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Welcome to Vegansaurus’ weeklong guest series on eating vegan in Mexico City! All content by Rika of Vegan Miam!

I spent all of April in Mexico City (Distrito Federal), the capital of Mexico and the largest city in North America. Mexico City is divided into colonias (neighborhoods). In this series, I’ll guide you through a few of the colonias I explored, and some of the beautiful, delicious vegan food I ate.

All the neighborhoods are unique in their own ways; you just have to decide want you want to do, and eat. Tip: If you don’t speak Spanish, have some phrases prepared about to your dietary preferences. Many people speak some English, but there’s no guarantee.

The Centro Historico district is largely known to tourists since it embraces Zócalo (aka Plaza de la Constitución), the largest square in Latin America. There are plenty of historic colonial landmarks to see in that area, but this is about the food! So let’s drink some pulques at Pulqueria Las Duelistas. (Drink along on Twitter!)

Pulque is a traditional alcoholic beverage made from the fermented sap of the maguey plant (known for fermented agave), and most of them are made vegan. They are a must-try! However, I wouldn’t recommend drinking them on the day of your departure, they move through your digestive system quickly.

Guayaba (guava) pulque; apio (celery) pulque in a glass rimmed with lime, salt, and chile, and in a pitcher. The glass of guayaba cost 20 pesos (approximately $1.50 US), and the pitcher of apio cost 40 pesos (approximately $3 US).

Based both in Oregon and worldwide, Taiwanese vegan Rika has run an international and travel vegan blog since July 2011. She documents and photographs vegan cuisine, airports/lounges, groceries, products, and home cooking. She also spends her time abroad caring for and feeding feral cats and dogs. You can find her on Twitter and Pinterest. Check out all her posts for Vegansaurus!

[Source: J.L. Capper, Journal of Animal Science, December, 2011.
Credit: Producers: Eliza Barclay, Jessica Stoller-Conrad; Designer: Kevin Uhrmacher/NPR]

I listened to NPR’s Meat Week stories because I always listen to Morning Edition in the wee hours while I’m getting ready for work every day (two-hour commute party!), and am a prisoner to whatever they put on the radio. At the end of June, it was all about dead flesh. Too cool.

Here’s a summary for you, so you know what we talk about when we talk about eating meat.

Day One: Some dope who follows the Paleo diet (and does CrossFit, shocking!) is an expert witness in “We Evolved to Eat Meat, but How Much Is Too Much?” Yes. Did they ask this guy on purpose, knowing he’d come off like an idiot? Maybe. NPR, you tricksters.

Day Two: In “The Making of Meat-Eating America,” we learn that Americans eat meat because we are wealthy and can afford it, plus it’s cheaper here. Also, technology! The railway shipped sides of beef from sea to shining sea! But we’re eating less now, mostly because it’s fucking unhealthy to eat so many animals.

Day Three: Nationally we’re choking down fewer dead cows (“red meat”) than ever before. “Why There’s Less Red Meat on Many American Plates” explores “changing trends in meat consumption,” namely, with a few exceptions—like those back-to-prehistoric times dolts—people are cutting back, because we care about our health, and our planet (n.b. the above infographic), and all those animal lives. Except chickens, it’s totally cool to eat chickens, right?

Day Four: You want independent farming? “Unlike Chicken and Pork, Beef Still Begins with Small Family Ranches” will see your independent farming and raise you a “the cattle industry is bottle-shaped,” in which the wide bottom is the many smaller ranches where cows are artificially inseminated to make new cows, the shoulders are the feedlots where not-yet-year-old cows are sent to put on grain-weight, and the neck is the four packing companies that kill-n-pack 82 percent of the edible cow sold in the U.S. Gosh, the death industry is revolting.

Day Five: Hey look, meaty billboards!

So there’s your Meat Week: Americans love eating animals, but maybe less than they used to (except chickens); the meat industry isn’t very big but it sure is mighty, and really horrible for the environment. Cool story, NPR. 

You’ve heard the news, right? Arian Foster, running back for the Houston Texans, has gone vegan! You should read his Twitter, he’s being totally chill about it, just like any other person on earth who might choose to adopt a vegan diet—except he’s a famous athlete and lots of people are invested in his entire life. So it’s exciting! Welcome to the club, dude, it’s pretty great over here.

