vegansaurus!

Yay! Anne is retired! You know I’ve been following the case of Anne, the abused elephant, very closely so I am glad to say she is officially leaving the circus! She will be moving within a week. Above is a picture of the Longleat Safari Park, Anne’s new home. It’s not an insanely awesome elephant sanctuary but it’s also not the zoo and she won’t have to travel very far so I think it’s great! I know the circus owners were like determined that they would only release Anne if she went somewhere that they could visit often. Um, yeah, maybe you could have done more visiting before, dirtbags. From the Daily Mail:

Following intense discussions lasting six hours, an agreement was reached between the safari park and animal welfare groups including Animal Defenders International, which obtained the footage.

The RSPCA, Born Free, the British Association of Zoos and Aquariums and Specialist Wildlife Services were also involved.

At Longleat, Anne will have three experienced keepers and an elephant specialist catering for her every need. Longleat has even pledged to bring in a herd of  elephants to keep her company, if  it is judged to be in her best interests.

I’m so happy for Anne! But I must remind you that there are many elephants in circuses in the U.S. and no one seems to be upset about their shocking abuse footage. I mean, the footage below has been out for years:

It’s amazing that the British people reacted so strongly and quickly to Anne’s plight—I wish that would happen here! I wish all the circus elephants were free! We have two elephants in the U.S. that IDA says are in need of dire rescue—read about Liz and Bimbo—but you don’t see them in the local paper. We should figure out just what made people react to Anne’s suffering so that we can get them to care about all the other elephants that are still being abused in circuses. Unfortunately, I think what made them care more is that they are not Americans. Americans tolerate so much violence against people, it’s no wonder violence against animals barely registers. But maybe I’m just cynical.

Go to HelpElephants.com to see ways you can help the elephants who are still in terrible situations.

SFist published this letter that Peta sent to the mayor of the fair San Francisco:

March 29, 2011

The Honorable Edwin M. Lee
Mayor of San Francisco

Via e-mail

Dear Mayor Lee,

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters, including thousands in the Bay Area, with an idea that could help revitalize the struggling Tenderloin district: rename it the “Tempeh District.” By discarding an outdated moniker that evokes the horrors of the meat trade, you’ll be sending a strong message to progressive businesses and health-conscious residents that this neighborhood is ready for a fresh start.

Tempeh, a protein-packed food made from soybeans, is a healthy, cruelty-free meat substitute. In contrast, tenderloin comes from real suffering. In today’s intensive meat production industry, piglets have their tails and testicles cut off without being given any painkillers and breeding sows are confined for life to metal crates so small they can’t even turn around or take two steps. Cattle are burned with hot irons, their horns are cut or burned off, and males are castrated—all without painkillers.

It’s true that the Tenderloin echoes vice and corruption and that slaughterhouses are constantly found to be in violation of the law and more. But now’s the perfect time to put the city’s past in the deep freeze. San Francisco is now renowned for some of the best vegan cuisine in the world, and the city deserves a neighborhood named after a delicious cruelty-free food instead of the flesh of an abused animal. If Tempeh doesn’t excite you, how about Granola Flats or Seitan’s Lair? You could even run a contest to choose a veggie moniker.

Sincerely yours,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

Thoughts? I think it’s HILARIOUS! But I’m the resident Peta antics fan. And I also have a passion for renaming things. Some people in the SFist’s comments have some good neighborhood renaming ideas (though I wouldn’t read all the comments, they are likely to offend) like we could call Hunters Point “Gatherers Point.”

In reality, I wouldn’t rename the Tenderloin the “Tempeh District” but a name change might be just the thing to revitalize the area! People are acting like it’s crazy but neighborhood names come and go and any time you want to gentrify an area, you GOT to change the name, or at least find an old name like Northern Liberties and bring it back. What was the name of the Tenderloin neighborhood like 150 years ago? Though I’m fine with the standard “Gayborhood” as far as gentrifying usually goes.

[Graphic from Ork Posters!]

