Restaurant review: Flavors of Asia

So this will be the post where I'm going to completely ignore that I haven't blogged in 'x' amount of time. I've been wanting to get back to it for awhile, then get put off by the fact I haven't in so long.

To start again I'll start out with a restaurant review because I've been going out to eat more (when before I would go over months without it). Now I seem to be around more people who love this activity (going out to eat), and don't mind checking out vegan friendly places. Even though I still seem to be stuck in Buffalo, this reviews about Flavors of Asia which is located in Rochester NY.

Initially I was concerned about their ambiguous menu which didn't mention which dishes had dairy or egg product specifically; just a shady 'vegetarian' section that listed clearly a few oyster dishes under it. Not a good start. A few people in my party told me that they've been here before, and all you have to do is make it clear to the server the items you can't have, and they would direct you to dishes that would work.

That theory was proved correct. I'm used to servers looking exasperated at the list of items I won't consume, but just smiled and nodded his head then brought up the word 'vegan' before I had to. I was assured the pad thai (my #1 choice) was vegan, and so went ahead and ordered it, and the table ordered some steamed edamame as well as an appetizer.

The edamame came with some green tea and both were magnificent. Most of the folks with me had never tried it, but 3 out of 4 of them found a new food they liked. With all of us eating them, there still was about half a bowl left over. Which gives you a little glimpse into how the main meal went, portion wise.

Although it was slightly under seasoned for my taste, it was delicious. The vegetables and rice noodles were cooked perfectly. This (apologetically bad) photo here was taken from my phone after I finished eating it. All in all, there ended up being enough for 5 meals in the one thing I ordered (though the last meal I made a little spinach salad with it). That isn't even including the two huge bowls of white rice that they also gave us, that nobody ended up touching, and didn't bother to bring home.

It was almost good enough for me to wish I was in Rochester more often! Almost.

More free stuff for you to try and win!

Vegancraftastic is having a give-away for a free copy of The Vegan Scoop by Wheeler del Torro. All you have to do is leave a comment here saying your favorite ice cream flavor! Yum!

Veganetsy give away!

The fifth Veganetsy team give away has started! All you need to do is head over here and follow the directions! This time it's all about food! Hurry you only have until July 23rd!

The winner gets a great prize bag filled with many great Veganetsy team member's goods, including some of my own!

Sample me this

It was like the ultimate countdown for me until the famous vegan sample boxes went on sale. (The only thing that made the wait speed up a bit was taxes being due then also). I was more excited to buy one of these then I am for my birthday. So it is almost unimaginable that this thing could top my expectations.

But it did.

Even the post person realized this box was of great importance, because he rung my bell and made sure it got into my hands; telling me it looked special. Like he could feel the awesome vibes omitting from it.

Like a five year old I ran back inside clutching my box and tore it open without preamble. I was to blinded by my excitement that I didn't even get a picture to put up for everyone. All the hunks of soap and bath soaks released their delicious aromas the second it was opened. I took out a gorgeous hand painted and sewn bag by Holistically Heather and couldn't decide what to look at first! So many awesome creative artists exceeded my expectations that it is almost impossible to pick a favorite. There was magnets, cloth pads, washcloths, temporary 'vegan' tattoos, jewelry, bath teas, wrist bands, soap and LOTS of coupons. I can get dozens of discounts on so much more craft goodies in the weeks to come. Also in a twist of fate, one of my rings that I had sent into for this, that I had missed and ran out of the same beads for; came back to me!

Plus a portion of proceeds go to charity, so all this AND I'm helping others. Get one while they are still there!

The second Veganetsy giveaway!

The second Veganetsy team giveaway is under way right now!

This time around you pick one item using the 'veganetsy team' search word to find an item starring an animal commonly associated as a food. You can click here to find all the details and enter; all you need is a blogger account.

The prize is a sample pack of veganetsy goods which includes many awesome crafters.

Bike ridding for Farm Sanctuary

Josh Hooten of Herbivore Clothing, is planning a bike ride of about 600 miles to raise money for Farm Sanctuary. The ride will be taking place the first week in May, and you can support him and Farm Sanctuary by going to first giving. Also from that page, you can link to his blog and find out more, and also find out more about Farm Sanctuary as well.

Peppermint hot cocoa

This year I once again, majorly failed at stocking up Vitasoy Peppermint Chocolate soymilk, which has arguably the best workings for a hot cup of cocoa. So with one lonely soymilk sitting on my shelf, I decided I would try and recreate my own recipe. The result was awesome, and I think I like it even more then the packaged stuff (gasp). What makes it even better though, is that you can make sure your chocolate is fair trade and ethical. If you don't have coconut milk, you could probably sub out something else creamy like a soy creamer, if you buy those things? Or good old H2O if you get really desperate. I just had some opened in the fridge that I needed to use up.

