To Live and Eat in L.A. – A Vegan Food Photo Blog

Hey guys… this is just a quick note to let you know this site is going on hiatus for a while. No long drawn out essays this time around, just an announcement that I’m taking some time off to work on other exciting stuff. I’ve got a very groovy vegan food related project in the works that I think you’ll all really dig once it’s finished. Check back soon or stay subscribed to my RSS feed for the news once everything is ready to go. As always, thanks for your support!

Just got a bummer of an email from a reader who passed along this news:

Hello, I just went to my favorite vegi joint in LA, Papillon in El Segundo, and found to my horror that they were informed by their building owner that they must close on Monday April 27.

They will be open Sunday (today April 26) from 1-8 pm for goodbye food. I don’t know many other vegetarians and thought maybe you would and could pass along the word. What a loss.

-Dustin

What a loss indeed, especially since I’d not yet had a chance to ever eat there. Papillon is/was a restaurant that serves Filipino food, not all vegetarian but vegan friendly and with an entire large menu of all vegetarian & vegan items. Alas… another one bites the dust.

If you’re anywhere near El Segundo tomorrow (today- I’m writing this at 4:30 in the morning) try and get this special food while you still can. I’d highly suggest calling ahead to see what’s up and to make sure they are still open.

www.papillonvgcuisine.com
408 Main Street
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310) 640-0408

I’ve been crazy busy with work and life so I haven’t had much time to reply to your comments or to write about food (this shall be rectified as soon as possible). There’s been so much going on all at once! How about we skip the chit chat and get to the interesting stuff?

(Thanks everyone for voting for Sunny below, the contest is now over. She didn’t win… but we’re going to find her an even bigger and better contest to win next time!)

• First up I’m going ask you all to help out with a fun favor. See that super hottie on the left? Well it’s not me (don’t you wish!), it’s the extremely cute & awesome Sunny from Vegan Beauty Review. She is one of the contestants competing in PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door 2009 contest. The winners (one female, one male) will each receive a trip for two to Hawaii, including roundtrip airfare and beautiful accommodations for seven nights. Sunny totally deserves to win because: She’s my friend! She’s super sexy AND vegan! She promotes cruelty-free beauty products to the masses so other girls can look just as hot as she does without killing puppies! She recently got married and a honeymoon in Hawaii for her and her hubby would be a dream come true!
  
• 
  While we’re still on the topic of PETA and people getting their sexy on, I can’t resist sharing this great new ad campaign to help save black bears being killed for their fur. The ad features a “bare skinned” Jamie Bamber posing butt naked. Those of you who love Battlestar Galactica as much as I do will recognize Bamber as the BSG character Apollo, and those of you who don’t watch it are missing one of the best frakking tv shows ever made.
  
  
• Ewwww… what’s up with that grody egg on this vegan blog? Chill out people, it’s not a real egg! Michael Natkin of the vegetarian blog herbivoracious.com pulled a pretty clever trick on his readers recently, and I totally fell for it. First he blogged about what to do with an inside out egg that he got at the farmers market. His is not a vegan blog so it’s not out of the ordinary to find an egg there, but it sure is unusual (to say the least!) to find eggs with the yolk on the outside. It’s looks pretty gosh darn real, just read the reactions he got in his comments. Well it turns out he was toying with us, it’s not an egg at all, it’s actually a very tasty sounding vegan treat made with mango, agar-agar and coconut milk, the recipe for which he revealed a few days later. Cute!
  
  
• In local news, vegan Japanese restaurant Shojin is celebrating it’s one year anniversay for the entire month of March. I can’t believe it’s already been over a year since my friends and I got to experience Shojin’s pre-opening tasting dinner. In honor of their 1st anniversary they’re offering a special five course dinner including appetizer, soup, entree and desserts for $19.95, available every night for the month of March. They’re also throwing a party and you are all invited:
  

  Shojin Anniversary Party “Matsuri”
  Sunday, March 29 from 5:00pm – 10:00pm

  Shojin is having our first anniversary party “Matsuri”.
  $20 all-you-can-eat buffet-style dinner includes vegan sushi bar by charisma sushi chef. It is our great honor to invite Mr. Katsuhiro Tamashiro, former Executive Sushi Chef of the Four Seasons Hotel, to the first vegan sushi bar ever in Los Angeles! He will exclusively cook vegan sushi for you at the party. You also enjoy live music and Japanese traditional games at the party. Bring your friends and help us celebrate our first anniversary.

