vegansaurus!

First of all, SO FLATTERED: We’re on Carpe Vegan’s neat Vegan 100 list: vote us to the top! Also, the San Francisco Bay Guardian totally gave us a Best of the Bay 2011 award for “Best Righteous Vegan Sass” (WHAT?) and we’re extremely pleased and honored and in very fine company so WOO AWARD WINNERS WHAT? 

Apparently in Bosnia, they make bulls fight each other and they used to beat them up first to get them angry. They aren’t going to do that anymore—the beating part at least. A win? Why do people like these crazy events?

Yo! The U.S. (where I keep all my stuff) may impose sanctions on Iceland for whaling! I HOPE THOSE ICELANDIC FUCKERS GET WHAT THEY DESERVE.

Good has a vegan guide to getting it on. Like, sex. 

Downer about dead baby dolphins over at HuffPo.

Birds massage each other! Birds are so smart! And kinky!

Hey, New York! Yankee Stadium will soon have vegan SNAX provided by Babycakes! LUCKYYYY.

The emperor penguin Happy Feet (gag on the name, but whatevs) is recovering well, and here’s a video of him passing his penguin physical.

Guys? The Post-Punk Kitchen doesn’t update a lot, but when it does, OMFG. I would eat an entire loaf of bread’s worth of these sandwiches, in one sitting.

Whaling is a slowly dying form of murder, so we’re happy to see that Japan is hopping on the bandwagon. The country’s Fisheries Agency has released a report with its first-ever mention of discontinuing research whaling as a viable option.

The lovely Sarah M. Smart heavily contributed to these links! Thanks, Sarah!

GOOD MORNING AUSTRALIA!

I should jump in here and say it: I’m a CocoLuscious addict. I first tried it as an omni and it may or may not be a large part of the reason I became vegan.

A few of the flavours in The Green Edge, my local vegan shop thing.

CocoLuscious is a coconut milk-based ice cream that’s made with totally natural ingredients. And it’s absolutely delicious.

Originally there were three flavours: chocolate, coconut, and vanilla. Since then three new flavours have been released each season, so you can now get vanilla, coconut, chocolate, raspberry, mango, blueberry, chai, vanilla chocolate chip, peppermint chocolate chip, and the three new winter* flavours: coffee, Mexican chocolate, and chocolate chip cookie dough. The chocolate chips contain soy lecithin, so if you’re not down with that, be careful to avoid it.

The three new flavours are my favourites. The coffee is actually the best coffee ice cream I’ve ever eaten. The Mexican chocolate starts off like, “Yeah, so what? it’s jaffa ice cream” and then goes “BAM CHILI!” If you don’t like hotness, perhaps this is not the one for you. The cookie dough is obscenely moreish—my partner and I ate a whole container in one sitting. Two nights in a row. Not recommended, but also seriously recommended.

Best of all, I can actually pronounce all of the ingredients on the label. They’re nice normal ingredients like coconut milk, and raw cacao powder, and it’s sweetened with agave nectar. Really, nearly every single flavour is gluten- and sugar-free.

Initially, you could buy chocolate, vanilla, and coconut in organic or non-organic, which was slightly cheaper, but I don’t know whether that’s still the case now. All the new flavours are organic!

Cocoluscious used to be available in only a few health food stores in Southeast Queensland, but you can now find it in various places in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, ACT, and Western Australia. If you have a local health food store, you can probably just ask them to get it in stock.

There’s not much more information, but their website is cocoluscious.com.au, and you can also find them on Facebook.

James Hultgren lives in Australia. He doesn’t work for Cocoluscious, he just really loves the ice cream. This is his first guest post for Vegansaurus. Also, now we all want to move to Australia even more.

*Rememeber, the antipodean July is a winter month!

Our pal Melissa the Vegenista loves her vegan food! And her beer pairings! Just like your Vegansaurus, only she lives in beautiful, sunny, beachy San Diego, while we have to wait until fall for our perfect summery weather.