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What’s not to like about a messenger bag?! Besides the boob-divider thing. But some people find that attractive! I’m not saying you should fill these with PBR and hop on your bike, but they are all cross-body bags and they are all dope. This Espe one from Alternative Outfitters is what inspired my round-up today:

So professory! And at one point or another, everyone wants to bang a professor.

This next one is also from Alternative Outfitters, the Luella by Shiraleah:

I’m in love with this bag, goddang it! And I don’t care who knows! I’m a big fan of Shiraleah, I have one of their wallets and it RULES.

Here’s a hot Matt and Nat number from Mooshoes:

I like odd, shapely pockets. That’s also how I like my men, BTDubs.

Also from Mooshoes, the Strap Hanger bag from Tano:

LOTS OF POCKETS. That’s how you know how important someone is, by how many pockets they need. And keys.

Lastly, here’s a mini messenger from Beg for a Bag on Etsy:

I don’t feel super-confident about the quality of this one but sometimes you just want some damn pleather.

There you have it! Five faux-leather messenger bags curated by yours truly. Dishes are done.

Road trip, y’all! This Saturday, Apr. 2, the fine vegans of Sacramento are putting on an insanely huge vegan bakesale to benefit MercyCorps in Japan. You’re going because not only is Sacramento the crack capital of California, it also has some insane vegan eats (Hello, brunch at Sugar Plum Bakery! and an adorable ALL-VEGAN STORE!) and because you love vegan sweet treats* and Japan! Do it to it!

Here’s their Facebook invite (RSVP!) but just in case you don’t have Facebook (Hi Mom! Oh wait, you have it, too), you can get all the details here.

Also, if you want to bake, it’s not too late! Email Toni! Woohoo! You are smart and handsome and very good at everything you do, especially baking. Now get in the kitchen and make me some adorable cat cakes (uh, if you do that, let me know so I can name my next foster dog after you).

*We hear from organizer Toni that the treats will include cookie dough cupcakes, coffee and donut cupcakes, chocolate caramel salted crunch cupcakes, black and whites, mint chocolate brownies, coffee cake, cream cheese brownies, some pb cups, brown sugar peach muffins and apple strudel, oreo cupcakes, sugar skull chocolate molds, blueberry muffins, lemon cupcakes, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies. HOLY. CRAP.

What up, y’all! Here’s my copy-and-pasted vegan drinks announcement. Plagiarizing from myself, that’s my new thing! And by new, I mean I’ve been doing it for years, just in the sense that like, the history of humans on earth is new, you know?

The gloriously tipsy vegan drinks is tomorrow night, and we know all you boozehounds want to get drunk as a skunk* with us. Then, let’s go eat everything in the city OMG FUN.

As usual, adorable and awesome Lyndsay has the details:

The February installment of Vegan Drinks is Thursday, Feb. 24, at Martuni’s (Valencia @ Market Streets). As always, there will be a great drink special—this month is $5 strawberry and lime rickeys—a host of nonalcoholic beverage options, and all-you-can-eat popcorn!

SF Vegan Drinks is, as always, sponsored by VegNews and Vegansaurus, and runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Have something to say? The mic opens at 7:45 for announcements about any veg projects you’ve been working on. Don’t worry, no bad open-mic poetry, we promise! Unless you’re into that and then: BRING IT ON, Shakespeare!

*hello, saying that exists simply because it rhymes! people are stupid! me included!

Obviously I’m trying to optimize SEO for anyone searching for “burger” and when I do things, I go big or go home! So usually I just go home but today: GOOGLE BETTER WATCH ITS BACK.

Anyway! I wrote some stuff up for SFoodie, first being (WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE) the seven best veggie burgers in the Bay Area. Next: a cobbled-together recipe for the dearly departed Mission Vegan Burger. I got the recipe from the nice dudes at Mission Street Food, and then tried to scale it down because that shit was originally for 70 patties and lord knows I can EAT but 70? Touché, Mission Street Food dudes. Touché. Oooh, perhaps we sell them at the next SF Vegan Bakesale?? We just need an industrial deep fryer. You got one? Wanna be my boyfriend?* Please note: if you have one and bring it to the sale, I WILL steal it. OMG, I’ll be deep-frying errrthang in site. You’ll be like, “Laura, where did you go?” and I’ll be all, “Oh sorry, I was just deep-frying my face!” Except I’ll probably be deep-frying a candy bar because ew, health code violation!

