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Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use!  »

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

How many factory farmers does it take to screw in a light bulb? It doesn’t matter since they want to keep us in the dark anyway! How? Read on.

Rather than trying to prevent animal abuse on factory farms and in slaughter plants, the industry is trying to prevent the public from finding out about that abuse in the first place. So far in 2013, numerous states have introduced anti-whistleblower bills (aka ag-gag bills) aimed at criminalizing investigations at factory farms. You can read coverage of the fight this week in New Hampshire and Nebraska over this.

Did you see the news about fitness fanatic and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel touting the benefits of the Engine 2 (vegan) diet?

The Philadelphia Inquirer has an interesting story about the controversy surrounding battery caged laying hens being displayed at Pennsylvania’s Farm Show.

Finally, in the common sense department, new research provides further evidence that crabs and lobsters feel pain..

P.S. Video the week: Just what you always wanted…feline reactions to printers.

Interview: Meet Nicole Marquis, owner of HipCityVeg in Philadelphia!  »

Healthful vegan fast food maven Nicole Marquis dreamed of serving fast food to Philadelphians and visitors to the City of Brotherly/Sisterly/Gender-is-a-construct Love. And when she built HipCityVeg, we did come, in arugula taco salad-chomping droves. Now it’s silly to even think of eating anywhere else in Rittenhouse Square! I mean, I guess you could think about it, but it’d be better to save your precious brain space for finding the best spot in Rittenhouse Square to sit with your gourmet vegan take-out deliciousness from HipCityVeg!

Nicole brought me into her adorable restaurant to have me try the groothie, an organic green smoothie made of a rotating blend of fresh local greens and fruit (amazing!) and one of the most popular dishes, the Crispy HipCity Ranch. This overflowing faux chicken burger was battered fried amazingness. I rarely go for that stuff but wow, am I glad I tried it! So ridic!

I love the decor of the place: the whole pieces of organic fruit spilling onto the counter (in an artistic way), hardwood floors, and pretty potted plants. So lovely!

Nicole e-mailed me responses to my questions about how she envisioned and created HipCityVeg, her role in supporting the fast-growing vegan scene in Philly, and her life’s mission to spread the delicious veggie love.

Vegansaurus: Are you native to the Philly area? Where did you grow up?

Nicole Marquis: I’ve lived in the Philly area all my life except for a period living in L.A. during college. I grew up in Lower Gwynedd, but have been living in Rittenhouse Square for a few years.

V: When did you become interested in vegan food?

NM: I first became interested in nutrition by reading Andrew Weil. Then I read Mad Cowboy and realized what animal cultivation was doing to the earth. After reading Eat to Live and The China Study, I realized that a plant-based diet is essential to my health. I became vegan a few years ago after being vegetarian for several years, but the change in conciousness was actually developing for a while before that.

V: How did you get involved with now-closed Philly vegan fine-dining restaurant Horizons?

NM: I worked in the restaurant industry for years, mostly as a server before managing a local night club. While working on another project I met Rich Landau and he recruited me to help run Horizons.

V: What made you decide to open HipCityVeg?

NM: I felt a mission to popularize plant-based food. When something has great importance to you personally you want to see it grow and flourish. I also wanted a world where I didn’t have to peice together a couple of sides every time I ate in a restaurant.

V: What has most surprised you about operating a vegan restaurant in Philly?

NM: I was surprised by the pent-up demand. People said they were waiting for this for a long time. Who knew?

V: How many customers do you get on average per day? More during certain hours of the day?

NM: We serve about as many people as can fit in the restaurant (and onto the sidewalk), really. Our busiest time in this location is around lunch.

V: What is your most popular dish?

NM: Our best-selling sandwich is the Crispy Hip City Ranch, which is delicious. But our overall best-seller is our signature drink, the Groothie. It’s a smoothie made of bananas, apples, organic greens, and a seasonal fruit. There really is nothing better for your body.

V: How do you envision the growing veg scene in Philly? Do you think it’s greater now for any particular reason?

NM: Philly is becoming a great vegan city. It really is a hip city. People here love to challenge their tastes, to embrace the fringe. But they crave real, clean, fresh food. I love my hometown.

V: What are your hobbies, activities besides running the restaurant?

I love yoga. I love the arts. I love eating in great restaurants. I love my family and friends.

V: Anything else you’d like to add?