However, beer goes with basically everything, and there’s nothing more charming than beer pairings with fancy, tasty vegan food. Check out Melissa’s photos from Vegan Beer Night II, including this one of the grilled chiote marinated tofu, Suzie’s Farm Hungarian pepper stuffed with Chino corn risotto, Crow’s Pass Farm potatoes, and chimichurri Sauce:

She calls it “one of the most beautifully presented dishes I’ve ever seen…. [I]t was certainly as delicious to the palate as it was stunning to the eyes!” it does look amazing!

For a full review with loads more photos and information, check out Vegenista. GodDAMN I want an automatic coffee coconut wheat beer, like really a lot.

Way to go, San Diego! And thanks, Melissa, for the update!

[all photos by Melissa via Vegenista]

Last Sunday July 24, New York Animal Rights Alliance America (NY-ARAA) held a demonstration outside the Brooklyn Animal Care and Control exposing the horrific mass euthanasia occurring in their New York shelter locations. Joining protesters at their local shelters across the country, the NY-ARAA dressed in red as a reminder of the unnecessary death that occurs daily at these kill shelters.

[Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com]
The demonstration came to a screeching halt, however, when a badly injured pit bull named Rosie arrived at the shelter. Bearing tire tracks on her hind legs and backside, Rosie was clearly in pain and was seen dripping with blood, including form her muzzle, indicating internal damage. The protesters observed that she was likely hit by a car, and quickly came to her aid. Rosie had a stroke of luck arriving at the shelter on that particular day: the NY-ARAA removed her from the kill shelter and has arranged veterinary treatment for her while embarking on a search for a new family for the recovering pup. They’ve graciously set up a Facebook page for Rosie HERE—click the link and find out how you can help this beautiful girl!

[image in video via This Dish Is Veg]

This is Riley with her rescue cat, Spenny! Spenny is a pretty great name, btdubs. Riley is a Columbian—wait, that’s what we call people from Columbus, Ohio, right? She’s thirteen and totally awesome.

What is your favorite food?
Riley: Grilled cheese.

What is your favorite kind of birthday cake?
Riley: Chocolate with chocolate frosting.

Why are you vegetarian?
Riley: My mom converted our family to vegetarianism when I was one year old.

Do you like being vegetarian? Why?
Riley:  Yes, because it’s healthier and I love animals!

Is it ever hard to be vegetarian?
Riley:  Nope.

What do your friends think about you being vegetarian?
Riley: They are very supportive. [Ed. note: Awwww]

What is your favorite animal? Why?
Riley: The okapi because it looks like a mix between a zebra and a giraffe. [Ed. note: Solid choice. JK, I don’t know what that is! Wait, OMG they’re adorbs.]

Do you like pink dinosaurs? Can you draw one for us? We would love it!
Riley:Sure. Yes! [Ed. note: OMG so great! This may be cuter than the real Vegansaurus, if that’s possible!]

Everyone loves puppies. Politicians love puppies! Or at least, they hate them less than they hate you, because California Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 917 into law this week, and now the puppies are saved! Or at least, puppies and also kittens and also other pet-type animals can no longer be sold from public property like parking lots and streets. This is supposed to cut down on puppy mills and puppy-mill-type operations, which are obviously terrible and disgusting.

The law also increases the penalties for perpetrators of animal abuse! Now being convicted of cruelty to animals “is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for not more than one year, or in the state prison, or by a fine of not more than $20,000, or by both that fine and imprisonment.” Better than before.

California is full of chickens living in horrible conditions laying top-quality California eggs and also cows being forced to produce milk to make California cheese that must be the most amazing food on the planet, considering the way people go on about it. It does seem that, incrementally, our representatives are making it less terrible for our domesticated animals; maybe it’s not all bad everywhere all the time.