  Sounds like a fun time. Congratulations and happy birthday Shojin!
  
  

On to the new books… and there’s a bunch of good one’s to tell you about.

The Tropical Vegan Kitchen:
Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Dishes from the Tropics
by Donna Klein

Irresistible vegan recipes from all over the world from the author of The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen and Vegan Italiano. In this culinary tour of the Caribbean, Central and South America, Thailand, Indonesia, the Canary Islands, Hawaii, Australia, Africa, India, and many more exotic places, readers will learn how easy it is to prepare authentic tropical vegan dishes with readily available ingredients.

The book includes: More than 225 delicious and nutritious meat-free, egg-free, and dairy-free recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, side dishes, beverages, and desserts * A glossary of tropical fruits and vegetables with information on buying and storage * Cook’s tips throughout * Comprehensive nutritional analysis for every recipe.

Click here to order The Tropical Vegan Kitchen…

The Face on Your Plate:
The Truth About Food
by Jeffrey M. Masson

The best-selling author of When Elephants Weep explores our relationship with the animals we call food. In this revelatory work, Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson shows how food affects our moral selves, our health, and the environment. It raises questions to make us conscious of the decisions behind every bite we take: What effect does eating animals have on our land, waters, even global warming? What are the results of farming practices—debeaking chickens and separating calves from their mothers—on animals and humans? How does the health of animals affect the health of our planet and our bodies? And uniquely, as a psychoanalyst, Masson investigates how denial keeps us from recognizing the animal at the end of our fork—think pig, not bacon—and each culture’s distinctions among animals considered food and those that are forbidden. The Face on Your Plate brings together Masson’s intellectual, psychological, and emotional expertise over the last twenty years into the pivotal book of the food revolution.

Click here to order The Face on Your Plate…

This Crazy Vegan Life:
A Prescription for an Endangered Species
by Christina Pirello

A manifesto on being vegan and living healthfully from the award-winning host of public television’s “Christina Cooks, Naturally!”. Being vegan is not only about a plant- based diet. It means taking a whole new look at health, fitness, lifestyle choices, and the world. Christina Pirello not only advocates the development of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals, and the environment, but also promotes their impact on wellness. Beyond the value of eating whole, and organic foods, Pirello explores a host of subjects from nutrition and fitness to education and emotional well-being as she helps readers take control of their lives and achieve their personal goals, whether they want to lose weight, regain health and vitality, or simply look and feel better.

Featuring a 28-day nutrition and fitness plan, This Crazy Vegan Life also includes sample menus and more than 100 delicious and easy-to-prepare low-glycemic, phyto-nutrient-rich, high-fiber, well-balanced vegan recipes that emphasize good carbs and good fat.

Click here to order This Crazy Vegan Life…

I’m not one to promote fad diets, but this next one is one of the first popular diets out there that just so happens to be not only very healthy, but also 100% vegan!

The Engine 2 Diet:
The Texas Firefighter’s 28-Day Save-Your-Life Plan that Lowers Cholesterol and Burns Away the Pounds
by Rip Esselstyn

Professional athlete-turned-firefighter Rip Esselstyn is used to responding to emergencies. So, when he learned that some of his fellow Engine 2 firefighters in Austin, TX, were in dire physical condition-several had dangerously high cholesterol levels, he sprang into action and created a life-saving plan for the firehouse. By following Rip’s program, everyone lost weight (some more than 20 lbs.), lowered their cholesterol and improved their overall health. Now, Rip outlines his proven plan in this book. With Rip as your expert coach and motivator, you’ll transform your body and lifestyle in a month. His plant-powered eating plan is based on a diet of whole foods, including whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

This invaluable guide features: Dozens of easy, mouthwatering recipes-from pancakes to pizza, Tex-Mex favorites to knockout chocolate desserts-that will keep you looking forward to every bite *Pantry-stocking tips will take the panic out of inevitable cravings and on-the-fly meals *Guidelines on menu choices that will allow you to eat out, wherever and whenever you want *Rip’s simple, firefighter-inspired exercise program that will boost your metabolism and melt your fat away.

