And so, I kept my eyes and ears open to see who was doing what in the vegan scene. Little did I know, the first sign had been placed in front of me years ago. And, given the success of that one cookbook, I suspect it’s been in front of many of you as well. Of course, it wasn’t until some major events happened that all of these signs came together to make up my mind that the next T.O.F.U. grant recipient would be Sarah Kramer.

Building a Community

Long before everyone and their blog had a publishing deal, let alone a single vegan cookbook in Barnes & Noble, Sarah Kramer was spreading the vegan message through great plant-based recipes and her charm. Although the start of her publishing career rings a little close to the T.O.F.U. home, Sarah’s first zine eventually became the original vegan bible that is How it All Vegan. With over a quarter of a million copies sold worldwide since it was published over ten years ago, that book, like Sarah, laid the foundation for so much of what has happened in the vegan community.

But Sarah didn’t stop there. With two other books (Garden of Vegan and La Dolce Vegan), a travel-friendly compilation of recipes (Vegan A Go-Go), and an iPhone/iPad app (Go Vegan! with Sarah Kramer) under her belt, Sarah took an even bigger step and opened her own vegan boutique (Sarah’s Place) in Victoria, BC, Canada two years ago.

This time, it’s personal

If you’ve had the chance to talk with Sarah in some way, whether it was through a tweet, an email, a blog comment, or while looking through all the wonderful and curious things in her boutique, chances are you already know how nice she is. Of course, that’s always been a part of what made Sarah and her work so great: it was personal. From her near daily pics of her dog, Fergus, to the fact that her store is filled with hand-picked finds of curiosity and beauty, Sarah’s secret ingredient to her success seems to always be a simple dash of herself in everything she does.

So, when she broke the news that she had breast cancer, it was no surprise that the support was almost immediate. Even though those in the vegan community can certainly get wrapped up in a lot of drama, especially online, this time it wasn’t about who now ate what for what reasons. This time it was about Sarah, and, instead of tearing something or someone down, people were doing something positive: they were touching themselves.

Taking care of business

Over two months and a bunch of blog posts later, a lot has happened for the newest grant recipient. As can be expected, there have been some ups and downs, and there are more to come, but at least one constant has been the support of the vegan community. Of course, when you’re running your own business, flowers and get well cards can only go so far before the bills take over, especially when you’re faced with recovering from surgery and needing to work at the same time.

Although I can’t relate to recovering from serious surgery, especially a mastectomy, I do understand the toll a small business can take on a person, even when they’re healthy. So, for this and many other reasons, the best way I could think of to help Sarah and thank her for everything she has done for more than a decade was the T.O.F.U. grant.

If you’d like to show your support or tell Sarah thanks, here are some of the ways you can reach her:

Website | Facebook | Twitter

Since it started, the magazine has grown a tremendous amount, and I owe so much thanks to all of you for that. So, it should go without saying that I’m excited to get the new issue out to see just how much further it can go!

Before that happens though, I still need to lay it all out, pass it along to a lovely designer friend of mine, and find companies to get onboard with a little financial support.

Although I’ve approached plenty of great businesses so far (thanks to many suggestions by folks on the Facebook page), I figured it wouldn’t hurt to mention it here as well. With the deadline a little under a week away, I’d hate to see some great folks miss out on a chance to advertise what they’re doing.

Not only that, but the more companies I get onboard to advertise, the more I can show support through the T.O.F.U. grant program. If you have not heard about it already, I give half of the advertising income for each issue to a recipient who continues to work on improving the vegan movement in one way or another. Thus, advertising with the magazine supports more than just T.O.F.U., it directly supports a member of the community as well.

So, do you know of any great companies that I should approach? For that matter, are you doing something vegan-friendly that you would like to tell folks about? If so, please feel free to let me know, and, if you’re interested yourself, you can check out the prices and specifications for more info.

thanks,
Ryan

In my current line of work, that might seem like a bad idea. There are plenty of marketing notions out there that suggest pulling back the curtain to show what really happens behind the scenes is a good way to kill a brand.

Of course, most of those same marketing notions are focused on how to profit from the work you do, and T.O.F.U. has never really been good at that. Hell, T.O.F.U. may not even be good at being a brand per say, but I like to think the magazine has come to be known for something in at least a few circles. I also like to think those thoughts are positive.