[Apple and Lil Jack are both totally adorable and totally adoptable, if you are looking for a puppy on which to lavish all your affection]

OK guys, normally I’m not this desperate (lie), but I really need you! Actually, Karine Brighten needs you to sign up for Veg Speed Dating on Aug. 3 in Berkeley! Dudes, I know you like free shit, so here’s the deal: on Facebook, “like” Karine Brighten Events, then leave a comment saying you want a ticket; or on Twitter, follow KBrightenEvents and then tweet her up to let her know you want a ticket. You can even “like” Vegansaurus on Facebook and follow us on Twitter—don’t you love us?—then tell Karine Brighten’s Facebook or Twitter you did so AND WANT A TICKET!

Basically, all you have to do is tell her that you are breathing and able to use the internet to win a free ticket! Also be: single, between the ages of 21 and 50, into the ladies—some rules apply. If we click at the event I don’t want to hear about your complicated relationship, OK?

Contest open till Saturday, July 30 Sunday, July 31! Veg Speed Dating will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 3 from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Saturn Cafe in Berkeley. BE THERE.

A company from Cincinnati, Ohio called Tri-State Beef has issued a recall on nearly 229,000 pounds of ground beef because it “may be contaminated” with our old friend E. coli 0157:H7. That is over a quarter-million pounds of ground beef!

A company in Miami, Fla. called Northwestern Meat, Inc. has issued a recall on over 6,000 pounds of “frozen boneless beef products” because they tested positive for Ivermectin. Ivermectin is “a broad-spectrum anti-parasitic and is used as a de-worming agent in live animals,” and river blindness in “the Americas.” It can cause neurotoxicity. The “beef products” in question were imported from Honduras.

Both these companies had had their products inspected by federal agents before distribution to retail outlets. Your government is hard at work, protecting us citizens from—well, not E. coli or veterinary medication. Something important, surely.

If you’re around Lake Merritt and hard up for a sandwich, Merritt Station Cafe has got your back. Situated too close to a Gold’s Gym for my liking, it’s still a pleasant place to sit down to a large $4.99 Tofurkey sandwich with all the fixings! Check out this mega-sandwich that I had for mega-cheap! Also, the guys who made it were super nice! Also, I got to stare at people in Gold’s going up on down on ellipticals, and try not to think about sex. VERY ATHLETIC AND AWKWARD SEX.

Secondly: Have you been to Brown Couch Cafe (340 14th St. at Harrison) yet? It’s right around that area with Golden Lotus (it’s a Golden Era! in Oakland!) and No Worries and Rico’s Diner and Breakroom! Man, Oakland, with all your stealthy vegan food everywhere! Anyway, Brown Couch has several vegan menu items, and most others can be made vegan if you just ask. Definitely try the ridiculously tasty vegan chicken salad, which you can have in a wrap or on top of a salad. It’s ridonk. Also, the smoothies are fresh and tasty! The service is very friendly, and overall, it’s a fantastic lunch option and another excellent alternative in the area—all these delicious places make me want to get a business-lady job in downtown Oakland (LIES).

[Thanks to Kristy and Megan for bringing these fine establishments to our attention!]

We got an email from a vegan person called Daniel, who is looking for a place to live in San Francisco proper along with his Special Person, Madeline. Generally, your Vegansaurus isn’t your Vegan Craigslist, but this email was awfully nice and we do try to practice tikkun olam. It’s the Golden Rule! Make the world better, treat others as you would be treated, live without violence, and help this nice couple find a place to live.

Disclaimer: Your Vegansaurus has never met these people, and cannot take any responsibility as to their mental/emotional stability and/or their ability to pay rent/be cool. But this email was pretty charming, and we just won an award, we can do what we want.

Without further dithering, please say hello to Daniel and Madeline!

Two vegan creatures seek a place to live in San Francisco.

Hello!
Two adaptable, artful vegans with low interpersonal drama, seriously, aiming to move in August—timing is slightly adjustable. We’re a couple (he’s English, she’s a Texan) who moved to San Francisco from London almost four years ago. We like baking, cocktails, board games, documentaries, and live performance.

