vegansaurus!

Because we love ourselves more than anything and we don’t want you to miss out on all the amazing shit that happened on the site, we’ve curated a list of our favorite posts. SO FUN! ish!

If we’d had more time, we woulda done this for the whole internet but we’re not made of time, we’re made of cinnamon rolls, poorness, and broken dreams. SORRY!

First up: MEGAN RASCAL! I love this girl. Seriously, I’d give her a lung or my heart or a foot because she is the reason Vegansaurus currently exists and is everything wonderful. Yay, Megan Rascal!

Mother Jones loves sustainability, except when there’s delicious, fancy food involved! by Laura

I love this because I hate the sustainable meat hawkers and I love when Laura tells Mother Jones they are from planet 1970s Hippie Socialist.

An open letter to Sheri Appleby by Mark

This is great because Mark is THE MOST FUNNIEST and he references Roswell and Melissa Joan Hart. Also, I can’t believe that chick’s views on men and veganism!

Book review: The Vampire and the Vegan, Book 1: Food by Jenny

I love this because Jenny is hilar and does the best strike-through jokes. Plus, I think the blending of vampires and vegans is how we’re going to take over the world. 

Second: MARK! Mark is probably the funniest person I’ve ever met. Also, he’s hella smart and mean, but not in a bad way. His heart is filled with so much love, sometimes it’s like it’s just explodes in your face in the form of a fist. Delightful.

This is the best thing I’ve written all year, which is somewhat disheartening because this year I also wrote my master’s paper. The latter took two semesters, was a requirement for graduation and was “accidentally” lost to the academic world forever. When people ask me what I wrote it on, I mumble quietly and get the hell out of there as quickly as possible and never speak to the person again. However, when someone asks me if I’ve ever written a highly criticized open letter to a minor tv celebrity who is facing a fall into oblivion and who, as commenters rightly pointed out, doesn’t really warrant the anger I directed towards her, I happily direct them to this post!

Just link to everything I did. That is everyone’s favorite post.

Next, Miss Jenny Bradley! Not only is she super funny, adorable, and correctly obsessed with celebrities, she’s also a dessert baking maniac and I’d pretty much kill a man for her live pumpkin cheesecake. 

I really like this post by Megan cause she went to her lil’ sis for advice, which I thought was adorable. And I loved Megan’s commentary on each shoe! So funny! Especially the part about any heel over 2 inches was irresponsible due to the amount of whiskey she drinks.

This Natalie Portman post because of the part about cleft-palate babies. Hahahaha. I had JUST read that article in Vogue. Plus I love celebrities! When I do my celeb posts, I try to channel Laura instead of an US Weekly writer, but….let’s just say I’m still working on it. 

Sarah’s account of the ginger seal, as we got a glimpse into her mind and thus her love of all things ginger (except her own hair, when dyed!). I am so jealous the ruddy colored seal is following her on twitter and not me. Sarah is hilarious! 

And next, ME! I’m great!

Rachel’s Cafe Gratitude Bereavement plan because WTF are we all gonna do when it’s gone? Plus, it made me laugh.

Sarah’s brown sugar bacon buttermilk waffles HOLY FUCK

Meave’s Ecoturre shoe post because I really love whenever Meave writes about shoes because she is hilarious and passionate and I also love whenever she talks about rules about anything, especially every day behavior, because it’s so funny and spot on. 

Megan’s meat week post is probably my most favorite Vegansaurus post of all time. IT’S SO GOOD! and right! 

Now, it’s Sarah M. Smart time! She’s super great! And funny! And smart! We like her a lot, a lot.

top 8 vegan foods we’re sick of seeing on omni menus, because yours truly wrote it and also because it really seemed to strike a chord heretofore unseen in our audience, sparking a more-lists resolution. 

jenny’s las vegas redux! it’s good to know that you can party like a rock star AND be vegan. plus i’m going there in 2012 and will refer to this post often! 

Meave belatedly wants to express her love of

Megan Rascal’s Meatless Monday Unicorn! I love that mean jerk. Megan Rascal really is the funniest.

This wasn’t officially part of Vegansaurus, but I feel like Laura’s Week in Vegan was like Vegansaurus outreach to the masses/readers of SFoodie, and it’s like Laura distilled, which can be intense, but is always awesome.

