vegansaurus!

[can’t see the video? watch it at vegansaurus.com!]

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine* (PCRM) released the above commercial totally and morbidly dissing McDonald’s after a recent study they conducted shows just how unhealthy McDonald’s food is. And McDonald’s is pissed!:

This commercial is outrageous, misleading and unfair to all consumers. McDonald’s trusts our customers to put such outlandish propaganda in perspective, and to make food and lifestyle choices that are right for them.

Outrageous and outlandish? Them’s fightin’ words! But PCRM’s findings are pretty scary. The Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese has 42 grams of fat, 740 calories, 155 milligrams of cholesterol, and 1,380 milligrams of sodium. HOLY CRAP! Check out that sodium number! Good lord. Even the sweetly permissive USDA only recommends up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, and that’s counting foods with naturally occurring sodium (although mostly those are dairy products, ew).

Other people are backing McDonald’s in this time of need, including the Wall Street Journal community. So far, 54 percent of them say the ad is unfair! Wah! BTW, I say we go over and vote. Give them some perspective! Our Meave had a few words to say in response to this:

Of course the WSJ crowd is voting it “unfair”; readers of the WSJ are [stereotypically] super-capitalist, super-individualist Randies who’d be libertarians if they weren’t so into government breaks for big corporations. “We are responsible for our own decisions,” says a commenter, as though anyone can make a good decision without pertinent information. UGH.

Besides, this Question of the Day isn’t asking, “Is McDonald’s responsible for all heart disease, ever?” or “Should the government expand healthcare to cover people who ONLY EAT MCDONALD’S BECAUSE THEY ARE STUPID POOR FATTY FAT FATS WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER?” It’s an AD CAMPAIGN. And one might think that WSJ readers, being on the whole very staunchly pro-business, would support the right of an organization to run whatever ad campaign it so chose. I suppose that when that ad campaign comes into conflict with the interests of a major international corporation, WSJ readers would rather see the big, profitable corporation continue to dominate.

Everyone’s favorite, Eater, had a bit to say in McDonald’s defense, calling the ad “a crazy new commercial” by PCRM, adding that

PCRM is known for their somewhat insane vegan agenda—back in May, they wrote a press release advising KFC to follow the same guidelines the FDA sets out for tobacco producers and not advertise near schools and put a warning label on Double Downs. In this this ad, they recommend “Tonight, make it vegetarian.”

Somewhat insane vegan agenda? Duck and cover! But then the example they give sounds very sane to me, considering another study showing how fast-food chains target children and then feed them horrible crap.

Now, if you are a vegan anything like me, you love your vegan cupcakes and vegan fried food. It’s like we always say, vegan doesn’t equal healthy. But we’re not talking about cupcakes; we’re talking about POISON. Remember Super Size Me? This stuff will kill you! And the main difference is that they don’t want to tell you. Vegansaur Jordan was just saying the other day that she will tell you in plain language that her vegan cupcakes are far from vitamin bars. And if PCRM wants you to know about the nutrition information of McDonald’s food and its ramifications on your health, what is so “unfair” about that?

*Disclosure: Our Laura has worked on contract for PCRM in the past.

Interested in doing some immediate good? Participate in tonight’s Peanut Butter Plan sandwich-making party! RSVP at the Facebook event page, and meet at 116 Noe St. (between 14th and Henry Streets) at 7:30 p.m. to make some sandwiches!

Hang on, what is the Peanut Butter Plan? It is simple genius, is what: once a month, people get together to make pb&j sandwiches and distribute them. To whom? Well, to hungry people. PBP Founder Jory John gives a more detailed explanation.

Your Vegansaurus likes it because generally pb&js are animal-free, as well as nutritionally balanced and very good to eat. If you have the time tonight, definitely go and help out. One particularly irritating vegan stereotype is that we value animals over humans, which, OK, sometimes is true, because a lot of humans are big jerks! But starving people? Starving people at least deserve a vegan sandwich, and here’s your chance to help out! Now go! RSVP and go before I’m forced to make a “spread the love” pun and die of shame!

[photo by boeke on Flickr!]

This sweet baby right here is everything you ever wanted from an “all man-made materials” shoe, promising flights of fancy not yet seen in this world like unicorn rides, or my acceptance to grad school. Just leave some 8.5s for me!

Get them at Modcloth for $49.99.

[This guest post was brought to you by the inimitable Kate Dollarhyde!]

What comes to mind when you think of god (or God, depending) showing signs that he exists? Is it a bleeding statue of the virgin Mary somewhere? Is it the face of Jesus in a potato, a pice of toast, or a grain of wood?

