Over a 1000 people joined in on the Marineland Opening Demo organized by Marineland Animal Defense this weekend. It felt like a pretty awesome show of solidarity with dozens of whistleblowers facing lawsuits, the captive marine and other animal life locked up in the jail/”amusement” park, as well as the community at large (please see GoHomeless.ca,) in addition to the various SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) they’ve thrown at organizers and the media and anyone else they don’t like (or threatened with lawsuits – even the OSPCA).

Heading down to the park for the day was exciting, and fun, but also a little nerve wracking. Attending protests is something I do sparingly these days, not because I don’t think they have value, but because of some negative experiences in the past. This one felt positive, constructive, and with over 1000 people gathered together, it felt like a powerful statement. Of course, it helped that the crew of people I drove down with were the friendly, great folks, and all around great people. Plus they brought PeaNOT Butter Bar’s from Dvine Cafe. How could I be anything but pumped. The soundtrack helped too.

There was a pretty diverse group out calling for a shut down of Marineland. Young and old, punk and not, some people had traveled from far away, some were local, but we all had one thing in common – we wanted to end the animal use and abuse at Marineland. There were a variety of messages, and different styles of protesting, different ways of communicating what ultimately ends up being the same message – stop hurting animals.

“Ocean animals belong in their natural habitat” – Posy O’Keefe

My favourite part, other than the huge turn out, was the amount of under-18′s saying no to Marineland. I admire these young people greatly, because it can be hard to speak out for things when most people are just trying to fit in. Many of them have really raised the bar on the advocacy work they do on their own. I listened to a fabulous speech by 12-year-old Posy O’Keefe. The sixth grader from Burlington, Ontario, took to a microphone and spoke confidently in front of hundreds of people. It was just so fantastic to see.

It’s amazing what passionate people can do, and you can especially sense that from people like 14-year-old Carrie T. She successfully convinced her school to end annual field trips to Marineland. Carrie got interested in animal rights a few months ago, put together a presentation to school staff, and made real change happen happen. The end message – you want something to change? Do what you can to make it happen. Anyone can make a difference.

And of course, there was Vijay Singh, who folded over 1,000 Origami whales for the animals at Marineland. Everyone else at the event chipped in a few whales to help him reach his Guinness Book of World Records goal. Still waiting on the final number, but it sounds like it was just under 3000!

I really like that Marineland Animal Defense has given these kids a space and allowed them a  voice. I remember being that kid, and the community wasn’t nearly as friendly or welcoming. I’m so glad things have evolved for the better.

In food related news, I picked up a candy apple from Niagara Vegan Baking Militia and brought it back home to JC. Yes, a Vegan Baking Militia – such a thing exists. And it was awesome. (Now all I want to do, is be part of one in Toronto.) P.S. It was delicious.

Groups at the protest included the fearless organizer, Marineland Animal Defense as well as Niagara Action For Animals, and the Kitchener Ontario Animal Liberation Alliance.

And finally, a representative from the BiLLe Celebrity Challenge presented Ric O’Barry and his charity The Dolphin Project with a check for 25,000 Euro.

More information about Marineland:

The Toronto Star Investigations: http://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/marineland.html
A history of Huffington Post articles on Marineland: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tag/marineland
Marineland Animal Defense FAQ: http://marinelandanimaldefense.com/faq

Narayanni’s Restaurant is tucked behind Whyte Avenue, so it’s got the benefit of being easy to get to by public transit (and still has parking) but it’s also off the busy street (parking!) We went to one of Narayanni’s special “Vegan Nights” which is going on every Tuesday during the month of May. It was a bargain at $15, and it sounds like they do a regular Vegan night every month (but they might do it more often if encouraged by attendance). Normally Narayanni’s is a vegan friendly, but not exclusively vegan, South African Indian restaurant. And run by the same folks that started Block 1912 cafe right on Whyte Ave. Narayanni’s, named after the owner’s granddaughter, has been open since 2010, and regularly offers a variety of vegan and gluten free items at their buffet.

The atmosphere is a blend of casual and upscale dining. There are booths and regular tables, we didn’t have reservations, so no booth for us. We underestimated how popular it would be, but we were nice and early, so it didn’t matter. Later on, the restaurant really filled up.