Please forgive me, it’s been a rough day. Take us away, picture of the Plant Burger (which may or may be on the list)!

photo from Ed U. on Yelp via SFoodie!

*Sorry, Jonas! I’m sure you understand, you’d do the same to me. It’s either leave or be left, baby!

Here I am post-Martha Stewart show! I’m totally Hollywood now and can barely condescend to talk to you guys anymore. Just kidding! It’s the same old me. But the show was so fun! Bad news: she uses honey in her granola bar recipe with Kathy Freston. Good news: she said she’s giving up beef!

So yeah, the honey thing. It was just like, she was adding ingredients to these granola bars and then, all of a sudden, she added the honey! It happened so fast! I don’t know if Freston even had time to say anything! But my heart SANK. It had been going SO WELL up until then. Biz’s segment at the beginning was great and his recipe looked super. Freston was kind of peppy and seemed very focused on the weight-loss angle but she was also a font of information. Then BAM! Martha adds the honey. There was a low gasp in the crowd and I buried my face in my hands. Why, Martha, why!

My official opinion: The honey connection is not obvious to everyone so I think she JUST DIDN’T KNOW. SO this should be viewed as an opportunity to educate, not to attack her. The good Martha did with this episode outweighs the bad; she exposed your everyday American to the realities of factory farming! And considering her other episodes use all kinds of meat, eggs and dairy and that she’s not in fact vegan, this episode was a big step forward. I’m sure there will be varying opinions, but that’s mine.

Now for the beef! In questions after the show, someone asked if we’d be seeing more vegan stuff from Martha in the future and she began to talk about a recent experience with some beef she bought:

I didn’t buy it from my regular butcher; I usually buy three pounds of good ground chuck and I took it home—this was from the supermarket—and I rolled it in my hands and my hands were stained red and I vowed I wouldn’t eat beef again…. No really, it was horrifying…. What the heck do they do to the beef that made my hands red? It shouldn’t do that.

Uh, no, it shouldn’t do that. Hey, imagine how many people will give up beef if Martha does! SO MANY! Hopefully she will replace that beef with veggies and seitan instead of chicken and fish. She also said she doesn’t eat veal and that she’s just been slowly progressing toward a more plant-based diet. OMJESUS WHAT IF MARTHA GOES VEGAN?! That would be like the greatest day of my life. It would be the greatest day of the world’s life!

Other things that happened: I was in the very front row and that was close enough to see the beautiful sparkle in Gene Baur’s eyes. Really. It’s quite a sparkle. His conversation with Martha was really great. Did you know she adopted a sheep from Farm Sanctuary? She did. And Baur was totally well spoken and informative. She asked him if they ate the eggs the chickens lay at Farm Sanctuary and Baur’s answer was, “no, because we want to set an example.” Great answer, no? He said they feed the eggs to some of the other animals and Martha was like, “Like what would happen in nature!” So I liked that chat a lot. 

Biz was really good and everyone thought he was hilarious. At one point while they were filming, the stage manager turned to another person on stage like, “this guy is really funny!” So everyone was impressed. Biz made his wife Livia’s amazing seitan Bourguignon (I hella just spelled that). And Martha seems totally into twitter. And Laura pointed out that she has a white iPad which is totally baller. Her shoes were pretty too but I can’t speak to whether or not they were vegan. Oh and Martha was totally funny and pretty and great and I LOVE HER.

That’s not all! Check out all the swag I got!:

I’m rich!

All in all, I think it was pretty successful. The honey setback was unfortunate but overall, I think what Martha did to shed light on factory farming was awesome. I hope this snowball keeps rolling! More vegan episodes! More vegans! Vegans, vegans, everywhere!

[Olivia, celebrity pig!]

In 2004, a teenage girl witnessed the sale of potbellied piglets in a parking lot. Concerned, she approached the individual and inquired about the pigs. The man stated some were sold for pets, a couple for meat, and the last one would possibly be purchased by someone who would eventually eat her. Appalled, the girl implored the man to give her the piglet. Moved by her emotional response, he obliged, and the young woman left with a squirming, screaming pig.

