vegandinner sent in a review of the Saucony Jazz shoes, and at first I was like “whoop-de-doop, a running shoe company that makes vegan-friendly footware, how rare,” but then I scrolled down a bit and found the photo of the tag that came with the shoes, and I was suitably impressed. Nice job, Saucony! Link.

An opening disclaimer: the authors of Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World are paying for ad space here, they sent me a free review copy of the book, and VP is mentioned a few times in the appendix. Still, I once got vegetables from my garden for free, and y’all are still trusting me on this whole “veganism is awesome” kick, so I’m guessing we’re cool. Read on for the review…
Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World
By Bob Torres and Jenna Torres,
Foreward by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Tofu Hound Press, 2005
$12.95 US

Vegan Freak is written by not one, but two vegans with PhDs, but it doesn’t read like a textbook or an academic paper, unless they’ve started adding F-bombs to the mix since the days when I was a student. It’s not a big vulgar swear-fest; I’m just saying that it reads in a very conversational tone. It’s like “hey, we’re vegan, you might be, or you might not be, but here’s what sucks and what rocks about it.” It’s a survival guide in a world where, most of the time, if you’re vegan, you’re viewed as a freak.

Most importantly, the book’s funny. That counts for a lot in a world filled with books that detail how bulls have their testicles removed. Those books are necessary and vital and all that (and there is a chapter in Vegan Freak called “In Which We Get All AR On You”), but as you may have guessed from reading VP for a while, I’m a fan of humour as a learning tool. As just one example, there’s a section on reasons to go vegan, and better still, a list of reasons not to go vegan, including this gem:

Others become vegan because they think it is cool, different, and radical, and that it’ll make them stand out and draw attention to them. For the record, there are easier and more effective ways to draw attention to yourself than going vegan. An old roommate of ours used to take great pleasure in pulling down his pants in front of people, bending over, and rhythm slapping his butt cheeks until they were a shiny, pimply red. This used to get him lots of attention, and we suspect that for some people, this is easier than veganism (though you might check with your local ordinances to see if this is legal where you live).

If you thought that was funny, or if you knew (or better still, *ahem* used to date) someone like that, you owe it to yourself to get this book. There’s more to it than just what I’ve mentioned, of course, such as information on navigating the grocery store, surviving social situations (including sexual ones), vegan beer, and a bunch of other stuff. If that wasn’t enough, there’s an extensive appendix of resources for more information.

Bottom line: you could do a lot worse for $12.95 US, and since I’m pretty sure there’s some kind of gift giving season coming up (because in North America, there always is), you might as well just go ahead and buy 3. Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World is an informative, educational, “funny ’cause it’s true” read. You can snag yourself a copy through their website VeganFreak.com.

As an added bonus, if you’re in the Toronto area this weekend (September 9, 10, 11), Bob and Jenna will be at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair. They’ll be doing a workshop (“Going Vegan the ‘Cold Tofu’ Approach”) at noon on Saturday, followed by a book signing at 1.

I may never leave the house again, if only because I suspect I soon won’t fit through the door: Look what we just found at the grocery store.

kunsjoi sent in a small travel guide to Iran for vegetarians. While “in Iran, people who abstain from meat are regarded as abnormal” doesn’t make for the most enticing lead-in, the author has a lot of nice things to say about the cuisine, at least if you’re vegetarian – there’s a lot of dairy in the article, which I guess is understandable if the author is stuck in the “where else do you get your protein” dark ages (scientists only discovered plant-based protein in late 2004, if I remember correctly), but I draw the line at a thing called Doogh, which attempts to mix my beloved club soda with yoghurt. Even though Ange is away right now and I have soy yoghurt in the fridge and a seltzer bottle in the cupboard, that’s just too nasty sounding.

Tommy Gun wrote in to let me know that not only did he get a new domain for his web stuff including the craziest vegan video ever, but he’s also got a decent Steer Madness review and guide page going. Steer Madness, if you’ve been living under a rock, is the AR-themed video game that runs on PCs and Macs, and it’s doing well enough that they sold out of their first run, and I had to hold onto this post until they made more so I could be sure I could order a copy for myself!

X-Entertainment reviews a Swanson breakfast: “a stench lifted from the microwave – it was like nothing I’ve smelled before. It was the kind of odor that had me preparing to lift the wallet off the four-week-old corpse I was about to find. But this stench! This stench was no corpse! This stench was breakfast!” (via Smaak)

You know, the Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair is pretty cool and all, but I always felt that something was missing. I now know what that elusive “something” is: extreme body piercing. The best part about this nine day vegetarian festival is probably its location: Phuket. Say it with me: Phuket. Ahhhh…

For those of you in the Portland, Oregon area – and I believe there are a few of you – we’re serving up a fresh dish of pro-vegan news this morning thanks to this article in the Oregonian. I keep hearing good thing about that place, but maybe that’s just the effect of ongoing propaganda from Josh Hooten, who’s quoted in the story, and who has been known to make a certain magazine and several fine t-shirts. He certainly didn’t make this shirt, although we both had a good head-shake over it. “Save Cows, Eat Cheese?” My appreciation for popular culture diminishes by the hour.

People ask me why I work in a resource centre, and frankly, it’s because I like to rummage through other people’s things*. That’s how I find the good stuff, like Lickin’ the Beaters: Low-Fat Vegan Desserts, the craziest cook book this side of Sarah and Tanya’s. There are illustrations by eight different artists, and I swear to tofu, the first page I flipped to had a bit that said “My tongue likes bananas, not milk men.” I of course have no idea what that means, but I’m thinking that this is a cookbook with punch, and while I haven’t had a chance to try anything (not actually having my own copy yet is a factor), the sample pages on the website make me want to go to the grocery store right now to pick up some vanilla in a serious way. (* No, not really. If I did that I’d know where the pens were. The book was out in the open. Honest.)

Welcome to day two of my virtual holiday! If you recall, yesterday was spent in Tokyo, Japan, and today I’m seeing the sights in Centre Neptune, or “Center” Neptune, if you prefer. Email continues to find me, no matter what the location, and lately I’ve been deluged, as they say in times of delugement, with reports of veggie businesses. I don’t know much about Prima Vega‘s food, but their site uses a wicked orange, so judge for yourself. I’ve also heard from Vegetarian Hosting, and a quick look at their site suggests that they host web sites, so if you’re just looking for a couch on which to crash, keep looking. One company I do have (extensive) first hand knowledge of is Friendly Foods, who make vegan brownies that are like, really good, you know, when you really want a, um, brownie? Yeah. Ok, it’s pretty clear I don’t know what I’m talking about re: Prima and Veg Hosting, but I’ve tasted the brownies and lived to tell the tale. They rock.