The buffet was served right in the center, with a variety of dishes like a cucumber vegan yogurt salad, soup, pakoras, papadams, breads, a pumpkin curry, dal, a tofu curry, cauliflower, more salads, more curries, and even more.

Where more also includes delicious vegan desserts like:

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Chocolate cupcakes

a Raspberry mousse

and one of my favourite dishes of the night – a mildly sweet saffron rice pudding. The desserts alone were worth the visit, but all the savory spicy items were excellent as well.

I’ll spare you the pictures of my buffet plate, because while delicious, it’s not particularly pretty. But if you are curious about Narayanni’s and want the opportunity to try a large variety of their vegan dishes for a really reasonable price, check out vegan night Tuesdays!

Things to know: The restaurant is buffet only, and not always entirely vegan. So options vary, but you can check out a list of possibilities on their website.

Info

Narayanni’s Restaurant
10131, 81 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB (map)
Facebook | Website

I’ve always felt very transient. Couchsurfing and hostels and vagabonding around the world  seemed like the ideal way to exist, working from “home” or rather “wherever I had my laptop” allowed me to do this for a few years, but then… here I am. With a desktop computer & a netbook. It’s almost symbolic of my inner thoughts, I’ve got something static, and also something for running around with (and for some increased symbolism… I’ve started to use my desktop computer more.)

Recently though, maybe since getting a little older, and finding a nice human to spend time with, I’ve been feeling okay with staying put for long stretches of time. Home is where the heart is, and my heart is here.

JC and I found a house in a neighbourhood we love, on a quiet street, close to a giant park, and a giant lake.  But now we wait. We wait to sell the place we live now, we wait to move into the new place, and I hope to put down some really solid roots in the ground. Maybe even paint the walls. Maybe plant a tree.

So ultimately the thing I love this week especially is that I want to stay in one place. My former self would shake her head at this admission, but I don’t mind. She had her fun.

The TILT LIST

Fostering these Adoptable Kittens

I sourced the names on Facebook, so here is Sprocket (thanks to Sarina/EarthGiven Kichen‘s kids for the name), Arya (from Shannon/Vegananomaly), and Rolly (named after Laura/BlueEyed Bookworms‘ late cat Roland). Like most kittens, they’re sweetiepies and cuddlebugs. And although they look identical, it becomes really obvious which is which based on their very different personalities.

Arya is a cuddler (with JC), Sprocket is a chatty cuddler (with me), and Rolly is a quiet sort, he’s not as rambunctious as his siblings, but more of a calm presence. He likes to hang out with us, but doesn’t necessarily like to climb all over us.

You can adopt these little kittens from Toronto Cat Rescue.

Live Market is open in Liberty Village

This (from the end of February 2013):

Became this (a lovely well organized store, cafe, restaurant):

For more pictures: visit facebook.

They’re right on the corner of King and Atlantic, have raw and cooked food options, and serve Ezra Pound coffee & Silk Road teas. (Not entirely vegan – you can get coffees with dairy milks)

Going to Niagara this weekend.

Check out the Opening Day Demo event on Facebook. And bring along some Origami Whales.

—————————————————–

What do you love this week?

Our final restaurant visit before going back home to Toronto was Komol. I’ve been to Komol on every Las Vegas visit since the beginning of my Vegas adventures. It’s one of the original vegan friendly offerings in the city, so I just keep going back for more.

This time, JC and I walked over, but since Vegas was unseasonably cold, it felt like an extra long walk (when it wasn’t *that* bad). Komol is a few blocks away from The Strip, and located in the Village Square Commercial Center. Most people would probably bus/cab/drive over and I’d recommend it (and have recommended it.)

My own words from 2010: “It doesn’t seem like it’s all that far away when you look at the map, but it’s worth taking a cab or bus (it cost about $10+tip one way.) “

Anyway, the food is spicy and tasty. In addition to a fairly substantial non-veg menu, they have about four pages of mostly-vegan options.

Tradition dictates that I must start my Komol meal with soup and the vegetarian combination plate, so that’s what we did.