Later, she and her parents called Animal Place and shared the story of the piglet. The sanctuary, already home to seven potbellied pigs, agreed to take in the animal. She was later named Olivia and is a crowd favorite at tours, with her rotund belly and drama-queen personality.

When the family asked us about the legalities of selling animals in parking lots, Animal Place explained it was allowed in California. In fact, animals can be sold alongside highways, at carnivals and boardwalks, and at any public right of way. There is no legal oversight or protection given to these animals.

In 2009, Animal Place, along with several other animal welfare organizations, worked with then-California state Assemblyman Ted Lieu to ban the practice of selling animals at flea markets and in parking lots. Unbeknown to us, there is a flea market coalition in California that apparently has more clout than an association of animal advocacy groups—the bill ended up failing.

But Mr. Lieu did not give up. This year, as a senator, he has introduced SB 917, which not only bans the sale of animals in certain areas but also tightens up the penalties for animal abuse. The bill would prohibit puppies and kittens from being sold out of boxes in supermarket parking lots. It would stop the practice of selling amphibians, reptiles and other species alongside highways and streets. It is sadly ridiculous that this law needs to be introduced at all—every city and county should have already banned these practices in the state.

It exempts livestock auctions, 4-H/FFA events, public/private animal shelters, state/county/city fairs, and live animal markets. Which is great for shelters, so they can continue offering meet and greets for adoptable animals, not so great for farmed animals and smaller animals who will still be sold with no legal protection at auctions and flea markets, but it’s a great start to solving a serious animal welfare problem.

Passing a bill is no easy task, and this bill will face its own hurdles. Californians can help by voicing their support for SB 917—that is a very simple thing to do!

If you can only write one letter or make one phone call, make sure to contact Senator Lieu and thank him for introducing SB 917, providing such basic, commonsense protections to the animals:

The Honorable Ted Lieu
State Capitol, Room 4090
Sacramento, CA, 95814

Phone: (916) 651-4028. All you need to say is that you are a registered California voter and want to express your support of SB 917, done!

Want to make more of an impact? ContactPublic Safety Committee Chair Senator Loni Hancock and urge her support of SB 917:

The Honorable Loni Hancock
State Capitol, Room 2082
Sacramento, CA  9581

The first hearing for SB 917 is scheduled for Apr. 12, so get your letters and phone calls in soon! It’s so easy to make a difference for animals, all you need to do is pen a short letter or make a brief phone call! Olivia thanks you—but only if you give her vegan cupcakes first.

Marji Beach is the ridiculously awesome Education Manager for Animal Place. She’s super smart, so you should listen to her.

I have a love-hate affair with vegan restaurants that fill their menu with faux-meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a delicious kung pao un-chicken dish, but I believe that one can eat vegan without using meat-substitutes or compromising flavor. Enter Roger of Soul Cocina pop-up fame to present a six-course vegan feast without soy or processed ingredients, instead taking cues from world cuisines and seasonal produce.

When you first walk in to La Victoria (2937 24th St. at Alabama Street in San Francisco) on a night Roger has taken over the kitchen, head straight past the well stocked pastry to the back of the bakery. There, the cafe tables have been transformed with fresh flower bouquets, bright tablecloths, and a comfortable, homey ambiance that makes you want to cozy up for a few hours. While diners can order separate dishes from Soul Cocina’s rotating menu, my dining companion and I went the full monty and each ordered the fixe prix dinner ($30).

Our first taste of Roger’s world-influenced cuisine was the bhel puri, a light Indian snack of puffed rice, peanuts, onions, tomatoes, and mangoes, drizzled with a tamarind sauce. Wrapped in paper cones, this dish showcased street food at it’s finest. A second appetizer quickly followed: a basket of homemade blue corn tortilla strips with a bowl of heavenly guacamole that can best be described as avocado-overload (and I mean that in the best way).