Medically approved, easy-to-follow, and amazingly effective, this diet is designed for anyone who wants to make heroic strides in his or her health, weight, and well-being-all without heroic effort.

Click here to order The Engine 2 Diet…

Vegan Soul Kitchen:
Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
by Bryant Terry

The much-anticipated vegan soul food cookbook I told you about last time has just been released and is now available for immediate shipping.

In this deeply personal and cutting-edge cookbook, Terry revisits his Southern roots and offers innovative, animal-free recipes mostly inspired by African American and Southern cooking. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African American and Southern cuisine- capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.

Includes recipes for: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce; Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Citrus and Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts.

Click here to
order Vegan Soul Kitchen…

Thanks for purchasing any of these books through my website. Each time you shop at Amazon.com through my links I earn a small commission which helps to support the running of this blog (and my life). My life & I love it when you go on a shopping frenzy in our honor.

More food porn soon!

Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For-From Asparagus Omelets to Strawberry Pancakes
by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

You already know Isa because she’s written many of your most used cookbooks: the Veganomicon, Vegan with a Vengeance and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. She’s also the mastermind behind the Post Punk Kitchen and is an all around bad-ass vegan superstar chick who we all want to be when we grow up. Or marry.

And now she’s back to blow our minds with yet another book all about everyone’s favorite meal of the day, Brunch! Here’s the description:

Omelets. French toast. Bacon. Brunch has always been about comfort, calories- and for vegans everywhere, a feast of foods they can’t touch. Until now! Bestselling vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz unleashes her signature flair and ingenuity to give readers breakfast they won’t find anywhere else, whether welcoming you from a late night on the town or waking you up for a meal you won’t want to forget.

Recipes range from the classic (Pancakes and Waffles) to the inspired (Banana Rabanada) to the decadent (Pain au Chocolat) to the essential (Bloody Marys).

The book also includes gluten-free and soy-free recipes. With over 75 recipes suitable for one or to wow a crowd, and gorgeous color photos throughout, Vegan Brunch is the ultimate cookbook for the most important meal of the day.

You know you can’t live without it, so get a headstart by ordering it now and Amazon will deliver it to you as soon as it’s released on May 25th.

Click here to pre-order Vegan Brunch…

Vegan Soul Kitchen:
Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine
by Bryant Terry

Here’s one I’m besides myself with excitment about and I think you will be too. Here’s the description:

This is the forthcoming book by Oakland-based eco chef, food justice activist, and author Bryant Terry. In this deeply personal and cutting-edge cookbook, Terry revisits his Southern roots and offers innovative, animal-free recipes mostly inspired by African American and Southern cooking. The recipes use fresh, whole, best-quality, healthy ingredients and cooking techniques with an eye on local, seasonal, sustainably grown food. Reinterpreting popular dishes from African and Caribbean countries as well as his favorite childhood dishes, Terry reinvents African American and Southern cuisine- capitalizing on the complex flavors of the tradition, without the animal products.

Includes recipes for: Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Hot Pepper Sauce; Double Mustard Greens & Roasted Yam Soup; Cajun-Creole-Spiced Tempeh Pieces with Creamy Grits; Citrus and Spice Pickled Watermelon Rind; Caramelized Grapefruit, Avocado, and Watercress Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette; Sweet Cornmeal-Coconut Butter Drop Biscuits; and Molasses-Vanilla Ice Cream with Candied Walnuts.

The best way to summarize this eclectic book: Alice Waters meets Melvin Van Peebles!

“Bryant Terry transforms age-old black culinary traditions into what soul food ought to be- food that sustain our bodies, our earth, our sense of community, and our desire for the delicious. For the naysayers who resist the audacity of okra or the soft power of tofu, Vegan Soul Kitchen is the new manifesto that cries out, Yes We Can give up meat and enjoy gastronomic nirvana.”
-Robin D. G. Kelley

Hot damn! Now I can try my own hands at some of this amazing cuisine that I’m always spending my cold hard cash on at the vegan soul food restaurants! Order it now and Amazon will deliver it to you as soon as it’s released on March 2nd.

