Here's a quick update on the trip, for anyone paying attention over the holidays.

Christmas Eve: Not much to report, except Zen Palate is no longer in the Westbury location on Long Island. Fortunately P.F. Chang's was across the street, so we eked out dinner just fine with vegetarian lettuce wraps and ma po tofu, though this location used a different sauce than I've had previously, and I didn't like it nearly as much. Plus, our server was awful. All mumbles and speed talking. At least we ate on Christmas Eve!

Christmas: You know, I grew up celebrating Christmas. I didn't think about it much, liked the presents, but somewhere down the line I could no longer get excited about it. Partly it's the commercial aspect of it, but further back it was really the fact that I didn't believe in God or Christ as the son of God, and the only reason I celebrated the holiday so long after that realization was because of family and spirit of giving.

Flash forward to my vegan years. My anti-commercial leanings grew stronger, but at least only my parents and aunts buy me gifts now, and people have stopped expecting gifts and greeting cards from me, for the most part. I feel kinda weird sometimes being the only close relative not buying a gift for my niece or younger brother, but it would be a token thing anyway, since I never see them and probably couldn't buy or make them a meaningful gift to begin with. I'm not big on tokenism.

On Christmas day this year, I was surrounded by a lot of Croatian inlaws preparing and/or eating just about every kind of meat typically served at these types of holiday functions (seriously: shrimp, "ham," ground "beef," chicken... I think I'm leaving something out). It was really unpleasant seeing my mother-in-law prepare flesh product after flesh product over the course of nearly 24 hours. It's not like I was standing around watching her--I actually confined myself upstairs in their house until it was time to eat (and during the meat course)--but every time I headed down to grab something or ask my wife something (she also toiled away for a long time on our vegan Christmas dinner), I saw her kneading ground cow flesh with eggs and spices or something like that. All I see is muscle tissue, the remains of another being that I can picture as an individual nonhuman being, but she only sees that she wants to have enough food to put on a great holiday party for 16 people. Well, minus two.

In a gesture that may not have been fully appreciated by all her family members, my wife prepared an outstanding vegan dinner that I really am glad I was not around the kitchen to mess up. Our meal included a delicious cashew cream lasagna (Dining With Friends), lemon bars (Joy of Vegan Baking), garlic bread (made on the fly), german apple cake (JoVB), garlic kale (Vegan With a Vengeance) and roasted butternut squash soup (Vegan With a Vengeance). Sadly, being surrounded by people hungrily gnawing away on animal-derived foods diminished my enjoyment a little bit, though it was so good that nothing could make me completely lose my appetite.

I was also pleased to see at least one more health-conscious aunt lean toward eating our lighter dishes than the typical fare weighing down the table. And those that at least sampled the garlic bread, soup or lasagna were pleasantly surprised, but I didn't stick around to see what people thought beyond that. With the food coming in waves, meats galore were next, and I just couldn't stay for that. I don't know if my absence counted for anything (especially since no one sits still at these things!), but I'd just as soon have sat around and watched them feed on a human corpse as smile while they dined on the carcasses of other animals.

I can be a spoiled vegan sometimes. My organization, the Boston Vegan Association, enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving potluck only a month ago. It was so great to be around other vegans during this meal-centered holiday, and to indulge in a fabulous animal-free feast. None of us had to deal with the smell of cooked animal flesh, much less the sight of it. It was such a positive experience all around. Christmas felt like some sort of ordeal I had to get through, and I don't know if any of the other guests even noticed. At least my wife did, bless her heart (though I hope my somber mood didn't bring her down too much on her big family day).

Fortunately, once the meal was done, I was able to relax and enjoy the family on different terms--with card playing and plenty of libations--and the celebration went on late into the night, all of us having a good time without having to harm animals to do so.

Yesterday: Lunch in the city with an activist friend at Curly's Vegetarian Diner. It was good! First time I've heard of this place, too. Lots of vegan options, and the veg options are generally quite veganizable. But... I forgot pics again! I'm sooo sorry. I had the special with grilled tofu (thin-sliced!) and my wife had the french toast. Our dining companion ate much healthier than we did, though whatever she ordered looked excellent, too. Spent the rest of the day quasi-following the Lower East Side tour of New York City from the current issue of Herbivore Magazine.