Next was a surprise last-minute addition, a roasted pan of cauliflower with a smokey, soft, buttery texture perfectly contrasted against the crunch of pine nuts and sweet currants. A healthy does of spicy garlic, olive oil, and a kick of citrus reminded me of the Middle East, where such bright flavor profiles are usually found in the restaurants lining the streets of Istanbul.

Our chef was kind enough to come out and present dishes, including a well composed plate of platano maduro, pickled vegetables, and slow-cooked black beans on a banana leaf. Unfortunately the sharp kick of acid from the pickles overpowered the subtler flavor of the soft beans. That’s not to say that I didn’t finish almost everything, despite my belly telling me to call it quits.  But we still had one more dish and dessert to go, and I was determined to try everything.

Our last main was a stuffed thick tortilla (called a “huaraches de buddha”) topped with a medley of exotic sauteed vegetables. I’ve been wanting to try fiddleheads for awhile now, and the best way I could describe the taste was if broccoli and asparagus had a punk rock baby. The two accompanying pureed salsas had a definite kick, but their smoky heat went perfectly with the lightly seasoned vegetables and stuffed tortilla.

My eating prowess was rewarded with possibly the best vegan desert I have ever been served:  a coconut creme bruleee with a side of tropical fruit. Sounds simple, but this was off the hook. The brulee’s sweet hard shell broke perfectly to reveal the velvety, rich, fragrant custard beneath.  The consistency and sweetness were spot-on. Seriously, it was out of this world paired with thinly sliced starfruit and kiwi.

Unfortunately, Roger might be moving to Chicago this year. So next time he presents a vegan Soul Cocina night, go! A few more tips: the biggest bang for your buck is the prix fixe, but first run a marathon (or around the block) a few times as you’ll need your game face in order finish everything. While you’re out, skip around the corner to grab a bottle of wine to enjoy with dinner sans—corking fee. To find out when Roger will be presenting another vegan night (usually the first Wednesday and Thursday of the month), visit Soul Cocina’s website.

UPDATE: Soul Cocina’s LAST meal is THIS Saturday, Apr. 2! It’s mostly vegan, SFoodie has the scoop! And then order tickets and get exact details here! Everyone GO!!

Justine Quart has a penchant for urban exploration and meditation, yoga and boxing, vegan food and a properly aged whiskey. When she’s not dreaming up the next big adventure, she is offering kick-ass vegan wellness services at local businesses, freelancing at the SF Appeal and The Bold Italic, or roaming the neighborhood with her partner in crime, el Jefe. Check her out at Dojo Wellness.

SaveABunny in SF is hosting Meet the Bunnies this Saturday at Pets Unlimited! Come on down and check out the buns. I’m pretty partial to this sexy lady above. Her name is Siren! Sexy Siren. Look at her, putting her little foot out. She’s all, “I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.” Damn, Siren, that was deep!

You can meet the bunnies on Saturday, Apr. 2, from noon to 3 p.m. at Pets Unlimited, 2343 Fillmore St. in San Francisco.

Chef Yotam Ottolenghi, who I’ve never heard of, is redefining vegetarianism. BECAUSE HE CAN. JUST KIDDING who the fuck is he? I know you’re on TV, Mr. Ottolenghi, but your name isn’t Webster, bitch, you’re not the damn dictionary. Get it straight: you can always make up NEW words but not just anyone can redefine old words. Like if I want to make up the word “sandwish” (1. the sandwich you wish you had; 2. fictitious sandwich you dream of), that’s cool (actually, that’s awesome and you’re welcome), but you can’t run around saying a slice of pizza can now be called a sandwich! THAT’S CRAZY TALK and NARCISSISM.

Here he goes, “‘You can be vegetarian and eat fish,’ he says. ‘It’s your choice, just say: “I am what I am.” There are no hard core divisions any more.’” As a Popeye fan, I’m all for I am what I am, but if you eat fish, what you am ain’t a vegetarian. What you are is someone who doesn’t eat any meat besides fish. How hard is that to say? It’s no more difficult than saying “I’m vegetarian but I eat fish” and it has the bonus of not being TOTAL BULLSHIT.

(via Vegetarian Star!)

