T.O.F.U. Magazine » contributors

Issue Six Tease: Vegan Borderlands

Ryan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:12:09 +0000

Vegan Borderlands

The following is an excerpt from a focus piece written by Noemi Martinez, which will be available in issue six later this week.

Being a vegan is as much an identity to me as being a poet, being a Boriqua/Chicana and living on the borderlands, both literally and queerly speaking. It seems only natural that my eating habits find themselves in my poetry and writing. As a single parent, unschooling around the kitchen table is common as well as something I call edupunk, a mix of DIY and punk ethics education. Many of our conversations revolve around food, justice, the environment, oppressions and what it means to be brown bodies living in our society. I am largely truthful about the real world to my two children. The other day I spoke to my son, River, about the high percentage of Latino and Black men in United States prisons and how one in six Latino and Black boys have a chance of going to prison in their lifetime — that is a painful reality check as a parent to a young Chicano. Both my daughter, Winter, and River, grasp that the work I do on domestic violence, DIY (do it yourself) media and racial inequalities is just as important as my veganism.

Dinner for Two

I have not tried one recipe
from the cookbook you gave me.
I finger through it some days.
The foods- elaborate experiments
you thought I’d make
when I became a vegetarian.

It’s just like you
to give me something
of little use,
like flowers that die
when I needed seeds
to take root,
plants in soft dirt,
clay to form words.

Time-the residual effect
can’t be measured by scientific methods
and can’t be seen but
we are as one
even now
when I sense your
brooding thoughts
100 miles away
when I haven’t seen you
in ten years.

Rose Colored Thread

I grew in love with you
around the table
stalking flowers we
couldn’t afford to plant.
We laughed and you let me sleep
instead of touching my hand.
We could have mended
each other’s
bloody noses with
slow nights.

Next spring, there will be time
to tend to this garden
to wake me up,
tell my stories
that make the edges of your
mouth crinkle into a smile.

Behind the Lines: David J. Parker

Ryan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:46:24 +0000

Starting a veg association in any city is likely to be hard work, but starting one in the middle of cattle and oil country seems a little lentil, right?

All bad jokes aside, David J. Parker and the folks at the Vegans & Vegetarians of Alberta Association have put some serious work into spreading the word about being veg, and the results have been great. Luckily, along with putting so much time and effort into VofA and his work with the Green Party here in Canada, David was kind enough to contribute “A Veggieman’s Journey” to the last issue of the magazine.

Recently, we also got a few answers from him to fill in the story a little more.

Green Party | VofA

In one word, why are you vegan?
Once I learned how animals affect my health and the environment, and even later how they are treated, I wonder how I stayed omnivorous for the first 40 years.

How long have you been vegan?
We went to the North American Vegan Society annual conference in Olympia, Washington in about 1997 and came back vegan.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
I eschew allusions to conflict and combat – anyway, variety is the spice of life.

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I like to think that every day I participate in a revolution. Leaders are a bore, and I’m too soft for the back woods.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
To repeat, we are in the revolution, but it won’t be acknowledged until it is over.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
Padmanadi Restaurant weekend buffets

Behind the lines: Happy Kreter

Ryan — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:10:52 +0000

Happy Kreter is a long-time friend of mine, and also most likely the first vegan I ever met. At the time I thought it was interesting, and I respected his choice enough to try and be vegan while he was on tour in Halifax. Since then, Happy has been one of my favourite contributors with articles such as “Happy Kreter: Animal Supremacist” and “Who Cares If You’re Vegan?” and city reviews for Vancouver, Portland and Los Angeles. His most recent review of New York City in the fourth issue has me hoping I get to take another bite out of the Big Apple sometime soon.

In one word, why are you vegan?
Ethics

How long have you been vegan?
15(ish) years

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
Quinoa, no question.

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
Quietly in the woods. The revolution is ongoing.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
The new paradigm in Western culture is for things to change gradually. The days of quick and sudden revolution are behind us, at least for the foreseeable future. Things like feminism, lgbt issues, animal rights, racism are all vastly improved in the past 50 years, and this stuff is happening via all types of media.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
My friends.

Behind the Lines: Teresa Fisher

Ryan — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:43:18 +0000

Somehow, after my years of being in Halifax, it seems I missed meeting at least a few of the Haligonian vegans. Sadly, Teresa Fisher is on that list. So, I figured the next best thing to meeting in person is to collaborate on something together. Something like… a magazine? Readers of issue four might recognize Teresa’s name from the article “The Magical Magic Oven”, but they can also find her blogging and tweeting up a storm online. Luckily, we caught-up with her for a few quick questions.