Click here to pre-order Vegan Soul Kitchen…

Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons
by Nava Atlas

It’s cold and raining here in Los Angeles today and I wish I had this book in front of me, along with a warm bowl of soup made from any of it’s recipes. Here’s the description:

From hearty stews to refreshing desserts, Nava Atlas ladles out 120-plus imaginative, low in fat but rich-in-flavor meatless delights to suit every taste, in this veganized version of her bestselling Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons. To highlight the best produce available at any time of year, Nava has arranged the book by season, with spring soups like Leek and Mushroom Bisque and Okra-Rice Gumbo; Cool Ratatouille and Zesty Green Gazpacho for summer; savory Baked Onion Soup and Orange-Butternut Squash Soup for autumn; and hearty Curried Millet-Spinach Soup and Vegetarian Goulash for winter.

There’s also a scrumptious selection of dessert soups, including Chilled Cantaloupe Soup, and a tempting selection of accompaniments such as quick breads, dumplings, muffins, and scones.

With exotic international offerings, basic comfort soups, delicate broths, and plenty of soups and stews that can serve as one-dish meals, this cookbook is a must for vegan kitchens everywhere.

Yum! It’s definitely soup weather out here today, and this book is available now for immediate shipping, hot off the press!

Click here to order Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews…

Why a sad vegan you ask?

• The big news being passed around in hushed, somber voices amongst L.A.’s veg*n foodies is the premature closing of most everyone’s favorite restaurant, Doomie’s. It was with heavy hearts that we read Doomie’s bulletin on Myspace which broke our comfort-food loving spirits:
  

  We are closed!

  Doomie’s is now CLOSED for business. We would like to think of it more as a hiatus as we are looking for a new place to relocate and planning on reopening, hopefully sometime by the end of the year. Until then, however, keep posted as we will give out details and any updates we may have.We’re working on having a whole lot more goodies and surprises on our reopening!

  If you want to be put on our mailing list for any updates, send an email over to Doomieveg@gmail.com. Also, if you have any parties or events that you would like catered, we’re still available for catering! Thank you all for your support and your patronage during our first three months; we like to think of this as an appetizer to your vegan/vegetarian appetites. We’ll see you all soon!
  -Doomie’s Home Cookin.

  If you never got a chance to try Doomie’s, for now my friends… you are shit out of luck and worse for the wear. See my original review of Doomie’s for a taste of what you missed out on. We’re holding out hope that Doomie’s really will resurface, and in the meantime there’s talk of planning an event for the sole purpose of having Doomie cater the hell out of it. More news will be posted here should this actually manifest.
  

• After that, I need some good news, how about you? Ok, here’s some: Quarrygirl has found the “Best Vegan Pizza Yet!”, and it’s located right here in downtown Los Angeles! Imagine that, one door closes, another opens. Read all about QG’s adventures at Purgatory Pizza, then drive on over and bring me a slice, would ya?

  While you’re at it, you should also check out Quarrygirl’s epic Best Vegan Cheese: Pizza Challenge. These people are serious about their pizza folks, so if you want to know what’s what on the tasty melty vegan cheese front, you’ll enjoying reading about the lengths this couple have gone to in order to determine which faux-cheese is best.
  

• On an even grander scale of dedication, have a gander at Ethical Pizza. This guy has an entire website devoted to vegan pizzas, breads and baking, with a heavy emphasis on testing out various vegan cheeses. Talk about finding your niche!
  
  
• More news on the sweets front, listed below are some interesting upcoming new book releases which are now available to pre-order from Amazon.com. I get a teeny, tiny referral fee for anything you buy at Amazon if you use my links, so I sure do appreciate you doing so… every little bit helps to support my eating habit this website!