Whatever you are thinking, YOU ARE WRONG!

When some higher power decides to prove he (or she. I don’t know!) is the real deal and kicking it up in the sky somewhere he (or, again, she) knows that the way to get our attention is with ADORABLE KITTENS. And the way to do that is by writing CAT in the FUR OF A CAT! How meta is that?!

Polly is a tabby, and apparently all tabbies have an “M” on their foreheads, which has something to do with the virgin Mary and/or the prophet Mohammed. Polly was recently adopted from a local shelter and is now enjoying the high life with a middle-aged British couple.

Just another reason why adopting animals from shelters is awesome. If rescuing an animal who has not has had an awesome life isn’t enough, now you can look forward to messages from god. AND ADORABLENESS!

The Humane Society wants us to know that eggs from the farmers market can come from hens treated just as terribly as hens that supply eggs for supermarkets. Many of you are probably like, “duh,” but before I became vegan, I was unaware of this sort of thing. I even assumed “organic” automatically meant humane! But it’s just not so.  Side note: that was actually why I initially became vegan, because if you don’t go directly to the farm, you just don’t know how the animals are treated. But I can’t be running around on farms everyday just so I can eat omelets! I’ve got work to do and dance moves to perfect!

Last week, the Humane Society sent letters to California’s farmers markets asking them to forbid the sale of eggs from caged hens: “To increase food safety, improve animal welfare, and to meet the expectations of their consumers, we hope California’s farmers markets will stop allowing their well-earned ‘halo effect’ to extend to companies and products that don’t deserve it.” LGBT Compassion regularly protests the live-chicken vendors at Heart of the City Farmers Market—did you know that these hens aren’t protected by California’s poultry slaughter laws?

Of course cage-free doesn’t necessarily mean the hen can go outside or anything silly like that, but they generally* do have enough room to spread their wings and actually move in general. And as the Humane Society points out, “cage-free” also means safer, according to the last 10 studies on the subject.

In other egg-recall news, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says consumer notification systems in food-recalls are plain janky. She says it’s imperative for their health that people get up-to-date information and they should be notified within 24 hours of any recall. I’m going to have to cosign this movement as I was talking to friends just last weekend who had heard jackshit about the egg recall. Dang it! I love most of my friends! I don’t want them to die from Salmonella!

Does anyone else remember the E. coli outbreak in spinach in 2006? When I went to Whole Foods around then, every single bag of spinach had an E. coli warning—have they done that with the eggs? I don’t know, I don’t buy eggs, but I doubt it. And you know why? Politics!

That’s right, in the world of food safety, corruption abounds. A survey released yesterday by the Union of Concerned Scientists showed that almost half of the scientists and inspectors at the federal agencies in charge of food safety say big business and congress has interfered in their work. This was a problem under the Bush administration and apparently there’s been little improvement under Obama. From the LA Times:

“What we found is that action is needed to curtail interference in science, both political and that driven by the private sector,” said Francesca Grifo, director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “We have two very different agencies giving very identical responses, and this suggests the need for broad reform.”

Inspectors responding to the survey reported pressure from their own agencies to make problems disappear and to help offending companies remain open even when there are clear violations. So basically, we’re screwed! Business over safety, that’s the American way.

Speaking of business and corruption, Grist had a good piece yesterday about the crazy egg empire of Jack DeCoster. DeCoster owns Wright County Egg, one of the egg factories subject to the recall, and according to Grist writer Tom Philpott, he’s “one of the most reviled figures in industrial agriculture.” DeCoster views violating food safety laws as no big deal, and paying fines as another part of doing business. OMG this guy rules! Wright County Egg is only the ninth-largest egg producer in the U.S. BUT! DeCoster may very well be numero uno of the egg market! BUT! It’s very confusing! Philpott tries to get to the bottom of it:

[There are] four large egg producers—DeCoster Family Farms (Wright County Egg), Hillandale Farms, Ohio Fresh Eggs, and Quality Eggs of Maine—which [are] controlled by or have extremely intimate links with Jack DeCoster. The Cal-Maine list of the largest U.S. egg producers puts the hen flocks of DeCoster Family Farms, Hillandale, and Ohio Fresh at 9 million, 14 million, and 7.6 million, respectively. It doesn’t list Quality Egg of Maine, but the Boston Globe says it keeps 5 million hens…. [T]hat amounts 35.6 million hens under management by companies owned by or tightly linked with DeCoster—more than 10 percent of the nation’s total flock (340 million).

Philpott is not done yet but I’ll keep you updated. God bless his tireless soul!