So, where’s the honesty come in you ask?

The Inner Workings

With six issues out, and another one still in the works, T.O.F.U. has gone further than imagined when the idea first came into being. So many things have changed, some for the better, but some for the worse.

One of the negative changes is the fact that Team T.O.F.U. is currently one person. Sure, the magazine couldn’t get anywhere without all of the contributions from so many over the years, but, as it currently stands, the behind the scenes work is done by me. When it started, the magazine was driven by two people, and for every issue but one, that was always the case.

So, there is no team of editors, public relations, financial advisors, etc… There’s just me.

No, This Isn’t a Vegan Dating Ad

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing this as some sort of elaborate singles ad. In fact, I’m happily involved with someone at the moment, and I don’t see that changing. What I am writing this for is to hopefully help you understand a little better why the magazine is far from a constant publication and why some emails may go unanswered for some time.

As it stands, all the moving and changes my life has thrown at me over the past few years have pushed T.O.F.U. to the back burner. Sure, I’ve debated stopping the magazine, and I feel I made that clear before the last issue was released over a year ago, but I still think T.O.F.U. can do some good in the vegan community. Plus, with the great contributors and supporters who have approached me still onboard, and folks continuing to read the magazine, I can’t walk away.

That’s fine and all, but where’s my new issue?!?!

And that leads us to here: the end of January with no issue #7 on the digital shelf.

All I can tell you is that it’s being worked on. Folks have contributed some great work, and a few other pieces are still in the pipeline. Mainly, the delay is my fault. I’m sorry, but I’m only one person.

Sure, I could throw something together right now and put it out there, but all of you deserve, and should expect, much better. I’m hoping I can deliver that. I just don’t know when yet.

Patience is a virtue, right?

thanks for reading this and supporting the magazine,
Ryan

So, while I’m taking this holiday Monday here in Canada to keep the ball rolling for issue #7 submissions (you have sent in a pitch, right?), feel free to listen to what we had to say about YouTube cat videos, Canada, Newfoundland, Ontario, PETA (I’ll give you two guesses how this topic went), and so much more.

Red Radio Ep. 39: Shootin’ the T.O.F.U. with Ryan Patey

What we’re looking for

So, if you have something you want the world to know about, be it a product review, a great use for that old pasta sauce container, your two cents on how veganism relates to something else that is important to you or a simply perfect recipe for a fall soup that everyone should be carrying in their thermos, we’re interested!

What you need to do

Don’t hit the send button just yet though! In order to make this whole thing a little easier on everyone, there are a few things we would like to request from you:

• Read some of the past issues so you’ll know (almost) as well as we do what has been done, and you will also understand what it is we do.
• Send us a few ideas. If you’re truly committed to one, and you have some past experience with the topic, then pitch it by all means. However, if you just want to write about something related to veganism, then give us a range of interests.
• Quality and quantity. Although the word count is flexible, you should be comfortable with the idea of writing at least a couple of pages. We like to think our readers are looking for more than just a tweet or a blog entry about something, so stretch your legs and run with the idea. Unless it’s a recipe. Those shouldn’t be more than a page.
• Original content. If it’s an amazing piece that you don’t think received enough attention on your blog, you might sway us, but coming to us with a new idea will get a better reception for sure.
• Unpublished content. Since we started, there have been a bunch of great new vegan-specific publications popping up around the world, and we don’t want to step on any toes. There is room for all of us. However, if you’ve submitted something for one publication already, please don’t send it our way. It could get messy, and we can’t afford a lawyer or an apologetic fruit basket if another mag gets upset.
• Get excited. We don’t want to have to chase after you about the piece. Sure, we will send an email here or there, but if you’re not really into the idea or something comes up and life gets in the way, please let us know. This is supposed to be fun for everyone involved!

Good to go?

If so, then send us your pitch!

Has it really been seven months? Like so many big shifts in one’s life, it seems like both shorter and longer in many ways. For better or for worse, a lot of things have changed in my life, and that means a lot of things have changed for the magazine too.