  BabyCakes: Vegan, Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked-About Bakery
  by Erin McKenna

  Babycakes is a world famous vegan bakery in NYC and now they’re putting out their first cookbook full of some of their most coveted culinary secrets. Praise for the book includes:

  “In this book, Erin has finally shared her trade secrets – the ingredients and techniques that lend BabyCakes’ desserts the flavors, textures, and happiness-factor you’d find in the best patisserie. The highest praise I can offer is this: follow her recipes to the letter and you’ll fool them every time.”
  -Tom Colicchio (from the Foreword)

  “At BabyCakes NYC I can eat what I crave without harming my lovely animal friends–or myself. Every since that first fateful day, I’ve been waiting for this cookbook.”
  -Natalie Portman

  “I have multiple food sensitivities…and I’d pretty much given up on the idea that I might be able to have a worthy treat every again. I was so excited to discover BabyCakes NYC, because not only can I eat everything they bake, it’s all delicious!”
  -Zooey Deschanel

  “The BabyCakes NYC banana bread is the best I’ve ever had and something I simply can’t live without.”
  -Mary Louise Parker

  “Thank all that is holy for BabyCakes NYC…”
  -Pamela Anderson

  For vegans (or anyone) who like to bake and make desserts, the Babycakes book is going to be a must-have. To get it delivered to your mailbox as soon as it’s released, click here to pre-order.

  (Speaking of Pamela Anderson, how awesome is she for convincing the high court of Mumbai, India to sterilize stray dogs instead of killing them? Pretty darn awesome.)
  

• Is ice cream more your thing?

  The Vegan Scoop: 150 Recipes for Dairy-Free Ice Cream that Tastes Better Than the “Real” Thing
  by Wheeler del Torro

  “Ice Cream – Vegan Style brings the pleasures of the ice cream parlor into the home with 150 recipes for delicious frozen treats that are so rich and creamy, they’re better than the “real” thing. Developed by vegan Wheeler del Torro of Wheeler’s Frozen Desserts, these “faux” creams feature soy and nut milk blends and all vegan-certified ingredients, making them suitable for both vegans and those with lactose intolerance and other dairy aversions. With a few simple churns of the ice cream maker, you can bring Wheeler’s delicious and innovative desserts into your own home. The recipes are divided into sections based on their main ingredient or inspiration, such Fruit Flavors, Japanese-Inspired Flavors, Nighttime (Alcohol-Inspired) Flavors, and Sorbets. There’s also a chapter on Toppings, including sauces, brownies, and cupcakes.”

  You know you’ll want The Vegan Scoop as soon as it’s out, so click here to pre-order.
  

• Won’t someone think of the children?

  Well someone did think of the children, a vegan in fact who put together a charmingly illustrated book for kids all about why we don’t eat animals.

  That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals: A Book About Vegans, Vegetarians, and All Living Things
  by Ruby Roth

  From the description:
  “That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals uses colorful artwork and lively text to introduce vegetarianism and veganism to early readers (ages six to ten). The book features an endearing animal cast of pigs, turkeys, cows, quail, turtles, and dolphins. These creatures are shown in both their natural state- rooting around, bonding, nuzzling, cuddling, grooming one another, and charming each other with their family instincts and rituals- and in the terrible conditions of the factory farm. The book also describes the negative effects eating meat has on the environment. A separate section entitled “What Else Can We Do?” suggests ways children can learn more about the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, such as:“Celebrate Thanksgiving with a vegan feast” or “Buy clothes, shoes, belts, and bags that are not made from leather or other animal skins or fur.” This compassionate, informative book offers both an entertaining read and a resource to inspire parents and children to talk about a timely, increasingly important subject.”

  If you have kids or perhaps a vegetarian friend with some of their own little varmits, this would make a great gift or teaching device to empower vegetarian kids with what they need to know about why their parents don’t feed them the same crap all their other friends get to eat. If I’d have learned about factory farms at an earlier age, I would have stopped eating animals that much sooner. Click here to pre-order.
  

Those are all the tidbits I have for you today… a bit of bad news, a bit of good news, and a bunch of tasty stuff in between.

Today’s news you can use:

• We were all sad to learn recently that one of our favorite places to eat The Vegan Spot had closed. The good news is that it’s sister location up the street, Flore, has taken it over. It’s now called Flore Cafe and has been refashioned into a Vegan/Vegetarian Coffee House.