Peppermint hot chocolate

1/2 cup sugar (I use raw stuff that needs to dissolve, so the instructions are geared towards that)

1/4 cup fair trade baking cocoa (I like equal exchange)

1/8 cup coconut milk

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon of peppermint flavor extract

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

4 cups soy or almond milk (not the sweetened stuff)

Heat up coconut milk, water, and sugar over medium heat in a saucepan until hot. Add in cocoa and cinnamon, and stir until mixed and boiling. Reduce heat, and add in soy or almond milk and extracts making sure to heat, but not boil again.

Serve with optional soy whip and sprinkles and extra cinnamon.

Makes about 3 big mugs. The extra stores really well in an empty tomato sauce jar. Just shake and re-heat.

Vegan Etsy team give away

The first of the Vegan Etsy Team give away has started! You can go here to find out all the details, and how to play this round. Winner gets a dog treat cookbook by Emma's K9 Kitchen, and a collar charm from Starrlight Jewelry.

Good luck!

Positive Activism

As the welfarist movement becomes more sexist and racist with each stunt they pull, perhaps a brief discussion of some positive forms of activism might be worthwhile. Because at the end of the day it's not about how much publicity you can achieve, but how many folks you can get to understand that other beings aren't ours to use, consume, torture, and abuse.

Educate
Yourself first, so you can better help educate others in the future. If you're new to abolition animal rights; I would suggest starting out with Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights, by Bob Torres; followed closely with Animals as Persons: Essays on the Abolition of Animal Exploitation by Gary L. Francione.

Engage in a dialog
With your neighbor, best friend, the person ringing up the vegetable that asked you what it was and how you "use" it. Places NOT for this however, is at a table full of flesh and the like. And have literature on hand to give away for that unplanned conversation you got into because of your 'Animal Liberation' tee-shirt.

Bake and share
Seems silly and easy, but a few dozen cookies and brownies brought into work or a late night study group can work wonders. So many people think that veganism is about "giving up" all these things, and constantly give me this as reasons why they could never be vegan. Showing folks that there's nothing to give up is a great way to positively advocate for veganism.

Leaflet
Even if you just find time to do it an hour every other week, you can reach so much people. And if you bring friends and cookies, it's really not that hard at all. Vegan Outreach has some great ones, or just make your own.

Display info in public areas

The eco-savvy route of leafleting. Any place there is a public board--the library, coffee shop, co-op; put up an eye-catching little flier with information.

Focus on your strengths, and be creative

You know that thing that they teach us in kindergarten; everyone is good at something? Well, it's true, and you can use that to achieve the best form of advocacy. Whether it's painting, writing, baking, talking-- whatever you are good at; think of ways you can convert that into activism.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Monday's music of the moment: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Currently I seem to be lost in the punk/alternative style of them. They guitar is awesome, and the lyrics are politically charged perfect lines that could double as poetry. This is one of the few cases where some of the older stuff is just as good as the new. I haven't heard a song I didn't like yet, which is also rare.

Also, if you are into buying it; while I'm usually a big fan of the instant iTunes set-up, if you purchase it from the Touch and Go Records website they donate a portion of the profits to Food not Bombs and Democracy Now!.

The Angel's Share:

Down again-it seems a losing fight
Yet, down again, I sit, to try to write
An open letter to a President
Or melodies to help a girl pay rent
(We saved and saved, only to find them spent).

Vegan Samples

For any vegan crafters out there, Holistically Heather is putting together a little sample pack full of vegan crafting goodness. It is a great way to promote your work! Check it out :

http://www.vegansamples.blogspot.com/

The Fallout

Monday's music of the moment: The Fallout

The newest addition to my iPod would have to be a few of this bands songs, particularly from their second album, Dismantlement.

It's pretty straight forward punk; maybe a mix between a slower, less revved up Good Clean Fun and some sloppy Green Day chords, but their lyrics are smart and it's pretty entertaining to listen to. My favorite songs are probably 'Riot Boys' and 'Bread and Freedom'. You can hear some of their stuff here, if you want a bigger listen than what iTunes lets you hear before you buy.

Celebrities are an odd set of people

So in case somehow in your vegan bubble it escaped your attention (though doubtful)-- Oprah is totally going vegan.

For a month.

Lots of vegans couldn't be happier at this turn of events; but I'm, of course, extremely dissatisfied and practically offended. It would be one thing if there was just the statement that she was going vegan. Fine. That's great. The more the merrier, one down, only billions more people to go.

But for one, there is a deadline, and a pathetically short one at that. If some dude came up to me and said, you know- I'm going to reject sexism for a whole month!, I wouldn't exactly be doing cartwheels. And correspondingly I'm not now. I guess compassion is only good less then ten percent of the year? SO odd.