What I mean by this is that I knew I wanted to visit MooShoes, and I already knew that it had moved since the article had been written (great new space, by the way, though I dislike going through the Bargain District to get there), so I went there first. I needed a new pair of dress shoes, and the supple David 2 boots from Novacas were just the thing. Also picked up a couple of cool Herbivore stickers and some "bee free" vegan lip balm from Eco-Lips while I was there. And petted the cats. Can't leave without petting the cats.

After that, I headed back up to Rivington and popped into Economy Candy, where I'd read that you can get what basically amounts to vegan M&M's: "chocolate lentils". They were very similar to the Mars candy, though the coating is flavored, so that does sort of throw off the comparison a little. We bought a bunch of 'em for a friend who was cat-sitting for us, and left before the place totally overwhelmed us.

Yes, we also did stop nearby at (Toys in) Babeland. No, we didn't buy any toys. Maybe we bought a book.

We'd been to TeaNY before, so we kept moving, the day quickly growing dark. We wanted to get to Atlas Cafe on 2nd Avenue to try the soft serve and see if any vegan donuts were available. In our rush, we mixed up 73 with 72 and ended up thinking Atlas had moved to Brooklyn, thanks to some Google Maps misdirection on my iPhone. So much for technology.

Anyway, it was fun for the most part, and the Lower East Side is definitely more vegan-friendly than most places on the planet, so I always enjoy visiting, even if only for a couple of hours.

We headed back to Long Island to finish up some much-needed shopping before enjoying some Christmas leftovers.

Today: Got my Zen Palate fix before leaving for Boston. Damn, food's expensive in the city, particular in this Midtown area. Still, the Sesame Medallions are seitan done right.

So, there it is. Lengthier and more detailed than I had planned. I'd also planned to update daily, but it didn't work out that way. I totally forgot to take pics of just about everything, too, though I do have pics of Zenith's decor copied over to my laptop, so I'll update that entry now.

Labels: fashion, restaurants, reviews, travel, vegan food

I've set up a new Style section under my links, which right now includes Swanky Veg and the Vegan Fashion Blog. I've also added new a link (under "Clothing" in the Shopping category) to Jaan J., a company that sells luxury satin (and soon cotton) ties at a reasonable price. According to their site, "Jaan J. caters to the needs of those who appreciate quality vegan ties and cotton ties because they do not wear silk for health or personal reasons."

I ordered one of these for myself, and I love it. I only paid $33.50 for the tie itself (pictured left), with another $6.50 for shipping from California to Massachusetts.

Unfortunately, vegan ties can be very difficult to find when shopping in traditional brick & mortar stores, which is one reason I hadn't bought a new tie in about 6 years. How nice to finally find a retailer who not only carries non-silk ties, but also embraces a vegan philosophy! I'll be buying more ties here as needed. I hope you'll do the same.

Speaking of vegan fashion, I'm hoping to visit the new MooShoes location when I visit New York next week. I'll try to remember to take some halfway decent pictures of my trip to share here when I return. Regular blogging should pick up again after the new year.

Labels: clothing, fashion

Apologies for the paucity of posts this past week. I'm still "under water," as "they" say. Lots of projects in fairly time-intensive phases at once, though that should clear up a little bit later this month, I hope.

In the meantime, here are a couple more stories I've been meaning to blog about. I hope you'll settle for a digest version of my commentary. And stay tuned. You never know when something will set off my hot button and spawn a lengthy rant or possibly even a cogent analysis (it's been known to happen!).

New York Times: Pepsi and Coke Agree to Stop Financing Research That Uses Animals (Also: Reuters)

I mentioned the Pepsi announcement previously, but Coke has also come through as of last week and announced that they will no longer fund or conduct animal experiments, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, lending credence to the "domino effect" theory relied upon by certain organizations in going after worst corporate practices. Knock one down publicly, and the others feel compelled to follow suit in order to stay competitive (though I wouldn't be surprised if corporations that don't test on animals came out and said that they don't fund testing, either, "just so's you know").

According to PETA's Bruce Friedrich, it's on now to Altria Group (you may remember the company as Philip Morris Companies Inc.), which the org went after as a shareholder in 2005. If Altria is persuaded to drop testing, too, that would indeed be a huge victory, but don't hold your breath.

Los Angeles Times: Senate OKs imports of kangaroo skin (Also see stuff.co.nz)

Assuring that I will never again buy a pair of Adidas shoes (though, honestly, it's been years since I paid attention to the brand), the company has lobbied the California legislature to the tune of $435,693, asking lawmakers to legalize the import and sale of kangaroo skins so that they can sell shoes made from the marsupials' skin.

