Well, can I blame the new issue… again?

Speaking of, I’m hoping this weekend will see the issue seven put to bed, and then, after the authors and advertisers review it, I’ll be posting it online for all you fine people to read. You’ve waited an incredibly long time for this issue, and I do apologize for it, but hopefully it will be worth it.

Until then, feel free to check out my answers to some technical questions the VVC ladies sent my way before their first tech seminar.

Kira will hopefully have some pictures to share soon, and I have some more video from the Toronto and Vancouver shows.

Thanks again for all the support, and please say hello if you see us in Portland. We’ll probably be the ones with too many containers of food and sweets in our hands (and at least one of us has pink hair)!

enjoy the weekend,
Ryan & Kira

For now, I wanted to let you know that the lovely Leigh-Chantelle from Viva la Vegan! has taken some time out of her North American travels to post an interview Kira and I did with her while she was still back enjoying warmer temperatures and bluer oceans in Australia.

Latest T.O.F.U. magazine

Leigh has plenty of great things on her websites, and her schedule is filled with conference and festival appearances over the next while, so be sure to give her some love somewhere along the way! I’m looking forward to swapping travel stories with her when we meet in Portland, and maybe trading goodies from our Vida Vegan bags.

So, although it’s not a lot, things like the T.O.F.U. grant have really helped to make us feel like we’re headed in the right direction issue after issue. Furthermore, over the past few months, and thanks partially to a grant from VegFund, we’ve also started to be a part of events around the world. It’s a little something we like to do to try and support the community that has always been so nice to us.

One of those events, the Vegan IronChef, happened recently in Portland, Oregon, and we’re happy to hear that things went incredibly well.

Top Portland chefs beat the heat with impressive cooking in second Vegan Iron Chef

Now, we just need to plan next year better so we can attend most of these things!

Either way, the excitement is building for the event, which is now mere months away. The whole thing is sold out, and we’re not surprised here at the T.O.F.U. camp given who the speakers are.

Of course, like all great events, there are contests to win tickets, and even though I’m about a week behind on congratulating the recent winner, Jessica Rose Western, I thought the song just might help get you through another Monday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGrBtKli3vc

Be sure to keep an eye on the Vida Vegan Con blog for other contests, one of which I believe is running up until tomorrow!

Just a quick update on the conference I will be attending this August, which is only a little over four months away. They posted the conference schedule last week, and it looks like I’m going to be a part of some awesome panels. Of course, the whole thing will be great, but you can’t blame a guy for promoting his own stuff, right? If you’re attending, you can catch me talking about this or that during the Activism, Publishing and Small Town, Represent! panels with several other lovely folks.

Classy – The Vida Vegan Con schedule

Speaking of attending the conference, within the past couple weeks it seems the whole thing sold out! So, if you don’t already have your ticket, you’re going to need to keep an eye out for some of the giveaways the organizers will be doing. Stay tuned to the Vida Vegan blog for more details.

Your Time Travels Contest

And if those contests are not enough for you, it seems there is a great one going on over at Your Time Travels. So, if you’ve ever wanted to plan a vacation that had animals and your ethics in mind, you might want to check out the prizes they’re offering, as well as the services they provide on a daily basis. With celebrity judges including Gene Baur, the President and Co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, and Colleen Holland, Associate Publisher of VegNews, they’re out to find some of the most amazing people who are using their talents to help animals.

With the past issue we were able to go one step further with helping people through the T.O.F.U. grant, and we’re looking forward to being able to continue this program through future issues. Since another one is just around the corner, we have been working towards finding other avenues to support people in their related work. One of the ways we have decided to do this is through directly sponsoring vegan-related events, or at least advertising with them when possible.

With this in mind, T.O.F.U. is proud to be involved with the following:

Berkeley Vegan Earth Day – San Francisco, California, USA
April. 22nd, 2011

Berkeley Vegan Earth Day will feature a screening of the award-winning feature documentary, “Call of Life, Facing the Mass Extinction” by Species Alliances, which investigates the growing threat to Earth’s life support systems as a result of dwindling biodiversity. Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion featuring experts in vegan lifestyle and nutrition, and environmentalism. The admission also includes a delicious, vegan, catered reception sponsored by Vérité Catering, which specializes in plant-based cuisine.

For more information, please contact Karine Brighten Events.

Ottawa Veg Fest 2011 – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Sunday, May. 1st, 2011

From fun costumes, to free samples, to guest speakers and a silent auction, there is something for everyone at this family-friendly, grassroots event. This year’s keynote speaker, former NHL-player turned vegan Georges Laraque, and the great NCVA Cupcake Challenge are bound to be highlights from what is set to be a great event.

Vida Vegan Blogger Conference – Portland, Oregon, USA
August. 26th to 28th, 2011

Workshops, discussion panels, speakers, special events, vegan food, and more. This conference will celebrate, explore, and fine-tune the practice—and ever-growing community—of vegan bloggers.

For more information, please see the Behind the Scenes post on the organizers, one of whom contributed to the last issue.

We’re hoping this list will continue to grow over the coming months, and we’re open to suggestions if you have them.

T.O.F.U. Tour 2009 Photos (facebook.com)

Here’s hoping we have just as much fun in August when the magazine hits the road once again.

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.