First and foremost, the attention that the last issue received, and even still receives now, has been overwhelming. So much so that I’ve decided I will continue with the magazine. In fact, a month or so ago I was struck with an idea for the cover to issue seven, but my decision to move back to Canada led to that being put on the backburner.

Rest assured, the new issue will happen, and hopefully in a much more efficient manner than the last few. However, I hope you will all bear with me as I make yet another move with my minimal belongings to once again try to settle. I’m moving to Winnipeg, Manitoba for plenty of reasons, and one of them is certainly all of the support the magazine (and I) have seen over the years from the veg folks there.

I’m looking forward to becoming more involved with the veg community in the Peg, as well as the community around the world. I know this blog has gone unattended for far too long, and I keep promising to do better, but if you have a chance to check out the Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram accounts you’ll notice I’m doing something at least!

So, as the clock ticks down for my time here on the other side of the world (29 days!), I promise it is also counting down to the time when I will be able to shift to focusing on a new issue. Building on the momentum of the last one, the focus issues will be tough, the recipes will be great, and the words inside will be from vegans all around the world. And yes, that’s where you come in!

thanks for sticking around,
Ryan

From the vegan duo The Pleasants, who were kind enough to travel across North America with me for issue three, to photographer Jo-Anne McArthur, who continues to challenge our view of animals within our world, the T.O.F.U. grant has been our way to give back to a community that has supported what we do since day one.

So, when work started on the sixth issue we knew we also had to keep our eyes open for the recipient of the third grant. Given the serious focus of the issue, it seemed logical that the recipient would be heavily involved in pushing the envelope on the topics we knew we would only be able to touch on. Thus, the decision came easy to choose A. Breeze Harper.

Truly Ethical Veganism

A PhD Candidate at the University of California, Harper’s work focuses on intersections of critical food studies, critical race theory, and black feminist thought. She is also the founder of The Sistah Vegan Project, which explores the lives of black female vegans. The project also looks at how geopolitical status, race, class, gender, and sexuality affect vegan philosophy. In 2010, Lantern Books published Harper’s edited volume Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans on Food, Identity, Health and Society, the first book of its kind to look at the experiences of American veganism through the lens of race and gender.

In an interview with the Creative Director for issue six, Harper goes into detail about the importance of critically thinking about veganism and its intersectionality with forms of oppression:

“…it’s not that I have a problem if a vegan still chooses to eat a vegan tomato product, but I have issues with the lack of transparency of how the vegan food actually got to your plate. Marking it as ‘cruelty-free’ elides the possibility that human beings may suffer in order to get that product to you. I actually feel that framing a vegan product as ‘cruelty-free’ creates a one-dimensional “it’s only about the animals not being exploited” approach to vegan consumerism.”

It is due to her continued efforts to put such problems on the table that we proudly support A. Breeze Harper and her work to make veganism, and the world, better.

Show Your Support

A. Breeze Harper is trying to finish her dissertation work, titled Situating Racialization, Racisms, and Anti-Racisms: Critical Race Feminist and Socio-spatial Epistemological Analysis of Vegan Philosophy in the USA. Due to California budget cuts, her dissertation fellowship for 2011-2012 was not renewed. If you would like to support her finishing her PhD and social activist scholarship for 2012 summer graduation, she is accepting donations through paypal: breezeharper@gmail.com

Everyone has that family member (or maybe more than one). You know, the one who every now and then says or does something that shocks or embarrasses everyone else? Then, after the awkward silence, the conversation moves on and everyone just chalks it up to “oh, that’s just your uncle. He’s set in his ways and doesn’t quite understand why such things might offend us, but he means well.”

Drawing the line with uncle PETA

I’ve muttered on this site before about other PETA campaigns, and I’ve downplayed most of them as just another drop in the bucket for an organization that is so focused on one goal they don’t see the damage their doing to other movements. Unfortunately, the latest PETA campaign entitled “Living With BWVAKTBOOM: Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom out of Me” is more than just another ignorant misstep. This one crosses far too many lines to just be pushed aside by a comment on how great Aunt Jane’s garlic mashed potatoes turned out.