NM: I want everyone to feel at home in my restaurant. I hope we share the vibe of love. We’re all family!

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.

[Groothie and Crispy HipCity Ranch photos via HipCityVeg] 

For the vegan sports fan, PETA’s best veggie food at baseball stadiums  »

I grew up on baseball. My parents took me to my first Baltimore Orioles game when I was two months old. I didn’t realize you couldn’t throw peanut shells on the ground in polite company until I was way too old. And when I became a vegetarian at age 11, one of the few things I missed was ballpark hotdogs (I now shudder at the thought, but kids will be kids).

As a grown-up vegan, baseball games are still fun, but I don’t ever go for the food (though I do love the garlic fries at Giants’ Stadium). I usually bring my own version, scoff at the suckers around me paying $12 for a crappy hamburger.

Now PETA’s gone and messed that up, by pointing out there’s some veggie food at stadiums, and giving them publicity for it, so they maybe have an incentive to add more. Last week, they released a  Top 10 Vegetarian-Friendly Ballparks list.

Surprise! No. 1 is in Philadelphia. Apparently the Phillies offer a vegan chicken-steak sandwich. Sign me up!

Other top contenders, and the things there I really would want to eat, are:

2. Seattle Mariners’ Safeco Field: Vegtastic has the run-down of what to eat here. Sushi! Vegan hotdogs!

3. Detroit Tigers’ Comerica Park: vegan hot dogs.

4. Oakland Athletics’ O.co Coliseum: Eh. I’ve been here, not impressed. Not much vegan that I know of, though the vegetarian offerings might be OK.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers’ Dodger Stadium: vegan sloppy Joe, veggie sushi, and edamame, hurray!

6. New York Mets’ Citi Field: veggie dogs, veggie burgers. Here’s an outdated report!

7. Los Angeles Angels’ Angel Stadium of Anaheim: veggie dogs (I’m noticing a theme here), black-bean burgers, bean burritos, veggie wraps, and California cucumber rolls. Plus gluten-free options!

8. Washington Nationals’ Nationals Park: Hell yeah, I want me a tofu sandwich with Vegenaise, and a falafel! Last time I was here I brought my own Chipotle; that was good too.

9. Pittsburgh Pirates’ PNC Park: Vegetarian lo mein and salad with fried green tomatoes sound interesting, but not sure they’re vegan. Sigh.

10. Minnesota Twins’ Target Field: “vegan mousse martinis”?! What is that? Why don’t I have one? Plus veggie kabobs!

Road trip in order? Find out more and get ongoing news at Veggie Happy. And watch some MLB bloopers to get in the mood!

Vedge: The fancy new vegan restaurant in Philly rules!  »

Gold beets, smoked tofu, avocado, capers, cucumber dill sauce, pumpernickel

My sister missed my birthday celebration in Brooklyn last week, but I am so nice that I let her make it up to me by taking me to Vedge in Philly on Saturday! Vedge is the new(ish) restaurant opened by the owners of the late Horizons. We made reservations Friday night, and the only table we could get for Saturday was at 10 p.m. Make your reservations in advance!

It was quite full for 10 p.m. The crowd wasn’t particularly hip or stereotypically vegan, just kind of older society people. The staff was super nice (especially our server, another Megan!) and the space was pretty cool; it was an old structure with a series of rooms, kind of like a stoic, simply decorated, expensive house, with tables filled in. The tables are nicely spread out, though we still ended up talking to our neighboring table. The one guy went out with Goldie Hawn for two weeks when he was 19! My sis and I totally heart Goldie. [Ed.: Overboard was just added to Instant Netflix! Goldie is THE BEST. —Laura] Things took an odd turn when the guy told Cally he was looking for a nanny…for himself. But he struck me as exceedingly gay, so he didn’t get a knuckle sandwich. 

The food was pretty amazing. The servings are on the smaller side so they suggest you order three or four plates—this is just how I like to eat! A little bit of everything. In the end though, the main plates weren’t actually that small so we did get pretty full. But we soldiered on! I think my favorite thing was the beet and tofu dish above. Cally’s rutabaga salad was pretty amazing too even though we were both scared of rutabaga—not any more!