Desires:
One-bedroom apartment OR house-share (unfurnished) OR a work/live space in San Francisco. Near a BART station preferable. Must be near public transportation; < $1,500 monthly rent/utilities. We’re specifically looking for SF due to Healthy SF coverage, otherwise we’d have been all set in the East Bay.

Open to:
Kitty cats, vegan-friendly folks, collectives and social/private folks; we have experience living together, shared with others and as individuals.

We have current housing and employment references and look forward to meeting our new homestead. We hope you might help. Any leads or ideas you have are greatly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

Best,
Daniel and Madeline

P.S. We will be at SF Vegan Drinks TODAY if you wish to say hello!*

*Your Vegansaurus highly recommends meeting anyone you wish to rent to/live with/engage in whatever personal relations with in a safe and public place before making any kind of decision. And anyway, Vegan Drinks is good times.

Our the one and only Megan Rascal is djing at tonight’s NYC Vegan Drinks. Woohoo! I’ve been spending a fair amount of time in the same turntable rooms as that heifer and she can SPIN. She’s got all the fly tunes to make your vagina pop. If you’re not dancing to her sweet sounds, I don’t know what you’re doing, but we certainly can’t call it living, can we? 

If you’re in San Francisco, check out S.F. Vegan Drinks, which we co-sponsor with the lovely VegNews! And if you’re not in one of those thriving shitopolises, there might be a vegan drinks in your town as they’re happening all over the country tonight because they’re often on the last Thursday of the month. Party vegans (and veg-curious! And veg-friendly!) see you TONIGHT to get down to what vegans do best: talk shit on omnivores and drink away our collective rage/sorrow/angst. HOT.

Please enjoy this professional joke graphics below:

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SaveABunny is hosting a summertime party for bun-fundraising on Saturday, July 30! They will have “amazing food, a silent auction, cool stuff, tiki drinks and BUNNIES! Guaranteed fun and guaranteed to help support our rescue work!”

How can you say no? More importantly, how can you deny the face of a bun in need? What about the tail?

You can’t, is the answer. LOOK AT THOSE FEET.

The Beach Buns and Rum Rabbits party will happen at SaveABunny HQ in Mill Valley; please RSVP by emailing or calling (415) 388.2790. Fun in the sun with a bun!

You guys, work is really stressing me out. I am going to spend most of my half-day off catching up on horrible paperwork and I am dreading it already, as I would prefer to spend the day eating bonbons and playing Super Mario Galaxy. When I am bummed like this, there is only one thing that makes me feel better (well, two, but crystal meth is pretty expensive on my salary), so after Allen picked me up from work we went to the gym and did water Zumba for an hour. Here are the reasons I like water Zumba: first of all, Zumba is like this horrifying campy mix of boxing, salsa, and belly-dancing that is all about being fun and taking itself too seriously at the same time. Second of all, when I am doing any kind of aquatic fitness activity it is all limbs and grunts and I look like I am having a panic attack mixed with a seizure and everyone is silently backing away and holding their hands over their mouths in shock and mortification. You take all of this and add a whole bunch of amazing middle-aged ladies just shaking their stuff and doing water acrobatics in a circle at the end and Allen wading around assuring people that I’m OK and that no one needs to call 911 and everyone’s having a good time!

I don’t feel that I am doing a good job explaining this, so let me show you with this cartoon of Narwhals just tearing shit up in the water. Quick question: are Narwhals even real or what? They are sea animals with horns! They fight polar bears! They have a catchy song about how awesome they are that will be stuck in my head for the next two weeks and will not be able to sleep because as soon as I close my eyes all I hear is that amazing techno beat taunting me with the millions of fantastic qualities Narwhals have that I will never achieve. Fun story: my friend Stephanie took me to some kind of Etsy craft fair a couple of months ago and one of the activities they had was making stuffed Narwhals out of felt and cloth. I was super drunk at this point (and had been eating so many cookies and cake pops—cake pops!!—that I was almost in a sugar coma) that the only thing I could do was supervise by yelling “give the Narwhal a huge schlong!” while twirling around and laughing. in the end, the Narwhal had a giant appendage and I spent the rest of the evening showing everyone my Narwhal which I was wearing as a necklace. True story.