It's one thing to buy non-leather shoes from manufacturers who sell leather shoes, but who wants to buy shoes from a company that actively lobbies California to overturn its existing ban on certain flesh products so that soccer players can have lighter shoes? This needs little comment. It could have been directly lifted from The Onion. Here is a real quote from the president of the Los Angeles Galaxy soccer team:

Because my team represents California in a highly competitive sport, I believe that the full array of soccer products should be locally accessible to and be available for purchase by our players here in California.

I guess their highly paid, highly trained, world class athletes can't take an extra ounce of weight on their feet. Oh, wait, it appears they can... soccer superstar David Beckham,

the former English captain and the face of Adidas' soccer shoe line, finds himself in a precarious position just weeks before joining his new American club, Los Angeles Galaxy.

Last year he announced he would wear a synthetic version of Adidas' Predator soccer boots, instead of styles made from kangaroo skin.

Beckham, whose Spice Girl wife Victoria is a devout vegetarian, made the decision after viewing graphic videos of the culling of kangaroos in Australia, including a joey being cut out of its mother's pouch and battered with a blunt instrument.

I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for a Spice Girl.

Remember that this bill hasn't passed the Assembly yet, nor been signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. If you're in California, speak up now!

Wrapping things up, SuperVegan found a cool new toy to play with, and I want to join in the fun. I know several dozen bloggers link back to AAFL. Check it out and, if you like, please add the widget to your sidebar of blog or website. You can customize the look a little bit to better match your own design.

As always, thanks for your support!

Labels: animal testing, fashion, kangaroos, sporting goods, sports

I know I haven't posted since Friday. I had a nice dinner at Native Foods, as planned. But, since then, I have been stretched very thin, and some computer issues that have plagued me over the past 30 hours only made matters worse. But you don't visit AAFL for the excuses! You want content! So, without further ado, here's what's been crashing my Safari browser lately (thank goodness for Saft):

World Week for Animals in Labs began Sunday the 22nd. The purpose of this annual event is "to expose the plight of animals used for testing and research. WWAIL seeks to arouse concern for animals in laboratories as well as educate the public about the scientific, moral, and economic objections to animal experimentation, also known as vivisection." To learn what's happening in your area this week, visit the WWAIL website set up by In Defense of Animals.

Perhaps it's a coincidence, but I found it striking that, on the same day that WWAIL began, The Los Angeles Times | West Magazine published a fairly lengthy piece written by J.R. Moehringer from the point of view of Cheeta, a former chimpanzee "actor" who, in all his 75 years, was fortunate to avoid becoming a research subject (yes, 75 years is a very long time for a chimp).

Cheeta Speaks is kind of a fluff piece, but it doesn't shy away from describing the cruelties involved with exploiting animals for entertainment and that's a good thing, especially because many people will no doubt be reading this story with fascination.

On Monday, SignOnSanDiego's Animals get Legislature's attention took a look at the considerable amount of animal legislation being voted on by lawmakers in Sacramento this year. Read the article for analysis and quotes. Below is a sidebar from the article highlighting the bills:

• Spaying and neutering: Requires all dogs and cats to be spayed or neutered at 4 months. Breeders are exempt.


• Farm animals: Requires ranchers to provide space for animals to stand, turn around and spread wings.


• Elephants: Bans the use of bullhooks and chaining. Requires more space and exercise for those in zoos or performing in circuses.


• Condors: Prohibits the use by hunters of lead shot in condor ranges.


• Rodeos: Changes definition of rodeos to require small Mexican-style charreadas to provide an on-call veterinarian during events.


• Restraining orders: Allows judges to add pets to restraining orders issued as part of domestic abuse cases.


• Kangaroos: Authorizes imported kangaroo products, except those made of kangaroo species that are endangered.


• Trapped animals: Requires trappers to inform property owners of nonlethal ways to remove pesky mammals, such as raccoons.

It's a pretty weak lot of welfare-oriented bills, if you ask me, but we can't afford to let pro-animal legislation lose and animal-hostile legislation succeed simply because we'd like to see animal exploitation end altogether. A couple of these measures could offer tangible improvements in the lives of animals while we're working to secure their freedom. If you live in California, you may want to contact your representatives to ensure your views are considered. Do I even need to suggest opposition to authorizing kangaroo product imports?