Roasted rutabaga salad, little leaves, charred onion, farro, pistachio

Spice-cured little carrots, white bean sauerkraut purée, rye toast

Steak-spice-seared tofu, hedgehog mushrooms, kabocha sadeira, walnut picada

My other favorite thing was this “steak-spice” tofu. It was basically pan-seared with really good salt flakes on it. Very tasty. Cally even liked it, though she’s not one for tofu. The texture was excellent. 

For dessert, we got the pot de crème and the apple cake fritters. The pot de creme was AWESOME. I don’t always love pot de crème but this was delicious, and the salt on top was just perfect. The biscotti was really good. Normally I stay away from biscotti unless I made it myself; people often confuse “dry” with “stale.” Biscotti is not supposed to be stale! This biscotti was not. It was perfect. But really, the apple cake fritters won the show. They were like apple-flavored zeppoles! I do love fried dough. 

All in all, I give Vedge a million stars! It’s fine dining, but totally relaxed and fun. It’s a great place for a celebration dinner. I love that they encourage you to try so many dishes! Oh and I almost forgot, say it with me now!: POMEGRANATE SANGRIA. So, so necessary.

Apple cake fritters with Waldorf salad, cider caramel

Chocolate pot de crème with coffee salt, macadamia nut biscotti, and b-day candle!

Interview with Vegan Author/Model David Raphael Hildebrand!  »

David is a vegan model and author from Philadelphia living in Brooklyn! Just like me! Except the model and author part! AND GUESS WHAT: We have the same birthday (February 25th and I love Edible Arrangements)! So we are both Pisces by popular understanding. It is hard being a Pisces so we are naturally bonded and new best friends.

David was kind enough to do an interview for us! We love to interview attractive interesting vegans! Without further ado:

First of all, how cool are people from Philadelphia?
D. R. Hildebrand: Very! Put it like this, on a scale of one to two we’re definitely a two.

Next of all, why are you vegan?
D. R. Hildebrand: Why am I vegan? Because the moral of life is not to take but to give; and I’m not willing to take what I wouldn’t otherwise be willing to give.

How long have you been vegan?
D. R. Hildebrand: I was raised pesco-vegetarian. My oldest sister was on a class trip to a farm when I was still a toddler and she came home a changed lady. The whole house went vegetarian and that, as a result, was the way I came to know the world. When I graduated from college I lived abroad for two years, in Germany and Israel. Almost as soon as I arrived in Germany I met a spunky Aussie sheila named Sarah who was running rootsofcompassion.org and was a vegan chef (Sarah has actually cooked for Sea Shepherd.  Pretty cool, no?  If you’re ever in Melbourne, definitely visit her). Anyway, Sarah introduced me to vegan pastries, vegan activists, and to a little thing called—are you ready for this?—conscious consumerism. It’s wild, I know. That was about eight years ago and I’ve been clean ever since.

Favorite animal?
D. R. Hildebrand: Are you kidding? Camels! They have this warmth, this air of aplomb. They’re so gracious.

Got any companion animals? Pictures!
D. R. Hildebrand: I don’t. I travel too often and that would be unfair.

Favorite food?

D. R. Hildebrand: That’s a tough one. Call me extravagant but I really enjoy rice and beans. I make a mean tuna melt (chickpea and soy) and a pretty kick-ass sweet potato kugel. This might sound over the top, I know, but I love a freezing cold apple with peanut butter. Am I glutton? [Ed. note: I love apple and peanut butter too! I’m all about Pink Ladies right now]

Favorite cookbook?
D. R. Hildebrand: Hmm, another good one. I tend to get new ideas straight off the web. Vegan with a Vengeance is pretty much an obvious necessity though.

Favorite vegan restaurant?
D. R. Hildebrand: Oh, you’re killing me, I’m starving! A few way up on the list are definitely Sacred Chow, Pure Food and Wine, Angelica Kitchen, Wild Ginger, Gobo, and Counter, but really that’s just not a fair question. I’ll tell you there’s this tiny, really tiny place called Terri at 23rd and 6th that’s maybe a year or two young. The Thanksgiving sandwich is insane. The meatball sub, the cupcakes… And they keep stacks of The China Study front and center for sale. Love that little joint. [Ed. note: that’s up the street from my work! I go there all the time! The chickpea tuna melt is out of sight and when the omnis are good on Meatless Monday, I get them apple cider donuts from there]

Who’s got better vegan food: Philly or NYC?
D. R. Hildebrand: Please don’t hate me Philadelphia… [Ed. note: they are not a forgiving people]

Vegan celebrity you want to bang?
D. R. Hildebrand: Now that’s just shocking. I assumed we were both advocates for non-violence.