She isn't doing it to be compassionate anyways, though. It's this "cleansing" thing from a book Kathy Freston wrote that is so hippish, it has me shuddering. Admittedly, I've only seen the offhand soundbite on Ellen or Oprah that other folks have tagged for me, but that has been enough.

Freston was on Ellen explaining the whole book (in ten minutes or less) and she was perfectly complacent with a situation where a person would just pick one day of the week to go meatless ("Meatless Mondays" was her suggestion). I get people sometimes need a starting point, but that is ridiculous. Maybe Mondays will be my meatless day, Tuesdays will totally be all about rejecting racism, Wednesdays will be my super feminist day... you obviously get the picture. It's insane, and other being deserve more then that.

To top it all off, Oprah is making this big production of all that she's giving up, and a lot of the things have nothing to do about veganism. Caffeine, sugar (alright, some types), glutton--nothing to do with veganism. So understandably, it is just confusing the issue even more. My mom called me up, in fact, to tell me I've been doing it wrong all along-Oprah isn't drinking coffee because it's not vegan--and if I've been "cheating" all these years anyways, why won't I enjoy a little ice cream with her? This is me, banging my head against the wall.

Oh! And Pink is standing up for puppies!! Finally, folks are standing up for beings that have no one advocating for them.

I love NYC, and... yes, I think it loves me

This post is extremely delayed in coming, but the semester ending and having to do essentially "make-up" shifts for work (ie, apparently taking one weekend off a month means you have to be able to work everyone else's shift that can't make it for the next five weeks) has left me extremely busy.

But---the Baruch debate tournament was a giant success for everyone (okay! the two active Buffalo debaters!!) on the UB Debate team, and even most of Rochester's team as well. Even more then the technically successful front (I haven't ever made it to semi-finals...), I just had so much fun. Genuine, all out fun. Something that I really had lost, especially last year, and am still brimming with excitement about, even now, weeks latter. I love the stuff we're talking about, cutting our own evidence, and even, not carrying around tubs (though it does pose a slight problem-one expando can only hold so many crazy liberal vegan bumper stickers...).

And to top the debate portion off-we were in New York City, and a half a mile from the nearest all veg place, and so after the last round I googled the nearest place and set off. I went to Curly's Vegetarian Lunch (http://www.curlyslunch.com/)- and was shell shocked with all of my dining options. Seriously, I forgot what it was like to have legitimate dining options. I get excited when I see hummus on a menu so this... was almost to much to take it. The waitress was clearly annoyed with how long I was taking, but I was determined in my fight not to be rushed. Even with the extra time, I think I made a rash decision and ordered the BBQ seitan meal specifically because it had three vegan hush puppies. Oh, they were well worth it though-the only sad thing is I really forget how I don't really eat meals so much anymore, but rather munch on stuff every other hour. Some carrots here, nuts two hours latter, a banana, then some cous-cous. So of course, after I ate the hush puppies I was depressingly full (even though I had thought I had pre-gamed a bit and not ate anything during the last debate), and only nibbled on the wild rice, chili, and the main course. That did not stop me from ordering some cake and taking everything to go and eating it during the rest of the time in the city (as a side note-chili should not be packaged in with anything--it just turns it the whole meal into a big spicy bean mess--a delicious mess; but a mess).

Even with my solitary adventure that filled my vegan tummy up like it hasn't seen in awhile, I was able to make it to the arranged meeting spot fifteen minutes early (which I neurotically view as on time). And then feel incredibly stupid and akward when the bus came twenty minutes latter and no one else had showed up. As the bus driver opened the door and asked me where everyone was (because I would totally be the one that would posess the info where the entire Rochester folk were), it dawned on me what sort of complete dork I was. Here everyone's out partying in the city after a hard but successful day of de-bates, then there is me; holding my vegan cake and Angela Davis book at the pick up location ten minutes early. What is even maybe a bigger testimate is the fact I still think the entire time was well spent. C'est la vie.

Naked Juice is... safe

http://www.nakedjuice.com/

While wandering Tops the other day, I found some ridiculously overpriced, but otherwise completely tasty looking bottles of juice proudly declaring themselves free from extra sugar and otherwise unnatural-ness. They only have about five ingredients per bottle, and the only shaddy-ness was the dreaded natural flavors; so I sent them my concerned polite e-mail inquiring whether natural was just fancy talk for animal.

They replied with unusual speed and interest in my question, but I think the funny part is instead of just saying, ''nope, no animal proteins in anything ('cept predictably enough the Protein Zone one)''--they told me it was safe. Aww--safe. I feel like someone has hugged me. I suppose I can even get over the temporary weird feeling of consuming something named Naked Juice for this.