I have a crippling sinus headache and am extremely tired.

Rachel might be adding hers soon but I wanted to get this up and thank you all for reading and we love you all very much, even when you look ugly and you’re mean to us, we still want to do you. That’s love. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Hello, animal-lovers in Missouri or willing to drive to St. Louis. Please consider adopting 7-year-old Micro or 7-year-old Confetti.

To make a long story short, a friend’s mom has four cats, but she needs to get rid of these two. The family wanted to put the cats down and still will if they can’t find a home within a few weeks, so these kitties really need your love. I spent a lot of time with these cats when I was in college and can’t bear the thought that their lives could be cut short.

Confetti (above) is a shorthair calico female who gets along well with other pets, humans, children, and probably aliens. She’s kind of fat but likes to play and show affection. But she doesn’t have her shots, so she’s in need of some extra TLC. Her favorite sound is an electric can opener.

Micro (above) is a social, friendly black cat with medium-length hair. When he was a kitten, he was so tiny that he could fit in your hand, hence his name, but he is the opposite of that now, as you can see in the photo. He likes to lie around and lick people and get petted. He is kind of lazy, but it’s adorable. He would do best in a one-pet household as he can become a bully in competing for human attention. His middle name is James, but that’s negotiable.

Want to help? You’re my new favorite person! Email me, and I’ll put you in touch. Give the gift of continued life for these innocent kittehs. Please and thank you!

Wally

Tigger

Wally and Tigger are best friends in desperate need of a new home. They’ve been kicked out of theirs because a new family member has allergies. 

From the email forwarded to us:

They have been living outside, and they will be dropped off at the local shelter if they don’t find a home by the end of the year (and you can probably imagine what will happen next).

 

Can you help these poor guys out? They are friendly, loving companions, and they deserve more out of life than this. For more information, please contact Rene at 510-205-7373 or reneduer@gmail.com.

Help these kitties out! It can be your one last good deed for 2011!

  

You guys, first go watch “Shit Girls Say,” and then come back here. I’ll wait.

Are you back? Did you think it was funny? If so, 1) we could be TWINSIES, and 2) you should watch Ari Solomon’s take on “Shit Vegans Say.” And then chuckle because THIS IS OUR LIVES.

On Wednesday nights, Easy Creole, a New Orleans-style pop-up kitchen, sets up shop at The Residence in San Francisco. Cocktails and vegan dinner? Just twist my arm to get me out of the house, why don’t you, Easy Creole?

For $8 I got a plate of the Red Bean Succotash. I was mildly disappointed that they had run out of the $9 Spinach and Mushroom Étouffée earlier that day during their lunchtime hours in North Beach—it just means I have to go back and try it! Which I will, because the succotash was delicious!

Succotash

A hot sauce spread I think Quarrygirl would appreciate.

Jess and Grant, the two guys behind Easy Creole, are super cool, and very much looking forward to opening a restaurant of their own and the idea of hiring their first employee. We can help them do this by eating their food! Let’s go when they re-open shop after the holidays!

Easy Creole is available at many locations throughout the week! They’re at 450 Broadway (between Montgomery and Kearny) from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, The Residence at 718 14th St. from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, and at La Victoria Bakery at 24th Street and Alabama from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Fridays.

It’s the last day! The sale/fundraiser at Boygirlparty is over tomorrow! So remember: When you use the coupon code “VEGANSAURUS” on Boygirlparty’s Etsy store, you will get 10 percent off your order AND Boygirlparty will donate an additional 10 percent of the sale to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! 

And remember, you can opt to forgo your discount and donate 20 percent of your purchase to the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary—just don’t use the coupon code and leave a note at checkout! You saintly bastard! 

Happy holidays! 

Ryan Gosling wants you to give money to help these goslings!

Inspired by The Morning News’ annual charity links, here is the Vegansaurus writer-and-reader-collated recommended donation guide, for your holiday giving.