Peta: Y/N?
D. R. Hildebrand: When PETA’s at its best—stealth, savvy, brazenly creative—they rock. When they get all puerile and lose their cool—pie throwing, blood slinging—they rock less. The celebrity campaigns have been great. What they need to do is connect more with kids. We all need to connect with kids. Compassion needs to be a lifestyle and a culture. Children already seek it so why not bring it to them and cultivate it?

LOLCats: Y/N?
D. R. Hildebrand: I don’t see the humor in belittling personifications, but that’s just me…

So, you model, are you super into fashion? Who’s your favorite vegan designer?
D. R. Hildebrand: If jeans and T-shirts count as fashion, then yeah, I’m into fashion. I have a lot of respect for Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart (former model by the way) of Vaute Couture, MATT & NAT, Olsen Haus, Dalia MacPhee. I have a lot of respect for Stella McCartney, too. She fights a much more rigid status quo than most people realize.

Are a lot of models vegan or what?
D. R. Hildebrand: You know, I’ll show up for a shoot in New York and the catering company will bring almost no meat or dairy. It’s amazing. My guess is the number is pretty high. Of those who do eat and drink non-vegan meals, many probably do so rarely. I’ve definitely never heard of a model on an Atkins or South Beach diet. Those are just a crock of shit and everyone knows it.

What’s your book about? Is the protagonist vegan? Any overt or covert vegan messages?
D. R. Hildebrand: I thought you’d never ask! It’s called Walking Marina and it’s a straight-forward look at the male modeling industry. The protagonist journeys through a gauntlet of experiences and does, along the way, gravitate to veganism. Yes, there are covert and overt vegan messages throughout, not because I am, but because it jives with the plot. You can find the book at my site, www.drhildebrand.com, or on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.

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

Do you have any amazing nicknames I should know about?
D. R. Hildebrand: None that I can think of. Got any suggestions? [Ed. note: we’ll be taking suggestions, audience!]

Are you willing to have Vegansaurus over and cook us a vegan feast? If so, what day?
D. R. Hildebrand: Absafrickinlutely! Why not tonight? [Ed. note: OMG no one ever says yes! I don’t know how to respond!]

Any questions for Vegansaurus? Anything!
D. R. Hildebrand: Yeah, how’d you get so darn vegalicious?

There’s actually a recipe!: 1 part Earth Balance, 2 parts vegan chocolate chips and a half ounce of sunshine!

Philly dude smuggles a gagillion pounds of elephant ivory  »

You know I always cover the Philly beat but today I am not happy about it! This art dealer jerk smuggled a ton of ivory from Africa by staining it and carving it to appear antique. The 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) made the trade of ivory illegal in the U.S. but apparently, you can still import and sell ivory that is over 100 years old. This is one of the largest seizures of ivory in U.S. history: “All told, agents of the federal Fish and Wildlife Service seized 491 carved tusks from Mr. Gordon.” Jesus Christmas, that’s SO MANY! And remember, elephants are endangered. Stone cold bummer.

Just goes to show you, you can’t trust anybody! So maybe we should tell everyone they shouldn’t buy any ivory because it might be new. Plus, tacky!

[Picture from the Department of Justice. Mad official, yo]

The beatification of the pigeon  »

Hey young world! It’s the art beat! You know I love pigeons so when I read about this art installation in Philadelphia, I was so excited. Then I was so sad to see it closed on Saturday! We missed the show. But! We can still look at the pictures!

Matt Zigler created The Mobile Museum of Pigeon Culture and History, a pigeon museum in a Pod (you know, those storage containers popular with the college set), to venerate the disrespected bird. Along with the mobile museum, the installation included a series of altars, “Five Saintly Pigeons of the Book of Columba,” to various pigeons with a seed dispenser nearby to provide offerings. Zigler is not fucking around; he set out to elevate these birds to saints. As the bearer of so much public disdain, this is just what the pigeons need! You got to make serious moves. No half-stepping for Zigler and the pigeons—they’re like, “bow down, bitches!” Jeez, pigeons, relax.

Hopefully the mobile museum will travel nearby soon, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, be kind to your local pigeon.