Even more exciting news: Venus Williams has adopted a raw vegan diet! Good for you, lady! Remember how Venus and Serena were planning to go raw at the beginning of the year? Of course you do, you love Jenny Bradley’s vegan celebrity news. Recently, Venus has said that she started eating raw vegan after being diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Sjogren’s syndrome. We are sincerely sorry about that, as she is a tremendous athlete, and we hope this diet helps alleviate her symptoms. Still, it’s a big week for ass-kicking in the vegan-eating world, and we’re proud to welcome another member.

Team Vegan is going to win so many more events at the next Veg vs. Meatmouth Olympics.

[Arian Foster photo by AJ Guel, Venus Williams photo by Pete Edgeler, both via Flickr]

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

Wow, a lot’s happened since the last email update. Oscar Mayer, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s and Baja Fresh all announced that after working with HSUS they’re going to be ending gestation crate confinement of pigs in their supply chains. The progress is so dramatic that Meatingplace magazine (a meat industry trade journal) commented, “The progression of this issue exemplifies how quickly the Humane Society of the United States can affect change.”

Even more, the Des Moines Register reported on a pork producer who wants to obtain gestation crates, but doesn’t because of “the possibility that the retailers and the Humane Society will make a crate ban stick.”

Want to know what the future holds for meat alternatives? Great guy and New Harvest founder Jason Matheny offers his insights to WorldWatch in this fascinating interview. (On a related topic, don’t miss Mark Bittman’s new NYT piece on his experience curing his illness by cutting dairy.)

And hey, there’s still hope for me to play in the NFL!

P.S. Video of the week: If I can play in the NFL, cats can play patty-cake:

Welcome to Vegansaurus’ weeklong guest series on eating vegan in Mexico City! All content by Rika of Vegan Miam!

I spent all of April in Mexico City (Distrito Federal), the capital of Mexico and the largest city in North America. Mexico City is divided into colonias (neighborhoods). In this series, I’ll guide you through a few of the colonias I explored, and some of the beautiful, delicious vegan food I ate.

All the neighborhoods are unique in their own ways; you just have to decide want you want to do, and eat. Tip: If you don’t speak Spanish, have some phrases prepared about to your dietary preferences. Many people speak some English, but there’s no guarantee.

If you are a luxury hotel or fashion fanatic, I would recommend staying in Polanco, which is a trendy, upscale neighborhood situated at the edge of Bosque de Chapultepec. You might expect to pay more in Polanco when it comes to dining or shopping.

Tamarindo (back) and mamey ice cream.

If you want to get some vegan ice cream, try Nevería Roxy in Polanco in front of Parque Lincoln (Lincoln Park). It’s a classic ice cream parlor that has been around for years. Get a bola grande scoop, but make sure you get it without a cone since it may not be vegan (most cones are not vegan). I got mine in a traditional glass cup.

Vegan flavors include chico zapote (similiar to kiwi), fresa (strawberry), guanábana (soursop), guayaba (guava), lima (lime), limón (lemon), mamey, mandarina (mandarin), maracuyá (passionfruit), melón, naranja (orange), piña (pineapple), tamarindo (tamarind), and zarzamora (blackberry).

The mamey was smooth and delicious. The mamey fruit made the sorbet creamier due to its thick, soft texture. Tamarind gave the ice cream a very sweet, nutty, and tangy flavor.

Based both in Oregon and worldwide, Taiwanese vegan Rika has run an international and travel vegan blog since July 2011. She documents and photographs vegan cuisine, airports/lounges, groceries, products, and home cooking. She also spends her time abroad caring for and feeding feral cats and dogs. You can find her on Twitter and Pinterest. Check out all her posts for Vegansaurus!

Welcome to Vegansaurus’ weeklong guest series on eating vegan in Mexico City! All content by Rika of Vegan Miam!

I spent all of April in Mexico City (Distrito Federal), the capital of Mexico and the largest city in North America. Mexico City is divided into colonias (neighborhoods). In this series, I’ll guide you through a few of the colonias I explored, and some of the beautiful, delicious vegan food I ate.