With that in mind, I sent along a few questions to the lovely ladies of the Con so you could get to know them a bit more before you meet them in August. After all, you are going, right? Did I mention Isa and Terry will be there along with dozens of other lovely vegan bloggers?

Why start a vegan-blogger conference?

Janessa: There are so many amazing and inspiring bloggers out there–I read TONS of blogs, and know I only come across a small handful. I wanted to create a big group party for all of us–to build connections, make friends, explore the big beautiful vegan bounty of Portland, and to learn the ins and outs of veganism and blogging. From technology to privacy to recipes to dating and mating, we’re aiming to have something of interest for everyone.

Michele: Purely selfish reasons, really: I would love to go to a blogger conference, but most conferences simply don’t appeal to me. We’re trying to create the atmosphere we’d feel comfortable in, with down-to-earth speakers, relevant sponsors, and lots of options for classes and activities.

Jess: I just wanted to see if certain bloggers really existed! And what they said.

Favourite part about it?

Janessa:  It’s terribly exciting to think how many fantastic people have agreed to speak at Vida Vegan Con. I get shivers when I look at our Speakers List. By the same token, I’m terribly excited to meet all the bloggers and readers who are coming who may not know many bloggers or many vegans in their town and are branching out, buying a ticket, and committing to the pure awesomeness of this event. So, to condense all my adjectives into a one-word answer: the people!

Michele: First of all, adorable little Canadian “u” in “favourite.” Really, favorite part is seeing where our registrants are coming from. I’ve done a lot of road-tripping and have seen a lot of tiny towns. It’s got to be tough being the town vegan–now they get to see other vegans in real life!

Jess: I’m going to go warm and fuzzy with this one: the camaraderie with my fellow organizers, laughter, support and anticipation.

Anything new people should know about?

Janessa:  Portland is really affordable and we’re doing our best to showcase all the ways you can enjoy yourself while still saving a buck or two. If you’re worried about cost, I can almost guarantee you that you can come for the conference, have the time of your life, take loads of pictures, eat piles and piles of delicious vegan food, and still not spend too much money. For any advice, feel free to email me personally at janessa.pk@gmail.com.

Michele: I’d love to see more folks on the Facebook group page. It’s really for conference attendees, not just people who think VVC is a cool idea. You can find roommates to cut costs, set up ride shares, and tell us what you want included in the conference. It’s your group.

Jess: Portland-wise, there’s a new and intriguingly vegan-friendly pizza parlour that’s recently opened, Sizzle Pie. Soy Curls! Basil Cashew spread! Late Night! VVC-wise, there is seriously something new that excites us every single week, whether it’s speakers, topic ideas, special guests, location news, etc…

Are you expecting to go over the Portland vegan capacity? Are there not enough vegans there already?

Janessa:  Too many vegans?! IMPOSSIBLE!

Michele: I can’t wait to read about The Great Tempeh Outage of 2011.

Jess: I’m expecting some type of explosion after the Saturday night Gala-Rama and Silent Auction. There will be hundreds of vegans and quite surely, a fancy bean spread or two.

Will you be exporting the conference, and its vegans, to another city next year?

Janessa:  Anything is possible!

Michele: We’ve already joked about VVC 2012: Hawaii…but why the hell not, right?

Jess: Don’t be shocked if we intentionally hold our second conference in a reclaimed Vegan Mecca, such as Seattle (just look at what Veganscore is up to there) or Chicago – or an up and comer, such as Milwaukee.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Michele – she’s a crafty one – is secretly working on a snazzy Vegan Mecca torch to hand on.

Who would win in a fight: Quinoa or Cous Cous?

Janessa:  If Quinoa were called Quinoa Quinoa, we *may* have an almost equal fight, but as is it’s just not fair.

Michele: I know I should say Quinoa, but you know what, man, Cous Cous is ready out of the barrel and up for anything.

Jess: I’m leaning towards bold Isreali cous cous, but if red quinoa is available it could be steaming worth watching.

What’s THE thing a vegan has to do in your town? Actually, since you’re in Portland, name three. Just three. =)

Janessa:
1. EAT ( Vegan Toffuffalo, Vegan Pho, Vegan Nachos…. even Vegan Croissants for crying out loud)

2. HIKE We have GORGEOUS trails all around Portland. And August, when Vida Vegan Con is going down, is the most perfect time to be in Portland. Get out and get active!

3. DRINK Portland has a ridiculous amount of Happy Hours– beers for a buck are normal, and many many bars have at least one solid vegan option on their menu for cheeeaaap.

Michele: Rent a bike and explore all four quarters of the city–that’s bicycle, not unicycle. This city has enough unicycles. Seriously, a unicycle? Anyway, however you get there, check out one of the gazillion farmers markets. During the summer, we’ve got at least one going on somewhere. And make sure you get out at night. Our city is so beautiful at night. Grab some buddies and do a bar-n-cart crawl.

Jess: By “has to do”, I’ll assume we’re talking has to eat, and I’m a food blogger, so:

1. Dinner at Portobello Vegan Trattoria

2. A spring or summertime meal at a food cart. Off the top of my head, 3 all vegan favorites are: Homegrown Smoker Vegan BBQ, Native Bowl & Kitchen Dances.

3. Bakery binge. Try and visit at least 2 of the 3 all vegan bakeries. And a VooDoo Doughnuts.