Earlier this year, The New York Times covered vegan chic. TV is now picking up on the idea that vegan-friendly accessories could be the next wave: Lucky Magazine, with props to Stella McCartney, has introduced The Today Show's viewers to such fashionable brands as Matt & Nat, and stores like Bourgeois Boheme and the West Village's NY Artificial, replacing "the weird-vegan-granola-hippie thing" with the cute-trendy-hip thing.

Let's hope this is not some flash in the pan, but a sign of a long and lasting trend toward compassionate fashion. For more animal-friendly shopping options, please explore the "Links" menu above.

It's not common to hear the deliberate killing of an animal "murder" in print, but here we have it:

"Leopard murder can only be provoked by cowardice or stupidity, in this case most likely by both," Pavel Fomenko, WWF's biodiversity coordinator in Russia's Far East, said in a statement.

The quote can be found in MSNBC.com's One of last members of leopard species killed:

Hunters in Russia's Far East have shot and killed one of the last seven surviving female Amur leopards living in the wild, WWF said on Monday, driving the species even closer to extinction.

Last week environmentalists said there were only between 25 and 34 Amur leopards — described as one of the most graceful cats in the world — still living in the wild.

When people poo-poo you for suggesting there are powerful interests at work to prevent animal cruelty from being exposed, show them this story:

Wyeth was known for strongly defending its drugs from claims of harm. It had rallied for its estrogen replacement and for its half of the fen-phen diet combo. Its veterinary subsidiary, Fort Dodge Animal Health, had sold 18 million doses of Proheart 6, worth tens of millions of dollars. It surely wouldn’t give up without a fight.

Many vets also liked replacing pills with the twice-a-year shot, which put heartworm prevention back into their hands. One vet with ties to Wyeth lectured colleagues about seizing on Proheart 6 as a “hook” to pull in healthy pets for profitable regular exams.

As the FDA meeting unfolded, the company said [Victoria] Hampshire was inflating her side-effect numbers. Things turned nastier when Hampshire said Fort Dodge had previously expressed its own concerns over tumors. Fort Dodge said it hadn’t.

“Either you’re lying, or I’m imagining it,” Hampshire erupted.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof, FDA’s veterinary chief, grabbed her hand under the table, silencing her, Hampshire says. (He didn’t answer messages seeking comment for this story.)

“Tory did not have experience dealing with animal pharmaceutical community people, who are not different than the human pharmaceutical people. They make a lot of money on this stuff. They will never ever admit there’s something wrong,” says Tollefson, who is now FDA’s assistant commissioner for science.

On Sept. 4, 2004, in the face of Hampshire’s damning data, Wyeth ordered all Proheart 6 back from vets — without conceding it was dangerous.

It was perhaps the largest recall ever of a pet drug.

MSNBC.com: Watchdog risked career over pet-drug warning
(It's four pages long, but worth your while)

(Cheeta photograph by Jill Greenberg)

Labels: animal cruelty, animal testing, animal welfare, animals in entertainment, fashion, kangaroos, primates, regulation, wildlife trade

KGW.com | Business

Anti-fur protesters appear to have put the final nail in the coffin of Portland, Oregon's Schumacher Furs:

An embattled Portland fur retailer is closing his 112-year-old family business for good.

Greg Schumacher, of Schumacher Furs, moved out of their downtown Portland store after citing protesters’ harassment and intimidation.

The store was set to move to the Bridgeport Village shopping Center -- but Schumacher said Monday another anti-fur campaign against that mall resulted in several cancellations and that the store had no where to relocate.

In this quote, the article makes it sound like protesters actually harassed and intimidated Mr. Schumacher, but it's clear later in the article that the city's stance on the matter is that protesters did not in fact cross any legal boundaries in their free speech-protected demonstrations on public property outside the store.

I'm curious to see whether this successfully-waged weekly demonstration against a fur store will be repeated again in the near future. Of course, if we could convince people to stop wearing the skin of other animals, these stores wouldn't have any customers.

Labels: fashion, fur

The Oregonian: Fur store eviction: Go now, not later

According to The Oregonian, downtown Portland's Schumacher Furs received an eviction notice:

The store's owner had announced last month that he voluntarily would leave the 811 S.W. Morrison St. location for an undisclosed space in the suburbs by the spring.

Gregg Schumacher, owner of Schumacher Furs & Outerwear, said late Friday afternoon that he had just opened a certified letter from his landlord's attorney saying the fur store must leave by 1 p.m. Tuesday, the day after Christmas.