Here is the Tom Kha with Vegan Shrimp:

Spicy coconut milk soup with lemon grass, and assorted vegetables. Did I mention spicy? The shrimp is like that weird konjac based shrimp you can buy in the frozen food section that happens to also be oddly delicious. Having never had shrimp, I have no idea how it compares, but it does have a really interesting texture, and it does soak in the coconut lemon-grass flavour of this soup.

The Vegetarian Combo Platter

Assorted vegetables, deep fried and paired with a dipping sauce, spring rolls, and squares of tofu. Every time I order this, I can’t help but think I would have just wanted an entire plate of deep fried spinach.

Paw Kee Mau

Fat noodles and tofu, in a adjustably spicy sauce.

The Vegetarian Massaman

Massaman curry is something I got really into because of Keo’s Kitchen in Saskatoon, and while I don’t think anything will trump my memories of Keo’s Massaman, Komol comes close with a spicy dish full of potato and other vegetables, tofu, and coconut milk.

The spice level on this curry is progressive, and while you might be like me and want to order max spice, you may regret your “super spicy” choice – because it will be exactly the way you want it – super spicy – no spice censoring here (which is awesome).

information:

Komol: Thai & Vegetarian Cuisine
953 E Sahara Ave E-10, Las Vegas, NV 89104, United States (map)
Facebook | Twitter | Website

This is the end of Throwback Tuesday – Las Vegas Edition. 

We’ve travelled through time and space, from San Francisco, to Las Vegas, and back to Toronto.
- Millennium - Happy birthday to me!
- St. Francis Fountain - Brunch of Champions
- Souley Vegan - Amazing vegan Soul Food in Oakland
- Herbivore - Brunch of okay.
- Gracias Madre - Delicious food with a side of sexism.
- Another visit to Souley Vegan and a quick run to Cinnaholic.
- First Night in Vegas – Living it up with vegan room service.
- Brunch at Tableau - Beautiful, tasty, with friendly service.
- Ronald’s Donuts – Vegan Donuts, ’nuff said.
- Pizza at a Slice of Vegas and California Pizza Kitchen
- Vegan fine dining at the Encore’s Sinatra Restaurant

As an added bonus, my WestJet flight has satellite TV, streaming YYZ CBC and I’m watching CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada from the air with game seven of the Maple Leafs Vs. Boston Bruins game. My love of the Edmonton Oilers has been replaced by a new found Toronto patriotism. Maple Leaf Hockey – the little team that usually can’t, but damn if they don’t have a lot of heart. I’ll admit to a pretty serious love of hockey, but on the plus side, I’m not the only one yelling at the tiny screen on the plane.

I’m looking forward to really recapping the trip, and talking about some of the awesome vegan food options that have appeared or strengthened over the last few years, from old favourites like Padmanadi and Bloom Cookie Co, to Newer Arrivals like Veggie Garden and Clever Rabbit. Vegan Nights at non-vegan restaurants and hippie market shopping from places like Earth’s General Store and Planet Organic. My family and I took walks through Edmonton’s beautiful river valley, and through Edmonton’s less beautiful West Edmonton Mall taking advantage of Alberta’s 8% PST discount.

So there has been food, and fun, and lots of catching up. I’ve really enjoyed it. Everything is novel, and I’m a tourist in my hometown. I’m comparing notes, I’m remembering old haunts, and realizing they are completely gone. I’m discovering new and interesting places, and old and interesting places, and exploring the city through a whole new lens.

One of my favourite places, that’s underwent a bit of an evolution since just before I moved is Earth’s General Store. It’s a store that just embodies a lot of good, and gives me hope. It’s lacto-ovo-vegetarian, they care about methods of production, treatment of workers, vegan items are clearly labelled and there are plenty of them, they’ve got books, and snacks, and produce, and bulk foods, and things you can’t get anywhere else in the city.

They were the first place in Canada that I heard of that picked up daiya. They’ve got The Vegg. If a store like that can exist in Edmonton, why can’t it exist in Toronto? It’s Panacea, but with a longer life span. Maybe someday. Until then, I will look at Earth’s General Store from a far, and I will pine for such a place.