  The menu features some of the same soups, salads and sandwiches as Flore, along with organic juices, coffees & teas, as well as breakfast served all day. Breakfast all day? Awesome! It does come served with a little side of bummer though, because for whatever reason they’ve decided to no longer be 100% vegan and are now serving eggs. This begs the question: why? Are hardboiled eggs really in such high demand in Silver Lake? Anyhow, it’s cool to see they are back in some form or another, despite their stinky eggs. If you’ve been there let us know how you liked it in the comments.
  
  

• Even more good news about restaurants we love: Shojin, the best (and only) vegetarian Japanese restaurant in town has just announced that they are 1. now open everyday (Mondays too!), 2. have just updated and added many new items to their menu, and 3. will be hosting a special 7 course dinner for Christmas, on the evenings of December 24 & 25th. Reservations are required. For more info visit: Shojin’s Christmas Special Course Dinner.
  
  
• Have you heard the one about the farting gorillas? No, really! These gorillas at a zoo in London love Brussels sprouts, so the zoo staff let them eat their fill as a special treat.

  If you’ve ever had your way with a bunch of brussels sprouts, you’ll know that they can make you quite gassy. Apparently the gorillas were farting up such a stink storm that the zoo had to issue “an apology after guests at the zoo expressed their horror at the potent smell that started emanating from the gorillas’ enclosure.”

  Ironic that they’re horrified at some stinky farts, yet they aren’t horrified at the fact that these animals are captives put on display for entertainment purposes. I love that these gorillas got to enjoy their favorite food and stink up the whole place at the same time!
  

• 

  Those gorillas know what’s what too, Brussels sprouts have become one of my favorite vegetables in recent months. If you hate them it’s only because someone who did them up all wrong fed them to you and gave you the wrong impression. When done right, they can be spectacular. I’ve been getting some good feedback on my quick and easy Roasted Brussels Sprouts Recipe and I’ve been looking around for more tasty (yet simple enough for me to cook) ideas on what to do with these misunderstood little beauties.

  This recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Orange and Chili sounds delicious. I also found this recipe for Chipotle Chili With Sweet Potatoes And Brussels Sprouts and my mind was somewhat blown by the possibilities.

  More glorious online food that’s been making me drool in real life:

  Beer Battered Fried Avocado Wedges: Dear God!

  Revithia: Greek Chickpea Soup with Lemon and Olive Oil

  Tom Kha Ja: A Soup to Inspire.

  Vegan Channukah: Potato latkes, sour cream and mayo. Tis the season!
  

That’s it with the quickies for today. I hope you’re all keeping full and staying warm out there!

I’ve been meaning to start putting together quick posts of stuff I want to update you about but which don’t need entire posts all unto themselves, such as links to interesting bits I find online and useful info that you just can’t live without. Basically, I needed a place for odds & ends… so this is it, and I’m calling it Quick Bites. Lets get this party started…

• Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? Leave it to your Your Vegan Mom to put together an excellent collection of cruelty-free gift ideas in her aptly named Your Vegan Guide to Holiday Shopping.
  
• One highlight in the above noted guide is her mention of Strawberry Hedgehog. They make fabulous vegan bath and body products that you can feel good about giving as gifts or using yourself. I’ve got a lovely bar of their holiday themed Winter Wonderland soap sitting right here in front of me. While I haven’t had a chance to actually use it yet (it’s so pretty I’m hesistant to ruin it!) I can tell you that the scent is divine… my whole house smells good just from having it sitting here out in the open.
  
• Books are something I can never get enough of. Perhaps you know someone who’s considering going vegan but needs more info? The new book The Ultimate Vegan Guide: Compassionate Living Without Sacrifice by Erik Marcus of www.vegan.com might be just what they need.

  Or maybe you’d like to give the gift of vegan cooking know-how? Maybe the brand spankin’ new book Go Dairy Free by Alisa Marie Fleming would do the trick.
  

• Had it up to here with cooking and just want someone else to feed you good food for the holidays? Madeleine Bistro, the much acclaimed gourmet vegan restaurant is gearing up for some special ‘Chef’s Holiday Tasting Menu’ events both on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. Looks like they haven’t updated their website yet but I found the info on their Myspace page.
  