Schumacher claims he has done nothing to violate his lease agreement, and does not plan to move. Rather, the store is conducting an "evacuation sale," discounting its merchandise as he makes plans to "voluntarily" move from the location he has previously dissed:

This November, Schumacher said that he felt the city's core was unsafe and unfriendly, and that he would move his shop to the suburbs in the spring. At the time, he said he was under no landlord pressure to move.

A hearing on the eviction case is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.

Labels: fashion, fur

Guardian Unlimited | Special Report | Animal Rights

Thrillingly, this piece manages to neither glamorize nor condone fur, while expending quite a few column inches on the topic, mainly focusing on efforts of activists against the fur industry, and how recently they've been losing that battle on the financial front (sales of fur globally rose from $9.1bn in 2000 to $11.7bn in 2004, according to the International Fur Trade Federation), despite some companies, like Polo Ralph Lauren dropping fur from their lines altogether. Even the fur highlighted in the photo that runs with the story makes fur look really unattractive. Well, maybe it's just me, but I can't see why anyone would want to wear that ugly, horrific item.

According to the Guardian's Special Report, the blame for this "return" of fur seems to rests on the 80s-style revival of wearing your wealth (bling-bling, anyone?), as well as the deep pockets of the fur industry, whose financial backing means many designers have become obliged to feature fur in their collections. Ah, the joy of selling one's soul...

In highlighting of the dilemma of fur in fashion, the report prominently features lifelong vegetarian Sadie Frost, with whom I am now smitten:

"Designers will keep designing it if the public want it, the public will keep buying it if the fashion icons are wearing it, and the fashion icons wear it because the designers make it. It's hard to know where to start."

*snip*

"As a designer [Frost co-owns the fashion label Frost French], I've become aware of how fur is often pushed on you to get financial breaks along the way. I know that a lot of designers who were having problems financially, which we certainly have, have cleared their debts by using fur, but I would have really failed if I'd done that."

The report also reminds us of Stella McCartney, who "has proven, against all odds, that it is possible to run a fashion label without using any animal byproducts at all." I think she was looking at some sort of cruelty-free silk or wool products, last I read, but I am so totally not up-to-the-minute on fashion that I couldn't be sure. I do know that the last time I walked by her storefront on Beverly Blvd. -- on the way to a disappointing vegan dinner at The Newsroom (skip the Oaxacan Tamales) -- all the clothes I could see through her windows looked awesome. And all were of course made without using fur, much less leather.

In comparison to these integrity-driven choice, fur wearers like Frost's best friend, Kate Moss, and former (briefly) anti-fur models like Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell come off looking pretty shallow and cruel.

I think the editors deserve praise for publishing this strongly critical report on fur.

UPDATE: BrandRepublic: Sadie Frost reveals all for Peta anti-fur campaign

Earnest singer/songwriter/guitarist Bryan Adams shot the photo you see on the left (at least until the paper archives this article). Hopefully that was digital and not film, since film contains animal products.

At any rate, not only does some of Mr. Adams' music rock (hey, they can't all be classics), but his outlook on animals has rocked for a long time now. The article quotes him as saying:

"I'm opposed to fur and any kind of use of animal products. I don't eat them and I don't wear them. I'm not for the killing of any creature, whether it be seals, cows, dogs or any animal. So anytime it comes to any kind of animal cruelty I'm totally against it."

How's that for definitive?

Labels: celebrities, fashion, fur

The Australian: Editor faces tofu fur fury

Further testament that PETA knows how to make the news. All it cost was a tofu cream pie and a press release. Still, isn't this sort of thing kind of juvenile? I guess it's less offensive, and permanent, than red paint. But, maaaan. It's this sort of thing that makes people look at me like I'm a nut when I say I'm vegan. Maybe if someone had run a review of the tofu cream pie and said how delicious it was, activists might have "won" something... (excerpted)

Wintour, dressed in a fur-trimmed black jacket, was hit in the face with a tofu cream pie as she left the Chloe ready-to-wear show in central Paris, members of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said.
It was the second such attack this year on Wintour, a fur supporter decried by animal rights groups as a "pelt pusher".

"Wintour is fur-bearing animals' worst enemy because her magazine continues to feature dozens of pags of pro-fur editorials and advertising each year," PETA campaigner Yvonne Taylor said. "She takes big glossy advertisements for fur and she refuses to run any anti-fur ads, even paid ones, so she's a big fur supporter."

Labels: fashion, fur, tofu