All the neighborhoods are unique in their own ways; you just have to decide want you want to do, and eat. Tip: If you don’t speak Spanish, have some phrases prepared about to your dietary preferences. Many people speak some English, but there’s no guarantee.

Condesa-Roma was my favorite neighborhood in Mexico City; it reminded me of Berlin and Portland, Ore. If you are traveling on a budget, I would recommend staying in Condesa-Roma, where you can also enjoy food and architecture at the same time.

One taqueria in Condesa offers delicious, vegan-friendly, slow-cooked tacos: It is officially known as Tacos Hola, or El Güero, and has been open since 1968. It is located on the corner of Amsterdam and Michoacán. Vegan fillings offered include guacamole (so creamy and good!), acelgas (braised chard), nopales (cactus), and arroz (rice). Add condiments like pickled vegetables (onions, peppers, jalapeños), salsa verde (very spicy pureed raw habañero), salsa roja (medium-hot), and lime wedges.

My first time at Tacos Hola I had tacos with acelgas, nopales, and guacamole (15 pesos, approximately $1.12 US). The second time I added rice to make a perfect vegan taco. The addition of pickled vegetables turned out to be delectable, along with the heat from the jalapeños. I couldn’t taste the nopales very much, but I could taste the creamy guacamole and braised chard very well. 

My partner got nopales and arroz, and added the spicy pickled vegetables and medium-spicy salsa roja. If you really want a spicy salsa, go for the green one!

At Azul Condesa, I ordered a vegan-friendly dish from their seasonal mango menu: guacamole with chunks of fresh mango, served with tortilla chips.

My partner ordered organic hibiscus flower enchiladas, served with light tomato and smoky chipotle sauces. Make sure to ask for it without cheese (“sin queso”)! 

If you would like to try something different, such as a fusion of traditional Afro-Carribean and Mexican dishes incorporating a variety of tropical fruits, I would recommend the buffet at Nirvana Vegetariano. You can get lots of food for not much money (60 pesos, approximately $4.50 US).

The tamales are freshly made with grilled vegetables. They were really yummy! Best tamales ever! You’ll want to avoid the tamales a block of feta cheese on top, though.

Nirvana Vegetariano also offers fresh corn tortillas, rice, plantain and eggplants, vegan gyro-like meat with hint of pineapples, and much more to make your own tacos. I really like the plantain and eggplants; it tasted sweet and roasted, especially creamy. Everything was very delicious—I had no complaints!

Based both in Oregon and worldwide, Taiwanese vegan Rika has run an international and travel vegan blog since July 2011. She documents and photographs vegan cuisine, airports/lounges, groceries, products, and home cooking. She also spends her time abroad caring for and feeding feral cats and dogs. You can find her on Twitter and Pinterest. Check out all her posts for Vegansaurus!

If you recall, our Sarah E. Brown reviewed NuTru’s O-Mega-Zen + EPA, a “vegan source of high-purity algae derived Omega-3 DHA and EPA.” She totally thought it was great, she just thought it tasted “like hell.” That Sarah, so spirited! Well, it turns out she was sent a version that’s no longer on the market, so NuTru sent her the current product to try. Here’s her updated assessment: 

“The new, improved, product that is currently the only one available tastes like a faintly sweet vegetable-derived gel cap, which is exactly what it is. I am happy to report no fishy algae taste leaked into my mouthfeel experience whatsoever. The product is indeed as pleasing to the palate as it is to the body.”

There you have it! I’ve heard about this algae-derived omega, supposed to be just as good as icky fish supplements because algae is where the fish get the omegas in the first place! So now you can tell those “but humans are supposed to eat fish” people that they can suck algae. 

You can buy Nutru’s O-Mega-Zen online from Vegansaurus-supporter Vegan Essentials or at Pangea or Food Fight. 

In the uppermost echelons of the elite nut butter world, being raw, vegan, organic, local, and sustainable is not particularly remarkable. I’d dare to say superior ethics and health properties of high-caliber varieties of nut butters are simply what us highfaluting gourmand vegans have come to expect. Specialty Nut Butters by Jem Raw Chocolate are all of these things, but I must convey to you, dear reader, how uniquely wonderful they are—truly unlike any nut butter varieties I’ve ever tried.