Narwhals not doing it for you? You want to go for more conventional? Fine! How about these mother-loving kittens being DJ Heroes?

[Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com]
They’re not even playing it on the Wii, you guys! They are on real-life decks just spinning like there is no tomorrow and meowing out sweet musical beats. I know a little bit about being a DJ (read: Laura and I spend a lot of time on turntable.fm) [Ed.; YEAH WE HAVE! And Megan Rascal told us about it so mad props to DJ My Lil’ Pony!] when someone is a hot act. And let me tell you, three kittens fucking it up on a couple of turntables is just what the club scene needs. I don’t generally go to clubs because I hate people and dancing and lights and music, but I would be there to see these kittens and break my neck (that is DJ lingo for “bop my head”) to the rhythms they’re putting out.

Kittens don’t do it for you? Why? Did your soul break? Perhaps you should have it repaired. Oh, you like dogs? You like dogs that make you go WTF? You like English dogs that make you go “huh?” Let me introduce you to Sophie, then. Let’s see what’s up now! Adorable or terrifying? You tell me!

That’s all for this week! Please send me links for next week and have the best Wednesday of your life!

Hello, and welcome to what might pass for an advice column on Vegansaurus!

I’m a vegan, and people ask me a lot of questions. I’m getting pretty good at answering them, I think, so I want to share with you. Please note that my answers to your questions, while they have to go past some editors here, will only reflect my own opinions. Let’s go!

Damian asks: Should there be a “legal” definition of vegan food? Like if something is “non-alcoholic” or “artisanal”?
I think there should be for packaged/prepared foods; at least, I hope you wouldn’t wonder whether a head of cabbage is vegan. In this review, I didn’t do extra research and accepted the “no animal products” designation on the label. Unfortunately, it was not until after I had reviewed the product that I was informed it contained bee food and excretions. Even though food-licensing organizations are suspect, such a rating would make veganism more accessible—especially if, for example, you have a hard time remembering WTF carnauba wax and rennet are. I would like to see the “vegan” label become as visible on commercial products as the “gluten-free” designation is.

Roxane asks: Where do vegans get protein?
From the flesh of naughty children—try it with barbecue sauce and grilled corn. But on the realio, I get it from everything I eat. My favorite forms include tofu and quinoa, but you can also get it from every other bean ever, grains, greens, veggies, seitan, etc. Did you know that the “average” human only needs 10 to 15 percent of his or her calories to come from protein? There are plenty of articles with much more depth on this subject on this site. I know this question annoys a lot of vegans, but I welcome it—when asked sincerely—as answering might help raise awareness. Readers, what are your favorite protein sources?

Greg asks: Is it true that a vegan can’t come into your house unless invited?
It’s easy to get vegans confused with vampires, because both words start with the letter “V” and they both drink blood. KIDDING. I won’t come into your house unless you invite me, but only because I have good manners.

Want to Ask a Vegansaur something? Email me, and try not to be a jerk! Please do not confuse this column with Laura’s Ask Laura column in VegNews; read that, too! VEGAN ADVICE WOO!

[photo by Stephen and Claire Farnsworth via Flickr]

Miss the last one? Yo, there’s another Matt and Nat sale at Pure Citizen and it goes through Friday! Deep discount on sexiness, y’all. Love that bag above BUY IT FOR ME. You know we make hardly nothing running this site for you, right? The very least you could do is buy me a fly-ass handbag so I can walk down the street knocking fools over with it. 

Some other favorites!

This J Lo-esque wallet (Remember, she must have ALL WHITE in her dressing rooms. Man, reading that is so fun!):

This skinny belt (WORK IT):

This baby blue hotness:

GO GET IT, BABY GIRL!