• It’s no secret that Vinh Loi Tofu is one of my favorite vegan restaurants in Los Angeles. One of the guys from Hot Knives put together a great video featuring Vinh Loi’s owner and mastermind, Kevin Tran. Check it out at: Sham Shanks: Behind the Scenes
  
• Sad news to report on the vegan restaurant front: It was recently reported over at quarrygirl.com that the Vegan Spot on Sunset has closed. Bummer of all bummers! Sure there’s lots of people that liked to talk smack about this place, but I wasn’t one of them and I’m sad to see ‘em go. There is hope however as some in the know are leaking little bits here and there about the Vegan Spot not really closing for good, but instead remodelling and revamping their menu, perhaps to resurface with a better look and a more comfortable space. I sure hope so!
  
• Have you been watching Whale Wars? It’s exciting to see the Sea Shepherds finally getting the attention they deserve in their efforts to stop the illegal slaughter of whales. Melisser reports in her recent article how the Sea Shepherds are exposing the decrease in all marine life in Madagascar, while Ecorazzi breaks the news of Daryl Hannah joining the Sea Shepherd crew to fight Japanese whaling. Like I really needed yet another reason to have a massive girl crush on Daryl Hannah!
  
• On that note, I was surprised to see this article on the vile practice of shark finning earlier today as the front page headline story at CNN. Good on them.
  
• Everyone knows that recycling is sexy. That’s why I got super excited when Green Girl L.A. passed along the good news that Brita will start to recycle its filters. Finally I can have my clean water without the guilt of clogging up yet another landfill at the same time. That’s not the same as having my cake and eating it too, but it’s close.
  
• Know what else is sexy? Well dressed vegans. The folks at the new website The Professional Vegan are to here to make sure that you’re never mistaken for a crusty straight-edge gutter punk ever again. Unless you are one.
  

Ok, that’s all for today. Hope you all like these mini-diversions away from food and find them useful. Fear not, there is plenty of food on the horizon.

Oh… if you haven’t noticed it already, I made a big mistake in my previous post on Bulan Thai with describing a non-vegan dish as vegan. It was pointed out by an astute reader and has already been corrected, apologized for and duly noted.

FOOD FIGHT is a new documentary that takes a look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local organic food movement. It features Alice Waters (Chez Panisse), Wolfgang Puck, Michael Pollan and other big names involved with food.

As part of the AFI Film Festival, FOOD FIGHT is premiering at the Mann Chinese 6 on Hollywood Blvd. at 3:15 pm on Saturday, November 8 (that’s this coming weekend). The screening is FREE and open to the public.

Did you catch that last part? You can see this movie for free, all you gotta do is just show up!

Here is a short synopsis of the film:

When we walk into a supermarket, we assume that we have the widest possible choice of healthy foods. But in fact, over the course of the 20th century, our food system was co-opted by corporate forces whose interests do not lie in providing the public with fresh, healthy, sustainably-produced food.

Fortunately for America, an alternative emerged from the counter-culture of California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, where a group of political anti-corporate protesters–led by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse–voiced their dissent by creating a food chain outside of the conventional system. The unintended result was the birth of a vital local-sustainable-organic food movement which has brought back taste and variety to our tables. FOOD FIGHT is a fascinating look at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how the California food movement has created a counter-revolution against big agribusiness.

I have not yet seen the film and am planning to catch the free screening on Saturday if I can make it. I’m very interested to see if any of the various aspects of animal rights and welfare are addressed in this movie, if at all. While I am interested in and grateful for a lot of the work that these people have done in the name of advancing clean, organic and healthy food, I am often disappointed by the fact that these movements often ignore the core issues regarding the animals that are at the center of it all. I do not subscribe to the idea of “happy meat & dairy” (raising animals “humanely” only to slaughter them for food) and I truly believe that if people want to have clean and healthful food, the best way to do so would be to redefine the concept of food to one that does not include animals. I do not believe in killing them with kindness, I believe in not killing them at all. That said, I’m looking forward to seeing what this film has to say about all of these issues and more.

Wanna see it too? All you gotta do is show up this Saturday at Mann Chinese 6.

For more information about the film, visit the website at: www.foodfightthedoc.com

If you are not in Los Angeles or cannot attend the screening, you can join the Facebook group to get updates of future screenings: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40070554427