Remember, charities don’t care whether you celebrate a religious holiday in December! They want your money, maybe your time, nothing else. So, as we put to bed 2011, this year of one-step-forward, two-steps-back, we present to you a short list of charities you can give to in all good faith.*

Animal charities
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Animal Place
Animals Asia
Cat Town
Compassion Over Killing
For the Animals Sanctuary
Friends of the Alameda Animal Shelter
Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary
House Rabbit Society
Orange County Cavy Haven
Paw Fund
Peace Ridge Sanctuary
San Francisco SPCA
Wee Companions

Human charities
Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment
Food Empowerment Project
Food Not Bombs
The Innocence Project
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Oxfam International
Partnership for Civil Justice Fund

Thank you for everything you do, and have lovely winter holidays.

*Find out more about these and your favorite charities at Charity Navigator.

[This silly cat vid was sent in by reader LC! Thanks, pal!]

Once again I have slept on links of the week so this collection spans a few weeks. Enjoy!

The Vegan Feminist Agitator has a love story for you!: I Killed Kale

From SuperVegan: Japan admits using tsunami disaster relief money to fund military actions against unarmed vegans. Holy. Crap. 

We have a new vegan among us! Teri S. from Status Vegan! AND she would like our help! Do you have a really great recipe you want to share with her? I know you do! Head over to her blog and share it with her. Build the community!

From Grist: Happy Feet 2 is for communist vegetarians! So. True. 

Was da Vinci an animal rights activist? God I hope so! The Guardian has the story.

Vegansaurus fave Jerry James Stone has a new blog on Animal Planet filled with pretty animal pictures! He’s also promised us a vegan wine post on his Treehugger Green Wine Guide so I’ll be sure to tell you guys when that’s out!

This link comes from my cousin Heather: A same-sex penguin couple in China has a new baby! Ah, babies. They are so in right now.

We have a Pinterest account! What up!

Our Hen House has a new Art of the Animal video! Check it out!

The Farm Sanctuary has two new babies! And they need your help! And they are cute!

[Ed. note: Mark sent this to us on Wednesday this week, but some people fell down on the job and failed to post it until today! Blame us, not Mark!]

You guys, I’m better now, but last week was a low point in my holiday season. I generally love all the holidays and try to stay pretty chipper throughout, but it was pretty difficult last week. I was rolling through life with a sinus infection, and there was not much that could lift my spirits. When such things happen, there is generally one thing that can keep me up even during the toughest times. I am talking, of course, about the winning combination of small children and animals!

Here is a video of a baby human and a baby Yorkie having the best time ever. You know what is awesome about this video? What is awesome is that even though the dog is much smaller than the human, it happily knocks the baby down and proves its dominance. In like the cutest way imaginable. I mean, if a dog like this knocked your baby down, you wouldn’t even be able to say anything but “awww.” Even if the dog then happily made a snack of the baby you would be forced to find it adorable. Luckily, the Yorkie doesn’t snack on babies, it just locks them half to death.

If your baby is inconsolable, however, just get a cat to calm it the fuck down. I especially love the look on the cat’s face. It’s not like it’s all, “I care about you, tiny noise machine,” but more like, “I’ve got this. I’ve read Go the Fuck to Sleep. And by god you are going to close your fucking eyes and not bother anyone again until tomorrow.” This is also Allen’s approach, by the way. Every time he thinks I am making too much noise he puts his hand on my head and hopes that I will shut up. If I am making too much noise at night he gently calms me down by putting a pillow over my face. The last sentence was a cry for help.

If babies don’t cheer you up as much as they cheer me up, however, here’s a music video about breaking kneecaps. Breaking knee caps is also a cheerful holiday activity!

That’s it for this week! Send me links for next week and have an awesome holiday weekend. If you don’t celebrate this particular holiday, I still hope uou get Monday off!

[Christmas hamster photo by LuLu Witch via Flickr]

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yes!

The Huffington Post listed its top 13 food scandals of 2011, with HSUS’s exposé of Smithfield Foods ranking #1! Check out the full list. (And for my Spanish-speaking amigos, puede leer mi articulo sobre los puercos en Que Pasa Mi Gente!)

If you’d like to see a nice BBC story about former battery hens (“ex-bats”!) getting a second chance at life, here’s your chance.

Speaking of the EU, here’s an interesting article about member nations facing legal action over not complying with the upcoming historic EU ban on barren battery cages (it was passed in 1999 and takes full effect Jan 1).

Finally, check out this CNN piece about celebrities working with Mercy For Animals to combat abuse of laying hens.

Video of the week: Is there anything more popular than a dog and pig wrestling?