chandler.

Past favorites of mine have included Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, Sarah Kramer, T. Colin Campbell and Hannah Kaminsky, so you see it is a star-studded event!

Betweeen the munching and the sampling and the learning and the meeting of new folks...oh and the munching - did I mention that?????...it is going to be an awesome weekend so, if you are near Boston, why not drop in and say 'Hi!'? For the New England area, it is the vegan highlight of the year!

Stay well and stay vegan friends! :)

A Delivery from May Wah!

Just the thing to lift sagging spirits... a delivery from May Wah!

A couple of weekends ago at the Boston Veg Food Festival we were treated to samples of vegan chicken, beef, shrimp and the like and really enjoyed them. Just for a change, not as an everyday food. OK, I guess it is a bit strange to be munching on a vegan chicken leg and really enjoying it, but it was the taste and texture that did it for me. And, of course, I never said that I didn't like the taste of meat...I just can't stomach the taste of cruelty.

And so it was with no small measure of glee that I enjoyed this for lunch:



My Beloved opted for less fat (I know, I know, there's a lesson in that for me) and got a heaping serving of channa masala and tofu saag. Believe me, it tasted divine.



OK, fast forward to last Sunday evening. My Beloved and I were reliving the high spots of the BVFF and decided to check out May Wah's website. We ended up ordering mainly 'seafood' but with some 'chicken' thrown in for good measure. Having duly noted our vegan status in the comments box, we sat back and waited.

Today is Tueday.

And look what was on the front door step when we got home:



Ohhhh, the excitement...



The tension mounts...



The final lineup...



Vegan chicken, codballs, tuna, prawns, salmon and crab.

Isn't that amazing?

Yes, it's true that it's not a good thing to have these as staples for your diet. But they won't be, they're just treats and are now safely stashed away in the freezer! All of which means that it's now time to get back to my pot of thoroughly healthy puy lentil soup with fresh rosemary and thyme, which is simmering on the stove. So, for this evening, I bid you Good Night and stay vegan, friends!

Avocados do not have rectums....

....whaaaaa???

Yes, that was the Quote of the Day at yesterday's Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. My Beloved and I managed to get there right on time and boy was it ever worth getting up early on a Saturday morning! The day started with a talk by Sarah Kramer on travelling as a vegan and she is so entertaining - funny, erudite, snappy, with a terrific presence and a good heaping measure of plain old common sense. She is exactly the sort of person you wish was your next door neighbour, your BFF or your older sister.





No papparazzi, sweetie!!!



But no, the above quote is not attributable to Sarah!

Next up was a legend in the vegan community: T. Colin Campbell. I was so honored to hear him speak and he did not disappoint. The room was packed - and I mean that there were people ranged along all of the walls (several layers deep), others sitting on laps, the gangways were packed with those who chose the floor and still others were crushed in the doorways, just to catch a glimpse. Professor Campbell was the first speaker that day to receive a standing ovation, so that pretty much tells you how thrilled the audience was. His presentation focused largely on how The China Study came about, his work with malnourished children in the Philippines and was very by its nature fairly dense with medical and scientific data. My Beloved loved it and is now interested in reading The China Study, so I'll have to procure a copy for him......



But, no once more, the above quote is not attributable to him either!!

Following Professor Campbell's talk, we were hooked. We stayed for all of the others throughout the afternoon and were alternately charmed by Karen Dawn, greatly entertained and enlightened by Dr. Michael Greger and delighted in Hannah Kaminsky.






Apologies for the terrible pix, but I truly could not get closer. And besides which, I was just so thrilled to have the chance to listen to these folks, I kind of forgot about camera angles....

Karen Dawn is very Californian and incredibly media-savvy. She is a true professional and you can just feel the passion oozing out of her. Highly energized and energizing, it is a privilege to spend time with her. Michael Greger is one of life's born teachers: the kind of peson you dream of having as your professor at university, but sadly never do! He's incredibly well informed and 100% up to date on his material, has all of the facts at his fingertips, knows the research inside out and has the charisma of the showman. His presentation was very audience-focused, with a lot of very dense information imparted in thoroughly entertaining ways. I would drive a fair few hours to hear him speak again!

Sadly, I have no photos of Hannah. Her spot was right at the close of the festival but still the room was packed. She presents as someone who is perhaps somewhat under-confident, but I think that's completely due to her tender age. There is no doubt that she was intimidated by appearing before so many people but I sense that she will grow into the role nicely and prove to be a wonderfully engaging and attractive advocate for veganism. I am excited to see how life develops for her.....

OK, I have tons more to say but it is cold here in my study and I am longing to curl up under the duvet(s) and read through some of the literature I picked up at the festival. So, you'll have to wait for Part Deux tomorrow, when I will indeed reveal who said: 'Avocados do not have rectums!'

Until then, gentle readers, stay vegan. Friends!
:)

Public Service Announcement..well, not really.....

Oh yes, I meant to say...the countdown to the Boston Vegetarian Society Food Festival has started.



It is on Nov. 1st 2008 and is going to be brilliant!

Amongst others last year I met Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Erin Williams, and I know that Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero were there too. Star-studded!!!!!!

This year I understand that celebs include - but are not limited to - Sarah Kramer, T. Colin Campbell and Hannah Kaminsky. Check it out here!

Also the food is outstanding, atmosphere uplifting and sense of celebration is palpable.

I cannot wait!

If you are in New England on Nov. 1st, attend the BVS FF...you're pretty much guaranteed a great time. Maybe I'll see you there?????

Stay Vegan, Friends!