My parents and I walked through the Edmonton river valley yesterday, through familiar trail, and along the North Saskatchewan River. Fresh dry air filling my lungs, it was like a fresh breath of home.

And yet, oddly, I felt like something wasn’t quite home, in a way that I didn’t feel on the last visit with JC. And voila, I realized that might be who is missing from this trip! Sentimental! (I guess I miss that guy.)

While here I tried a Hot Yoga Class from Nirvana Hot Yoga in West Edmonton Mall. They were the closest spot near my parents house, and I really enjoyed it. So much so, that I think I might even start going to classes when I get back.

There was a poster at one studio for Passport to Prana – a Indie Coffee passport-like card you can use to take a yoga class at studios all over your city. And it just so happens… that there is one for Toronto & Area. With over 70 locations and a 1 year expiry date, the card might be really really worth it! Or at the very least, it’d be a great way to experience a bunch of studios and pick one I like.

This is an old Vegan & Vegetarian Diners Guide from the Vegetarians of Alberta. It’s a little out of date, but it was always cool that it existed.

So far on the vegan food adventure train, I’ve visited Remedy Cafe, Padmanadi, Noorish, Clever Rabbit, Narayanni’s Restaurant, and Chopped Leaf. I’m looking forward to sharing stories and pictures. So far I’ve just been doing it on instagram and facebook.

One thing that I’d like to really push for for this year in Vegan Food Swap is more participation from areas that might not be major centers. We’ve got people from a few small towns, but I know there are vegans in almost every community, and I’d love to see them participate too. The thing I learned when living in Saskatoon (admittedly, not a truly small community, but still – at the time it was less vegan friendly than it is now) is that you can find completely plant-based awesomeness everywhere. it might not have “vegan” stamped on it, but there it is – at farmers markets, and corner stores, and in your own kitchen.

If you live in a small town, or feel isolated as a vegan in your community, please reach out, and/or join in. Honestly, it can be tough being “the only one” and I can still remember what that felt like (so you know, email me if you want to.)

If you’d like to sign up for the vegan swap, please visit the sign up page!

Now, for my swap this month, I was paired with Jackie from The Short Stack Foodie. I dig her blog because she writes about food and life with a sense of humour and delight, rarely do I read one of her posts without at the very least breaking into a grin (though there is often chuckling involved). Which is funny, because it reflects exactly how I felt when I received her swap this month.

It was a big box, left at my door by my friendly neighbourhood Canada Post lady, and as soon as I opened the box, I knew it was going to be something fun. First thing, was a super super sweet note from Jackie that left me beaming.

Then… I looked beyond the green tissue paper, and very single item was individually wrapped in honor of our little birthday. Very cute, and in case your wondering all the paper and foil involved is getting reused or recycled. But there is nothing quite like getting a box… filled with tiny presents. Biggest smile on my face through out this process.

All of the things she sent came with little notes.

And I even got box pranked.

So, what was in the box?

A whole bunch of awesome.

CocoVie Coconut Vinegar
Eden Organic Black & Tan Gomasio
Namu Organics Job’s Tears (aka Coix Seeds, aka Chinese pearl barley)
Epic Blend Vegan Lip Balm – Pineapple-Mint
Arvinda’s Curry Leaves
Some adorable buttons, and a great little card.

I don’t know what I’ll do with the Job’s Tears, but I do know that pregnant women shouldn’t eat it (it says so in bright red on the package). There is a super interesting sounding recipe over at Fat Free Vegan for Swiss Chard with White beans & Job’s Tears but I might just throw it in a random soup like I do with pot barley.

Extra super thanks to Jackie for brightening my day, and sending me an awesome swap this month!

Did you participate in April?

Patio Weather

It was actually patio weather for a day or two, and I had the joy of sitting outside and drinking a cup of coffee. I’m going to try and work my way through the TVA’s Patio Guide. This one is from 2012, but I’m sure they’ll put out an updated one soon. It surprises me how many options are out there that I still haven’t made the time to try. I’m trying to get into a tourist frame of mind again, because now I live in Toronto without a doubt, and I’ve gotten very set in my regular haunts.