I don’t know if you know this, but I love Martha Stewart! I know, I’ve said it before, but it’s still true. In my younger days, I was basically the Martha Stewart of West Philly. Ask anybody. I was obsessed. Since I became vegan, we’ve been a little distant, but all that is about to change! Your friend Megan Rascal is going to be in the audience for Martha’s vegan episode!!! I AM SO EXCITED I DON’T THINK I’LL BE ABLE TO SLEEP!!! What am I going to wear?! JESUS CHRISTMAS I’M GOING TO DIE!

Hey! I’m back! And I’m calm. So! Do you follow Vegansaurus on twitter? Because 1) we tweet some seriously magical shit on the regular and 2) I will be live-tweeting from the taping! If they let me! Exclusive Martha Stewart behind-the-scenes tweets! If I can get them! Make sure you follow us so you can be “in the know,” as we say in the business. And if you get to watch the episode (10 a.m. on the Hallmark channel. Also, what is the Hallmark channel?), be sure and look out for me in the crowd! I’ll be the extra pretty one with the goofy ecstatic smile! I might have a sign. It might have a marriage proposal. It’s live TV, ANYTHING can happen!

It’s right here, on webcam. Three eagle chicks are expected to hatch sometime in the next three days. Wired has full info on the lucky bird family. The webcam is available to watch day and night, thanks to infrared.

It’s almost like watching our great nation itself being born. Relive the thrills and chills (and spills!) our humble forefathers felt.

[Thanks, Rachel!]

On Friday, Apr. 1, Ms. Cupcake, an all-vegan cupcake shop is opening in Brixton, London! Yes, that’s a bit far away. Still very exciting! The whole internet is a’buzz about it. I’m just excited for this glimpse into Laura Beck’s future! Isn’t that totally her in 20 years? She’s probably bedazzling a cupcake hat as we speak. And a matching one for Hazel! 

Yesterday I was totally bummed about Anne the elephant being abused but I’m feeling a bit better today! The Daily Mail did an update today and it looks very much like Anne will be retired from the circus! After public outcry regarding the terrible video of Anne being abused, an RSPCA representative and a vet specialist from Whipsnade Zoo visited Anne to assess her condition. They haven’t reported any information on her health or the condition of her severe arthritis yet but Anne’s release looks very promising!

There are a couple of great international elephant sanctuaries that have offered to take Anne but that may be a problem. There are no elephant sanctuaries in Britain and moving Anne could be especially difficult due to her health. She could end up at the Whipsnade Zoo instead of a sanctuary or the situation could be even worse, according to the Whipsnade zoological director: “Fundamentally, Anne can be rehomed and integrated with other animals, but it has to be done very carefully. The biggest and most important thing for her is she needs specialist veterinary care. Her physical state may not be very strong and a quick assessment of her arthritis may show that she is even so bad, she needs to be put down.”

But I think Anne is a tough girl! I’m not giving up hope. I hope she is strong enough to make it to a real elephant sanctuary where she can live out the rest of her days with other elephants and miles to roam. Below is a picture of some happily retired elephants at California’s Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary—one of the sanctuaries offering a home to Anne. Can you imagine her there?! That would be the best thing ever!

Vegan Treats is going to dominate Animal Planet with a new reality show! According to Hollywood Reporter, the show, Sweet Avenger, will be out in the summer. Who’s excited?! Hopefully I will have cable by then (lord knows how I’ve survived this long).

The show is set to focus on Vegan Treats owner Danielle Konya—her personal life and the bakery. Hot damn, look at that picture! I didn’t realize Bethlehem, Penn. was home of the vegan baddass. I’ll have to go north* of Philadelphia a little more often! Actually, I am still planning my Vegan Treats pilgrimage, and I think I’ve convinced my sister to go with me. OMJesus maybe if I go now, I’ll be on TV! I’m already so Hollywood, I hope you guys can handle it.

From the Hollywood Reporter: “‘Animal Planet made a big brand statement with Whale Wars,’ said Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager of Animal Planet. ‘Now with Sweet Avenger, muscular conservation has a deliciously different new face.’” Muscular conservation? The word is VEGAN, honey. Still cute though. Bring it on!

*It’s north, apparently, not west as I previously said. I’m terrible at math.