I know our vegan readers don’t buy eggs, but many of our friends and loved ones do. One thing we can do is get them hip to the farmers market jive and tell them to always ask egg vendors if the hens are cage-free, and to ask farmers market organizers if they allow eggs from caged hens. I find that even when omnivores don’t care how animals are treated, many of them are über-scared of food-borne illnesses so the increased danger caused by small cages is a good thing to make them aware of. Everybody now: BABY STEPS!

*This is an update. Cage-free doesn’t necessarily mean they can spread their wings or anything superfluous like that. FYI.

[Top image from Animalvisuals.org; click to see full chart. Bottom from Grist]

Stonestown Galleria Farmer’s Market
Sundays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of the Stonestown Galleria mall, at 19th Avenue between Eucalyptus and Winston Drives.

After moving to San Francisco three months ago, I’ve come to refer to my Sunday excursions as “free breakfast.” The many bread-bakers and fruit-sellers at Stonestown Galleria set out platters of samples, and sometimes approach you with tongs and chunks of their goods; the prepared-food vendors seem extremely interested in giving you a taste. And for good reason—they know that you’ll find it hard not to walk away with their product.

If you have ever visited a farmer’s market in San Francisco, you’ve probably encountered the Afghan culinary delight Bolani. These people shove tender, flaky, stuffed breads topped with unctuous and flavorful spreads at you like they think you’re starving. Only one of the spreads contain dairy, the breads are all vegan, and they even have butter-free baklava. A few stands down, Tofu Yu—tasty local soy products—and Sukhi’s—Indian snacks and condiments, with a delectable jalapeno chutney—will also press samples on you. The Hummus Guy is actually “manned” by a woman, whom I used to avoid: She seemed like the cat lady of hummus, hunched protectively over her various tubs veggie-based salads and spreads, surrounded by bags of pita chips; but when I lingered long enough she offered to let me try whatever I wanted, and was quite kind—her roasted red pepper dip is impressive, though everything I tried was great. The Nago Foods booth is also on that aisle, and sells miso salad dressings, with samples drizzled over little cups of greens—only one of their dressings is vegan, but if you’re munching your way down the aisle, you might as well. Across the market, M&CP Farms have apparently been growing olives in Orland, Calif. for the past 50 years; you can find them here every other Sunday. They don’t just grow, brine and sell some remarkably delicious olives of quite a variety, but they put almost all of them out for sampling, as well as a couple other pickled items and a few spreads. One or two contain cheese, but everything else is vegan: spicy olives, dry-cured olives, almond-stuffed olives, lime olives, just to name a few. If you can coordinate your visit, do not miss this stand. The dudes that run it are super-nice, too, always ready with crackers topped with tapenade.

Probably the only vendor this market lacks is a good vegan dessert—the cupcake lady here only does vegan ones on special advance order. But that leads me to the fruit—every type you can imagine. The fruit vendors are too numerous to name, but I enjoy visiting Malik Ranch for this farmer’s dried fruits as well as various almonds available to try. I particularly appreciate this stand as he actually lists his ingredients for his flavored almonds on the bags, in clear view, and practically all of them are vegan.

If you visit this market, I also recommend you try some of the unusual Asian vegetables. They are extremely cheap and I have yet to be disappointed by an exotic leafy green, even when I didn’t know what it was called (though of course it doesn’t hurt to ask the seller for advice on preparation). Heaps of ginger, garlic, lemongrass, okra leaves and Japanese eggplants dominate your view. From shiitake mushrooms to squash to chard to cauliflower, I rarely have trouble finding the veggie I’m looking for.

Now let’s get to the hot food stands, the real jewel in the crown. The omnipresent Kettle Corn guy is here, as well as a couple Southern-food stands (one actually has a vegan gumbo which is mostly okra, and not bad at all), waffles, and the Pie Press, which sells savory pies, apparently with vegan crusts but rarely vegan fillings; perhaps we should lobby her. The standout is definitely Happy Dumpling, which virtually always has a line, even at 9 a.m. Upon seeing the stand for the first time, with its prominent sign that said “Islamic Chinese lamb kabobs,” I had little hope for the place. However, I’m eternally grateful that I asked, because their vegetarian dumplings as well as their green onion pancake are vegan. The first time I had the dumplings, stuffed with minced, deliciously seasoned veggies and clear yam noodles, my mind was pretty much blown. Best of all, they’re incredibly cheap—$2 for three large dumplings. They are on the soft, doughy side, with a crispy fried exterior, and best dunked in the vinegar and soy sauce available at the condiments table. I recently I tried the green onion pancake but was less impressed. It’s basically crispy-fried thin dough with some green onions folded in—a good conveyance for Thai sweet chili sauce, but not too remarkable on its own, though pulling the layers apart better revealed the flavor of the onions. It’s still a great deal at $2, especially if you are craving something greasy.

