I just got back from Boston and I can't believe all the great vegan stuff that's popping up. I was there this time last year, and we only found Original Buddha's Delight. That was with help from Happy Cow and the Boston Vegetarian Society.
This year, two great vegan places opened up, Grezzo and Wheeler's. Grezzo was my first raw restaurant experience and you will not believe the incredible food. I will be posting pics and a review to the veggietrip Web site soon. Talk about instant gratification! I slept great after that dinner and was running around with a clear head and lots of energy the next morning.
Wheeler's is a vegan ice cream shop, right near the Boston Pops, and it was in it's first stages of opening. I'll be talking about that on veggietrip very soon too. Let me tell you, the ice cream is SO creamy and delicious. It's a real treat to get fresh soy- and coconut-based ice cream on a sunny day in Boston. Much better than something you find in the grocery store. It's so exciting to see that Boston is becoming more vegan-friendly.
That being said, for newcomers to Boston, please don't make the same mistake I did by staying near the Freedom Trail. One of the best things you can do to find veg food in a new place is to look near universities and yoga studios. Harvard, in Cambridge, is no different. I got to check out vegan pizza at Veggie Planet, and a lot of restaurants in Harvard Square have both vegan and vegetarian items on the menu.
Cambridge is not far away on the T (the subway system). It was kind of hard for me to get my head around the idea that every city around Boston is so accessible. Everything is kind of grouped into circles and the T system is super simple, and you can really get anywhere you want to go in no time.
So here's a toast to Boston! It's headed in the right direction. Check my Web site soon for the updates, and a special announcement coming June 18th.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
My vegan journey
So I thought I would catch the audience up on my 30 days of veganism, which ended quite a long time ago. I stopped blogging about it because it became second nature to avoid dairy products. I think I actually went about 45 days.
One thing that really invigorated me was attending the first ever Denver Veg Fest. The Fest was full of incredible veg food, products and speakers. It was something I never expected in my life. I left with a new Vegan bag from Ahimsa, a sample of Sheese in my stomach, and a lot more pride in being veg for 24 years of my life.
Another big trick for me was being prepared. I spent my Sundays making two or three divine dishes to take with me to work during the week. I have so many vegan cookbooks that it's kind of crazy I never tried this before! I loved having the variety and being prepared definitely kept me from starving.
So why did I break my streak? Basically, because I wanted to see what my addiction to cheese and dairy felt like after so many days without. And you know what? I am a completely different person.
Before going completely vegan, I loved pizza, nachos, popcorn with cheese, and cheese with cheese. My first venture back to vegetarianism was at a pizza party. I took a slice of pizza (normally I need at least three pieces) and the cheese really kind of grossed me out. It was just way too much cheese.
So am I vegetarian or vegan now? Well, I am vegan at home, and I'll be vegan whenever possible when I am not cooking for myself. It is very difficult to figure out if a restaurant is serving you food with whey from milk, or wine that was processed with fish, or sugar that was refined with animal bone. A lot of people do it, but it is very hard. And I will do my best to be vegan whenever possible. Because when the food is under my own control, it is SO easy and delicious and satisfying.
One thing that really invigorated me was attending the first ever Denver Veg Fest. The Fest was full of incredible veg food, products and speakers. It was something I never expected in my life. I left with a new Vegan bag from Ahimsa, a sample of Sheese in my stomach, and a lot more pride in being veg for 24 years of my life.
Another big trick for me was being prepared. I spent my Sundays making two or three divine dishes to take with me to work during the week. I have so many vegan cookbooks that it's kind of crazy I never tried this before! I loved having the variety and being prepared definitely kept me from starving.
So why did I break my streak? Basically, because I wanted to see what my addiction to cheese and dairy felt like after so many days without. And you know what? I am a completely different person.
Before going completely vegan, I loved pizza, nachos, popcorn with cheese, and cheese with cheese. My first venture back to vegetarianism was at a pizza party. I took a slice of pizza (normally I need at least three pieces) and the cheese really kind of grossed me out. It was just way too much cheese.
So am I vegetarian or vegan now? Well, I am vegan at home, and I'll be vegan whenever possible when I am not cooking for myself. It is very difficult to figure out if a restaurant is serving you food with whey from milk, or wine that was processed with fish, or sugar that was refined with animal bone. A lot of people do it, but it is very hard. And I will do my best to be vegan whenever possible. Because when the food is under my own control, it is SO easy and delicious and satisfying.
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