So, I want to make this clear, just in case I’ve been vague in the past:

Although T.O.F.U. and PETA are promoting veganism, in no way does T.O.F.U. promote PETA. Their most recent campaign, along with so many in the past, relies heavily on damaging and irresponsible methods filled with stereotypes and ideologies that T.O.F.U. strives to eliminate rather than propagate through our own actions.

Sure, we may be in the same family, but that doesn’t mean we have to support everything our weird uncle does. What is it that offends us so you may ask? Well, let’s see:

1) Exploitation of women

Granted, the women in the campaigns may do it of their own free will, and the fact that they are able to do such things is a sign that we have come far in some ways. However, the use of oversexualized campaigns (see previous banned Super Bowl ads, including the most recent one) to promote veganism is weak marketing at best. With so many other possible avenues, such as the plain and simple truth about the cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industry, why must an organization that aims to stop the exploitation of so many species support the exploitation of another?

2) Violence towards women

Again, assuming that the overall purpose of PETA is to promote a more humane lifestyle, why should we accept a campaign entitled “Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom out of Me” as acceptable when it so clearly plays on the idea of the dominant male and the women who continues to cater to his needs while ignoring the damage it is doing to her? Compare some of the “People’s Stories” clips with this domestic violence PSA and tell me the marketing team didn’t use it for inspiration.

3) Rape culture

This newest campaign seems to be built on the idea that vegan men have an overactive sex drive, and the women in their lives (admittedly, there is one homosexual couple referenced in a video, but the overall content is incredibly heteronormative and lacks any major ethnic or racial diversity as well) must cater and adapt to it. Why? Because deep down they want it as much as the newly virile man, and despite temporary blindness, displaced hips, concussions, repetitive stress injuries, and other dangerous consequences, they just can’t resist the allure of their “man of steel” and his newfound superpowers. Of course, these men turned sex machines are powerless in controlling their new desires, and trying to discourage it is portrayed as foolish. So, PETA is nice enough to suggest several ways to handle the repercussions of having a vegan boyfriend. Hmm, suggesting that it is up to the women to control a man’s sexual advances since he is incapable of controlling them seems familiar. Where else have we seen this myth promoted?

4) Virility and being a man

Not only does the newest campaign, as well as so many previous to this, promote a stereotypical view of women, it also promotes the common misconception that the true value of a man is found in his ability to please his partner sexually. The fact that these newly vegan men may have chosen their lifestyle based on compassion and love for other living creatures, a desire for better health, or a variety of other reasons is not promoted at all. No, the true reason to go vegan, which popular media already promotes as the reason to do anything, is because by being able to “knock the bottom” out of your partner you will obtain the title of a true man. Just check out the video of the guy bragging about the great sex he just had with the attractive girl behind him all because he went vegan. Of course, there is no real portrayal of vegan women being great in bed and their partners having to deal with that at all. Apparently, these specific benefits are bestowed upon the men only.

And the list could go on…

Working toward a well-balanced meal with the family

When we released issue six we hoped to give people a platform to discuss and consider so many of the things that intersect with veganism, and this campaign is a perfect example of why such a view is necessary to make true and beneficial change happen.

So, if anyone needs me, I’ll be sitting at the kiddie’s table. Sure, there may be food fights, but at least the jokes will be innocent and a lot more mature than what our uncle typically brings to the table.

Photo credit: PETA

Of course, the whole issue would not have come together if it was not for the advertisers and contributors who got involved with this thing back when the summer was just a warm whisper on the wind. So, thanks to all of those fine folks who cared enough to write, hand me their money, and check-in every now and then to see if the whole thing was still alive.

That being said, I’m not done pushing this one yet! I’ll try to post another teaser or two of the stuff you can find inside the issue, and if I come across any great press-related blurbs from other folks I’ll post those too. I believe I’ve seen folks such as Jasmin Singer, Dan Hanley, and Sarah Kramer tweeting or blogging about it recently…

Otherwise, if you’re interested in such things, I’ve been trying to post as many pictures as I could from things I’ve been eating in South Korea on the Facebook fan page. Now that I have a fancy phone you can expect more. Well, as long as Facebook is willing to cooperate. I seem to have a few from this past weekend that just don’t want to show their face for some reason…

thanks,
Ryan

Photo credit: Ryan Patey | New Year’s Eve | Busan, South Korea

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Issue Six Download