Blog | Twitter | Yelp

In one word, why are you vegan?
Decency

How long have you been vegan?
4 years!

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
Quinoa! Couscous is a fakeout!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
Quietly live in the woods while creatively assisting with the revolution!

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
Both, duh! It’ll be everywhere! Don’t forget about news apps and twitter.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
Hot and spicy noodle soup with tofu from Gingergrass on the corner of Barrington and Morris.

Behind the lines: Vegans Love LAVA and Kelly Twomey

Ryan — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 22:34:05 +0000

Kelly Twomey, the mother of Vegans Love LAVA (Leather Alternatives and Vegan Accessories) just recently became a mother to a whole other vegan project, a child. So, it should come as no surprise that she was one of the contributors (“Vegan Parent Forces Child to Eat Nothing But a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet!”) to our focus section on vegan parenting.

As someone who has been incredibly supportive of T.O.F.U. over the past several years, Kelly sold the third issue of the magazine through her store, and she was also instrumental in helping the tour make a stop in Guelph. With a large selection of items in her store, I highly recommend the To-Go Ware utensil sets, which have rarely left my backpack and made lunch time a lot easier for myself and the environment.

Website | Amazon | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

Why run a vegan-friendly business?
There are only a handful of vegan businesses in Canada, so many people still have to order vegan products from the US or the UK. Canada has to step it up!! We are probably not even in the top five on the list of most vegan-friendly countries. The more vegan businesses in Canada, the easier and more fun it is to be a Canadian vegan. It pains me to hear someone say that being vegan is “too hard”, so starting a vegan business was for me a solution to make it that much easier for people to go vegan, and bring Canada that much closer to the top of the list of most vegan-friendly countries.

How long have you been in business?
LAVA has been in business for three years.

Favourite part about it?
My favourite part of being a vegan entrepreneur is meeting all the awesome vegans in Canada! Since vegan businesses are so scarce in Canada, it’s a really small community, and you get to know the other entrepreneurs, as well as the customers, activists, sanctuary owners, etc.. very well. It’s one big happy family, and I love being a part of this community. We’re all working together to spread the word to live more compassionately and that is a wonderful thing.

Anything new people should know about?
What should new people know about vegan business? Well, it can’t survive unless we support it, so just like sometimes you pay extra for local produce, you sometimes have to pay a little extra to support local vegans. Get to know your local vegan business and support them so they can thrive!

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
Quinoa hands down! It has a way cooler name. It’s loaded with protein, iron, magnesium and B6. It’s actually a seed, not a grain, so comparing it to couscous is kind of like comparing apples to kale! Couscous is a mighty fine grain in it’s own right.

What’s THE thing a vegan has to do in your town?
If a vegan comes to Guelph and only has time for one thing, they should call me and we’ll go have lunch at a raw vegan restaurant called Wild Organic Way. Or at the very least they should stop in and get one of WOWs amazing smoothies and a couple of hemp balls to go and don’t forget your reusable food containers so you don’t have to get disposables!

Behind the lines: Lisa Dempster

Ryan — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:53:15 +0000

I’m not sure how Lisa and T.O.F.U. came to be such great friends, especially since we have yet to actually meet in person, but I am glad that the connection was made some time ago. Along with writing several articles for the magazine over the past few issues, including “I ♥ potlucks” in the most recent, I believe I can attribute the lovely Aussie invasion of the T.O.F.U. store to her blog.

Although it seems Lisa is stepping back from the blogging this year, you can still find her on Twitter and a few other Internetty places. Plus, you can check out her account of her 1200km Buddhist pilgrimage through the mountains of Japan in her book, Neon Pilgrim.

Blog | Twitter | flickr | Purchase Neon Pilgrim

In one word, why are you vegan?
Foodpolitics

How long have you been vegan?
Three years ish

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
QUINOA SUPERFOOD!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
Revolt or die!

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
Neither. Twitter will rock the #revolution.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
Melbourne has so much amazing vegan food, we are really spoilt for choice, so I’m going to cheat on this question: it’s a tie between Yong Green Food restaurant, New Day Rising cafe and Radical Grocery the vegan supermarket.

Behind the lines: Stéphane Groleau

Ryan — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 20:21:31 +0000

Although I have never actually met Stéphane, we have corresponded over the past couple of years about several vegan things. An active member of the vegan community in Quebec, as well as an organic farmer, Stephane was kind enough to write two articles (“Agriculture et Veganisme” & “The World’s First Vegan Accordion”) in the current issue of the magazine. Plus, in a T.O.F.U. first, one of those articles was in French. Presenting articles in languages other than English is something we hope to do more of in the future, and we’re glad Stéphane was the first.