 Polish Vegan Kids Books

I’m really excited to buy a copy of the Polish version of Ruby Roth’s “This is Why We Don’t Eat Animals.” It is  hard to describe the feeling of seeing a piece of work that feels significant in your mother tongue, but I got really excited, and maybe a little teary. -”Dlatego nie jemy zwierząt.” I see it & start thinking of reading it to children I don’t have yet.

I thought the Vegan is Love book was adorable (and we have it), and I really do think outreach to children is especially essential in bringing about a society of ethical compassionate beings. (I’m a hopeful sort sometimes.)

Kittens

Kitten season is here, and while I wish people would spay & neuter their pets, we have three grey soon-to-be adoptable foster kittens living in our basement right now, and they’re pretty cute. We got them right around where they were much like very young human infants – sentient, but kind of useless while building up resources to continue development. And please know, that when I say useless, I mean it in the absolute most loving way possible. But now they are now in full on exploring kitten mode, with all the playful rambunctiousness that entails.

EVENTS

With Spring, come events. Tomorrow is the Marineland Animal Defense Anniversary Dinner at Guru in Niagara Falls. This week was also the beginning of Hot Docs, which is full of amazing films I’m looking forward to seeing.

click for vegan & vegetarian menu

Sinatra was our extra special night out for New Year’s Eve. It’s (of course) a Frank Sinatra themed restaurant in the Encore Tower in Las Vegas, and once you walk in you just might get the vibe you’ve travelled through time to years gone by. Frank Sinatra music plays en loop, you will get people demonstrate the wine with all the flourish of any other fine dining establishment, and while they have a vegan menu, they will be surprised that you want it (or at least they were in our case.)

First of all, they bring a basket of bread – remember to ask for Earth Balance or say you’re vegan from the beginning. It does make it easier.

We started with the Insalatina deli’ Imperatore, but I’d just call it a Caesar salad. Spears of fresh crisp lettuce, a sharp flavourful caesar dressing, and a few spears of thinly sliced toasted bread. I’m not generally a salad lover, but this was an excellent start to the meal (and just happened to be delicious.)

Along with the salad we ordered the Agnolotti pasta as an appetizer. JC and I wanted to share, so they split the order to two plates for us. Each angolotto was filled with butternut squash, sage and vegan butter, and then drizzled with more vegan butter. I’m not sure what can be said about this, other than it’s heaven and the delicious little pillows full of butter sage butternut squash were a great starter.

JC had the Zuppa di fagioli, a borlotti bean soup with farro grains, that I didn’t try for reasons unknown to me. On the bright side, it looked amazing, so at the time, I’m sure that was good enough for me.

After enjoying our appetizers and wondering why we still had mains cooming, the rest of our banquet arrived. My main was the Gardien Parmagiana. A dish that takes the regular ol’Gardien cutlets, covers them with a savory pomodoro tomato sauce, and tops it all off with vegan mozzarella. The dish is exactly as described and delicious if that’s your sort of thing. But I can say with certainty that JC won at dinner.

He had the Gardein Marsala. A tender gardien cutlet paired with pillowy potato gnocchi, everything is topped with a forest mushroom marsala wine cashew cream cashew cream sauce. I would eat that again in a second (& I may have stolen a few bites here and there.) If you for whatever reason find yourself at Sinatra do order this.

And finally… there was room for dessert solely because we got most of our entree’s packed up to go. We opted to share the Cioccolato. The menu description does not do this dessert justice (it’s even better than it sounds.)  A rich, dark, dense bar of valrhona chocolate mousse (more like a truffle really) with hints of raspberry, topped with chocolate powder. A pat of raspberry coulis on the side, and if that wasn’t enough, there was an almond  milk chocolate sorbet. Simply divine (and in my head, I’m saying it a la Factory Girl.)

Criticisms: The waiter seemed put off by our vegan gluttony, which was a little bit of an annoyance, but not really relevant to what we would order. He questioned whether we appreciated how much food we were ordering, which generally seems uncouth. While we did end up taking out portions of our dinner, but we ordered with the expectation of doing so.

Overall: Eat here. Make reservations, and eat here.