I think if Happy Dumpling didn’t dominate the hot food market, Indian Gourmet would likely have a huge line also, because based on the samples they set out of chewy, incredibly fresh naan and dishes like chana masala, mixed vegetables and vegan saag, their culinary skills are quite impressive. Even better, their extensive menu—which includes samosas, wraps, platters and subsi/dal to go in a tub for $5—clearly indicates the vegan item.

I have to admit I rarely eat at the hot food vendors, mainly because I tend to go relatively early and fill up on delicious, but one stand I never miss anymore is Gaga Café. Though I would typically balk at paying $3 for an 8 oz cup of coffee, these locally roasted beans are some of the best I’ve ever tasted, and great to sip on while wandering the market. Given that there aren’t many good cafes in West Portal, he is a godsend. The man who runs it is friendly and works fast, despite brewing each cup individually. If you don’t like to walk and drink (or eat), you can have a seat at one of the many round tables arrayed around the little performance area, which always has live music.

Now that San Francisco’s true summer is supposedly on its way and even this generally foggy ’hood is starting to heat up, consider checking out this unique market, to support the various sellers who help make it a wonderland of vegan eating!

Tamara Failor currently lives in West Portal, and will soon relocate temporarily to Mongolia for work. Though Mongolia is quite possibly the least vegan-friendly country on the planet, she feels excited and up to the challenge. Tamara has lived in Portland, South Korea and North Carolina, and while in Portland documented and reviewed the city’s various vegan reubens. This is her first post for Vegansaurus; all photos by Tamara Failor!

Ha ha, just kidding. They’re really closing this time. I’m holding my last ever Vegan Brutus on glorious Dutch crunch from Ike’s Place—last ever, that is, until they inevitably (hopefully?) reopen. In the meantime, put your phone on speaker because even the wait to get past a busy signal is out of control.

And in a way, Ike’s Place really is staying open after all. In our hearts? Well, maybe there too (I’m sentimental like that), but I meant in Stanford. Their new location just opened last week, and according to Ike it’s already exploding, with an hour wait on the first day. So call ahead before your next sandwich road trip.

I’m sure some of you are still scratching your heads wondering why we’ve been getting all worked up and misty-eyed over a sandwich shop that also serves meat. For me, it’s about 32 percent selfish. Ike’s Place was my neighborhood sandwich shop, sometimes acting as my own surrogate kitchen for weeks at a stretch. Ike’s also gives a shit about what vegans want to eat, showing a level of commitment to us and to keeping with the times that almost no other restaurant in San Francisco has shown. Even our city’s “flagship” vegan restaurant (yes, I’m looking at you, Herbivore) keeps the same menu year after year, while Ike keeps buying new products that vegans are genuinely excited about. It was an omnivorous sandwich shop that was simultaneously more vegan than half the vegan restaurants in this city combined.

I love San Francisco, but Ike’s eviction is a symbolic victory for everything broken in this city: unneighborly neighbors who take up space over people who actually contribute to the community; blighted storefronts over a vibrant local economy; bureaucracy over small, independent business. Opening a new eating establishment in San Francisco is already prohibitively difficult; the message you get from City Hall, neighbors, landlords, and large chains is “you’re not wanted here, don’t bother.” And that’s all before adding the extra layer of “vegan” (see also: “weird,” “niche”) into the mix.

Yes, there’s nothing more played out than a “people like X are ruining San Francisco for people like Y” rant piece. But veganism in this city will succeed or fail based on whether or not new restaurants, bakeries, cafes, etc. can get some basic support, instead of being treated like a boil to be squeezed out. I’m not saying, let’s go Ayn Rand and deregulate everything. That’s insane—shit needs to be clean and safe; employees need to get paid a living wage. But come on; San Francisco has more skeezy massage parlors than vegan restaurants. It really shouldn’t be this hard to sell a sandwich.

P.S. What are you doing tonight? Probably nothing, so join Ike and everyone else as they crowd 16th and Sanchez with music and insanity for a farewell street party before closing tonight for real. PEACE OUT, neighbors.

Sadly, it’s reached the end of the line for Ike’s Place; today is the seminal sandwich shop’s last day of business at its Castro location. Hot tipper Mr. Jordan headed there for lunch (before heading there for dinner—not kidding!) and reports insanely long lines, a 75-minute wait (so far) for his sandwich, though he didn’t call in an order, so that’s kind of his own fault, and a “party atmosphere.” Here’s a picture:

If you’re wanting to get some sweet sandwich love on Ike’s last day, be sure to call in your order so that you won’t be one of the poor suckers waiting in line twice!