The three flavors Jem generously comped me were Cinnamon Red Maca Almond Butter, Coconut Cardamom Butter, and Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. I come from the superfood enthusiast camp that believes that you can never ingest enough maca, a root vegetable native to the Andes with reported (and annecdotally confirmed) benefits of increasing motivation to engage in the making of love. Eat Jem’s spread and you’ll notice it’s easy to get in your daily dose of maca without the same stigma of “I want SEX ALL THE TIME,” traditionally associated with inhaling tiny mountains of pinkish-golden maca powder in the bathroom at Esta Noche. (Note: Please do not try snorting maca, at home or at Esta Noche).

The Cinnamon Red Maca Almond Butter is jam-packed with raw red maca and cinnamon, sweetened only with lower-glycemic coconut palm sugar. The taste is akin to a snickerdoodle laced with butterscotch. Highly recommended! Coconut Cardamom Butter reminded me of the time I spent a week at a Tibbetan Buddhist monastery. Instead of attaining enlightenment, I got sidetracked by the heavenly smells of cardamom simmering in fresh pots of chai tea wafting into the meditation hall. Learn from my spiritual weakness and bring a jar of this smooth, lucuma-filled treat with you to the next Vipassana retreat! Lastly, there’s the Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. I feel like a bit of a dolt reviewing a flavor of chocolate nut butter after my last word on the subject. The truth is, now that I’ve tried Jem, I have to admit that maybe I like Jem just-a-very-tad-slight-bit-only-the-tip-so-maybe-it-doesn’t-really-count better than Rawmio. I’m not sure though, and maybe I’d need to try both blends over and over forever to make a really unbiased decision!

Ways of eating Jem include spooning it straight from the jar, or enjoying it with fruit, crackers, toast, raw bread—just not with other less scrumptious nut butters, because I’ve heard that nut envy can lead to early onset rancidity. Take my word for it! Available online and in health food stores.

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

They’re adorable and kid friendly! Here’s the info, plus photos. Which is all you really need because LOOK AT THEM: 

1) The buns are currently in Santa Barbara but we will adopt out to anywhere as long as there’s transport available! Can you help with transportation?
2) They are all white, New Zealand rabbits, about 1 year-old, and further information about each of the buns can be found on Blue Skies Animal Sanctuary’s website.
3) The best way for people to contact us is through the contact form on our website or via email.

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

Ag industry trade journal Feedstuffs had a nice look at our campaign that’s getting big food retailers to call for an end to gestation crates for pigs, noting: “As HSUS and other activist groups gain momentum and credibility with food distributors and retailers, the pork industry seems to be stuck in a rut.”

I was glad to be on CNN Headline News this week with the always-fantastic Jane Velez-Mitchell discussing both the victory in Rhode Island (we just passed laws there banning veal/gestation crates and cattle tail-docking) as well as the federal hen protection bill. (Speaking of JVM, did you know you can meet her in person at the Taking Action for Animals conference in DC?)

NPR’s had a fascinating series on meat and America this week, including the release of a new poll showing that nearly 40 percent of Americans are eating less meat than three years ago, and more than half of those people cite animal welfare and/or the environment as a reason for their cutback.

Finally, this Sunday, the long-awaited law banning force-feeding ducks for foie gras (and the sale of it) takes effect. The LA Times editorial board has a good message for the chefs whining about not being about to sell products from force-fed birds: “Get over it.”

Video the week: Not as funny as normal, but a good reminder of how amazing the world can be.

You guys, I can’t. This is Ted Leo and Rudy the basset hound at the Howlabaloo, “Long Island’s premiere event for basset hounds and their owners.” He went as part of Julie Klausner’s How Was Your Week team. Do you guys listen to HWYW? It’s great! Ted Leo sings the theme song, and Julie Klausner is a delight. A DELIGHT.

Last month the Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue held its annual Howlabaloo on Long Island, and the HWYW team shot this great video full of interviews and utterly charming hounds. Beloved vegan musician Ted Leo challenges several basset hounds to races, while wearing a suit, because he is tremendous. Dogs, rescues, Ted Leo, and veggie burgers: You can’t lose!

[Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com!]