VeganQuebec | Veganic Garden Info | Eco-rdeon | Facebook

In one word, why are you vegan?
Foodfriendsanimalsearthlovelife

How long have you been vegan?
I became vegan in 2001. That’s about ten years ago!

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Couscous?
Quinoa would win! It’s healthier and more nutritious than couscous, and quinoa can replace couscous in recipes. We can even eat quinoa raw by sprouting it. Couscous doesn’t sprout very well!!!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I think I would lead a revolution in a quiet wood…

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
I don’t think a revolution can be televised or a Facebook event. A revolution needs to be enacted! Though, a Facebook event could help.

Favourite vegan thing in your town?
The vegan potluck we organize each month!

Behind the lines: Jason Doucette

Ryan — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:24:57 +0000

Jason warned me that his answers to the questions may be a little weird as the family was all down with a plague of some sort, but I think it just made for a more interesting read. For those of you who read the article “Answering Questions from Non-vegan Children” in the recent issue of T.O.F.U., or love the humour of veganporn.com, you probably already know what to expect. Either way, if you like what you read below, you can also find Jason here:

In one word, why are you vegan?
Laziness. I’m almost not even joking. Every time I see a holiday cooking guide with food safety tips on how to prepare and cook a dead animal without poisoning your entire family I get dizzy. How many different cutting boards do non-vegans need?

How long have you been vegan?
15 years? Can that be right? Man, in another 12 months my veganism is going to start asking to borrow the car.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
Quinoa is the undisputed champion, at least in our house, where it tag teams with amaranth. Cous cous is just spaghetti cut up really small. I can cut my own food to whatever size I want, thank you very much, but that doesn’t have anything to do with the fight. Quinoa seems like it has more stuff in it, so some of that’s gotta be weaponizable. Yes, I went there: weaponized quinoa.

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I’d love to live quietly in the woods. Except for all the blackflies. I’d lead a small revolution to convince the blackflies to move to some other location.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
Oh please let it be on Facebook so I’ll have no knowledge of it, and TV can be saved for meaningful things like shows about teen moms.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
My son. What, you think he isn’t going to Google me when he gets older? Hi Dax, finish the dishes already, will you?

Behind the lines: Kristine Elliott

Ryan — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:40:13 +0000

Kristine is the author of “The Vegan’s Guide to Essential Fatty Acids” found in the latest issue of T.O.F.U. EFAs, as well as many other facets of vegan nutrition, are something Kristine knows well. Together with Breighan Hunsley, the two were a dynamic duo at the Halifax Planet Organic store offering advice and laughter to those who were looking for it amongst the aisles.

In one word, why are you vegan?
LOVE!

How long have you been vegan?
Long enough to kick your butt.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
QUINOA! Keen-WAH! Say it right!

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I would like to live quietly in the woods and lead a kitchen revolution! I would have a window for cooling pies on and I would make tinctures and preserves all day.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
Neither, it has to be in your heart and your kitchen.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
My boyfriend. And The Wooden Monkey Restaurant and Heartwood Bakery. And Crowbars (the food, not the weapon) I know it’s more than one. It’s probably because I’m vegan – so I’m malnourished and lacking protein and iron and EFA’s so my brain is deteriorating, meaning I do not have the capabilities to come up with an appropriately short answer. Right? Or maybe it’s because I live in a town of VEGAN AWESOMENESS.

Behind the lines: Daveybrat

Ryan — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:44:31 +0000

Daveybrat helped us out with the St. John’s city review, and he also provided a few recipes in the article “The Poor DIY Fat Vegan”, both of which can be found in the new issue of T.O.F.U. Some of our readers may remember him from the first issue in which he wrote a review for Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since then Daveybrat has criss-crossed Canada, played in a few bands, and studied the culinary offerings of many a fine city and town. Currently settled in St. John’s, Newfoundland, he can be found onstage with the Dead Peasants Revolt.

In one word, why are you vegan?
Daveydontlikeanimalstosufferformetoeat. (see…one word!)

How long have you been vegan?
Going on..14 years now. Since 1997. Vegetarian 3 before going vegan.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?
Hummus, hummus wins everything !

Would you prefer to lead a revolution or to live quietly in the woods?
I would like a revolution, but without leaders, let the people work as one.

If there is a revolution, will it be televised or a Facebook event?
It will be on every form of media, as the media will be ours then.

Favourite vegan thing in your town:
Tamari Tickle at the Sprout. It reminds me of the BLT from Mondragon back in Winnipeg.