Information:
Sinatra – Encore Tower
3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas, NV
(702) 770-5320

And since it was New Years Eve, it was the biggest part of the year, but that night we did not go out to The Strip like most of Vegas. We had a lovely view of most of the fireworks from our hotel room.

Happy New Year… in April.

So where are we on Throwback Tuesday so far?

We’ve travelled through time and space, from San Francisco, to Las Vegas.
- Millennium - Happy birthday to me!
- St. Francis Fountain - Brunch of Champions
- Souley Vegan - Amazing vegan Soul Food in Oakland
- Herbivore - Brunch of okay.
- Gracias Madre - Delicious food with a side of sexism.
- Another visit to Souley Vegan and a quick run to Cinnaholic.
- First Night in Vegas – Living it up with vegan room service.
- Brunch at Tableau - Beautiful, tasty, with friendly service.
- Ronald’s Donuts – Vegan Donuts, ’nuff said.
- Pizza at a Slice of Vegas and California Pizza Kitchen

But wait, there’s more!

Not really feeling fancy, and feeling hungry before the New Years Eve Eve (yes eve eve) Deadmau5 concert at XS we went to California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) in the Fashion Show Mall. Even Vegas has reduced hours on Sundays, it was surprising how many places were closed early.

I had been to CPK before around two years ago, and enjoyed it. Maybe it’s because my experience of Vegan pizza has vastly improved since that visit, but this time CPK was not great or awesome, it was just soft crust and tomato and vegetables without any thing special about it.

This time around, our server was really awkward, and overtly made a face when we asked for the pizza to be cheese-less. The food wasn’t awesome, the experience wasn’t awesome, and we left feeling pretty disappointed (and kind of hungry.)

During the same trip, we also went to A Slice of Vegas in Mandalay Place. A Slice of Vegas had recently added a vegan menu to their regular rotation (another sign of the veganization of Vegas that’s been going on for the last couple of years.)

A Slice of Vegas is a casual eatery/sports bar specializing in pizza and “Fun Italian Dining”. You can watch any sporting event on giant TV’s arranged around the room. eat vegan wings, pizza, salad, whatever. It’s not exclusively vegan, but it’s got a completely vegan menu. You can check it out here or here.

We started with “Not You Mamma’s Garlic Bread” and it was pretty delicious. It is Italian garlic bread, but then it’s also green. I thought… kale? (how vegan of me) but thankfully, no, it’s not – it’s (obviously) a basil pesto, with garlic, and it comes with a delicious roasted head of garlic. Definitely worth trying.

We also had the “Vegan Faux Pie.” Why it was faux, I can’t tell because it seemed pretty real to me. Delicious chewy crust, a perfect amount of tomato sauce, diaya cheese, topped off with an assortment of diced vegetables. It was very tasty, and the crust was fantastic (a good non-thin pizza crust.)  Other notable pizzas that would have ordered if we were feeling hungrier – the BBQ “chicken” pizza or the meatless meat ball pizza. Both seemed like delicious options – that might be worth checking out the next time we’re in Las Vegas.

There was also dessert. A vegan chocolate cake. With peanut butter frosting. And we didn’t order it.

Things I learned: There is such a thing as no room for dessert. Not all pizza is the same. Some pizza is better than others. (also – I appreciate Toronto’s Pizzaiolo just a little bit more now.)

Restaurant Info:
California Pizza Kitchen
Fashion Show Mall, Las Vegas Nevada

Slice of Vegas
Mandalay Bay - 3930 Las Vegas Blvd South | Ste 120
vegan menu | facebook | twitter

So where are we on Throwback Tuesday so far?

We’ve travelled through time and space, from San Francisco, to Las Vegas.
- Millennium - Happy birthday to me!
- St. Francis Fountain - Brunch of Champions
- Souley Vegan - Amazing vegan Soul Food in Oakland
- Herbivore - Brunch of okay.
- Gracias Madre - Delicious food with a side of sexism.
- Another visit to Souley Vegan and a quick run to Cinnaholic.
- First Night in Vegas – Living it up with vegan room service.
- Brunch at Tableau - Beautiful, tasty, with friendly service.
- Ronald’s Donuts – Vegan Donuts, ’nuff said.

But wait, there’s more. (well, wait until next Tuesday)