[Thanks to Vegansaurus special correspondent Mr. Jordan for the photos!]

Lady Gaga wore a meat suit (I say suit here because he’s a dude*) to the VMA’s, and later (or was it before?), Ellen politely asks her to wear a suit made of veggies instead. So cute, read more. Also, anyone grossed out by the meat suit who wears leather, I CALL BULLSHIT BECAUSE I’M THE VEGAN POLICE! Also, Gaga won’t wear fur. The plot thickens (or gets stupider, I’m not sure which).

It’s awesome when Ellen does this shit because she’s so g-d likable that she can get away with being all, “Yo, you and that was gross, wear this instead to be less gross.” and everyone is like, “OMG YOU ARE SO RIGHT AND SMART, ELLEN.” and it’s true because she is. More vegans like her, please!

[can’t see the video? watch it at vegansaurus.com!]

Update: The hilarious geniuses at Shut Up, Foodies! have Things to Say about the meat dress as well; things that are most definitely worth reading! “She also had an escort of soldiers who had been discharged because of DADT–which should really be called GGO for “Gay? Get Out”–but the soldiers didn’t get to say anything. It is kind of precarious to insert yourself into the discussion that way and then not let those who have actually been harmed speak.”

*And this is a STUPID JOKE EVERYONE CHILL I KNOW SHE IS FEMALE(ish). OMG WHAT! Don’t worry, I love Gaga as much (or more) than you do (have you committed to “Paparazzi” as your ringtone? WELL THEN STEP OFF) and making fun of her absurdity is half the fun. She doesn’t need you to defend her, she’s too busy fucking piles of money every night with her gigantic penis SO RUDE!

For $10, you get all-you-can-eat, hand-crafted vegan gelato from vegan chef Barry Schenker. Eating mad vegan gelato (9 flavors!) in a fancy club in Berkeley? WE HAVE ARRIVED. Further details here.

If you’re planning on going, make sure to RSVP by email or call 510 649 0449. Let them know you are a T-1000 of ice cream and to prepare several tubs for your consumption. Also, if someone else eats from your tub, you’ll murder them. Oh, ‘cause you’re a people terminator, too. Make sure to mention that. OOH YOU COULD ALSO carry a picture of vegan gelato and be all, “HAVE YOU SEEN THIS BOY?” or something. Also, dress like a cop. Yeah, do all that.

Le Canot Rouge is the super-fucking-cutest stationery ever, featuring designed and created by a lovely vegan lady named Laura (CAN I GET A WHAT-WHAT FOR HOT VEGANS NAMED LAURA??). It launched at the National Stationery Show in May, where it was really well received, and the store known for everything insanely adorable and adorably insane, Anthropologie, picked it up. Go on vegan stationery company making it happen with the bigwigs! 

Laura describes her designs thusly:

The stationery features charming animals of the woods that I’ve anthropomorphized-–not wearing clothes or anything, ‘cause that would just be silly, but doing things like riding a bicycle, carrying an umbrella, or using a rescue ring. The intention is to, in a gentle, quirky way, allow people to realize that animals have their own lives, and should have their freedom, choices and rights without us humans bestowing these upon them at our choosing (or not).

So as not to damage the very ideas I want to support, Le Canot Rouge prints exclusively on process-chlorine-free, Forest Stewardship Council-certified, 100 percent post-consumer recycled-fibre paper because the medium IS the message. The paper manufacturer purchases enough Green-e certified Renewable Energy Certificates to match 100 percent of the electricity used in its operations.  

And the reason for launching Le Canot Rouge? So I can help make a change: 10 percent of Le Canot Rouge’s gross sales (rather than some watered-down ‘net’ business) is donated to animal welfare causes.  

So cute and awesome and responsible and wonderful! I want to make out with  that other Laura. I’ll tape it and it’ll be like watching Inception but the porn version. BOOM CHICKA WOW WOW (how do you type that?).

ANYWAY, your Vegansaurus and Le Canot Rouge is giving away a complete set of the animals to one lucky winner. VERY AWESOME. 

TO WIN, you must do TWO (really really easy) THINGS:

1) fan their page on Facebook (the website will be up and running soon! but not yet!) AND THEN:

2) comment here and say that you favorited their page. EASY-PEASY. If you don’t have Facebook, it’s okay! You can still comment below to win because we love you like that.

A winner will be chosen at random* next Friday, Sept. 17. 

*FULL DISCLOSURE: I will choose the person I find most attractive. Note to self, MAKE SURE TO ENTER!