Between Two Slices – Veggie Ham Baguette & The Fake Meat Debate

While eating fake ‘meat’ is not something I like to do often because it is highly processed and full of sodium, once in a while it provides a really convenient dose of protein and tastes dang good.

There’s also the ongoing debate as to whether a person that doesn’t eat meat should be eating or condoning mock versions.  I, Bridget, don’t have a problem with it at all.  In fact, I’m not even really against eating meat.  My vegan stance is more of a rebellion against my society’s means of food production, a quest for optimum health and trying to minimize my carbon footprint.  I realize that I may have opened the floodgates on this one and to that I say…yippee! I really want you guys to let us know how you feel about the great ‘meat’ debate.  And if you’re for it, try this sandwich. 😉

Veggie Ham Baguette:

1 demi baguette of your choice

3 slices of veggie ham cut into strips

Half an avocado

A generous smear of Vegenaise

Dijon mustard

A few shakes of Trader Joe’s 21 Salute spice mix

Enjoy!

~The Vegan Project

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Cats in IKEA

A friend posted this video on my wall about IKEA releasing 100 cats into one of their locations to ‘see what happens’.  The result was some adorable feline footage and a clever ad in the end.  Some conversation ensued as to whether it was stressful for the cats and just a lot of hype for the sake of promoting mass produced minimalistic furnishings, or harmless fun.  We’d like to know your thoughts on the subject, as we are divided on our stance in this matter.

The video:

~The Vegan Project

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How ‘Vegan’ are you?

Discussions on what it means to be vegan have been happening a lot here lately at The Vegan Project headquarters. We have participated in a few discussions online regarding what vegans should and should not do in regards to companion animals and vegan/non-vegan relations.

Some opinions from our readers are:

“I do not think it (forced neutering) is appropriate at all…”

“It is not acceptable for any creature to be ‘given the right’ to consume animal products, like how some people feed meat to cats and dogs. It would defeat the purpose of why one is vegan.”

“I don’t think cats, or pets generally, have anything to do with my veganism, nor anyone else’s. Owning any animal seems to me to be pretty much at variance with the spirit of veganism.”

“And i do not think it is wise for people to kiss or engage otherwise in intimate relations with non vegans.”

The underlying theme that we took away from these statements is that there is one way to ‘be Vegan’.  Is there a code that one who calls themselves vegan should adhere to?

We don’t want to put our two cents in just yet… we want to hear from you!

What do you guys think?

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Coconut Water: Neat Health Drink or Drink for Jerks?

This week’s ‘Something to talk about’ is a recent discussion that took place on our facebook page (please become a fan here) between Janine Jankowski, a recent Vegan Project challenger, and Alicia Katz, a close friend of The Vegan Project and vegan dinner party host.  Here is what was said verbatim:

Janine:

“The only thing is I’m not sure which of the coconut waters is a sustainable product and not the one being marketed by the guys who originally started Sobey’s beverages. I met a marine biologist who is the brother (ironically) of one of the executives there and he tells me that they exploit third world countries and steal their resources like water, coconuts, whatever, then pump and dump their new revolutionary ‘health’ drink, make millions and then move on to the next project.  Maybe I will just use some soy milk instead.

Alicia:

I really don’t buy the “coconut water is unethical” idea. I don’t think it is any more or less ethical than any other imported produce. I googled various things (coconut water- unethical, coconut water- sustainability, coconut water- controversy, coconut water- exploits third world). I didn’t see anything, except for one company in brazil that markets themselves in the completely opposite way. The stuff that I drink is grown on a farm. We all consume imported farmed products, unless we are completely local and “slow” (wine, coffee, fruit, even soy). i dont find the fact that its trendy and marketed as a health drink a reason to jump on the indie band wagon and avoid it. It tastes good. it has a lot of vitamins. It is a one ingredient thing as opposed to vitamin water which is a complete mystery to me. It comes from the earth. Neat.

What do you guys think?

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Two Viewpoints: Stella McCartney’s Vegan Shoes

Jessica and I had an interesting debate that we wanted to share with all you and hear your respective sides of the argument.  I was browsing vegan shoes online one day looking for some basic flats.  I went on to Stella McCartney’s website, remembering that she is vegan and makes vegan shoes, which by the way, I think is awesome. I expected that they would be priced accordingly, maintaining a designer status price tag, somewhere in the $100-$200 range.  Boy was I shocked when I saw this Stella McCartney faux snakeskin flat for $535!

The debate was this…

Bridget: I was outraged that a fellow vegan would exploit her position of power by gouging customers out of $535 for making an ethical statement with their shoes.  I felt that it lacked accessibility, which I think is the key to making a difference, as most people on this planet cannot spend $535 on shoes.

Jessica: I don’t think that just because she makes vegan products means that they should be inherently affordable to everyone or ethical in every sense.  She is a big name designer, and as such, her products have a big name designer price tag, regardless of the materials they’re made of.  I think it’s great that vegan items are being introduced in the high fashion market, where the idea of veganism will be spread in a community of designer item consumers, who ultimately have influence on other mass markets.  For example, we often see big name designs copycatted by mainstream lines, and perhaps that means that this is a starting point for stylish (read: non-stereotypical-hippie-wear) vegan fashions to hit the mainstream.  Also, consumers of luxury products also have more spending power, and in the free market, people vote with their $$ and ultimately influence the popularity of certain items.

What do you guys think?

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