By Kavitha Shankar

If you thought Houston or Texas, in general, is only about barbeque and grilling, think again! The fourth largest city in the United States recently hosted the vegan festival, VegFest 2019, organized by the Vegan Society for Peace. The Houstonians braved the steamy, fairly typical Texan Summer day and made it to the historic Minute Maid Park to witness and enjoy this event tailored for plant- and earth-lovers. When I landed there at 11:00 AM sharp, I was pleasantly surprised by the queue snaking around the parking lot. Several vegan food trucks and beverage carts with beer, wine, and water laced the sidewalk with the hopes of keeping the crowd occupied and nourished while they waited to get in the door. I slowly passed through the rather strict security check and entered what seemed to be a tree-hugger’s haven.

At the gated entrance, I promptly wore my wrist band, picked up an event brochure, and walked into the corridor thronged with people. A quick scan of the landscape made it evident that this festival was true to its name. It was festive, vibrant, full of energy and vegan. It showcased everything from T-shirts to books to baked goodies and even microgreen growing kits. 

My first stop – One Earth. This booth had some of the most eye-catching merchandise. What really drew me to this and dragged my feet into their artsy looking tent was the stainless steel, re-useable straw travel set, beautifully wrapped in a blue, printed cotton pouch. Browsing their neatly laid shelves, their wares seemed easy on the pocket too. Naturally, I picked up a straw set for my children and walked away content. Before we switch booths, a quick footnote about this store.  Every purchase with One Earth helps endangered animals. That is a great incentive to go spend at a great store.

Now that I had made my first purchase and boasted an earth-friendly straw set, I ambled on. Suddenly, I was dizzy with excitement and stopped speechless at this stall. Attention! All wine drinkers, you are in for a treat. Have you ever struggled to find vegan wines in your regular grocery stores? Fret not, for you can now invite these delicious, hand-picked bottles of pure vegan wines right to your doorstep! Scout and Cellar is your friend. I met with the beautiful and very knowledgeable Patsy Balacchi, a wine consultant, who explained to me how Scout and Cellar’s wine sommeliers traveled the world and did the hard work for us of scouting for vegan wines sans fish bits, egg yolks, and not to mention, pesticides. If you are in the market for vegan wines, check out their website.

So that covers clothes, kitchen tools, and alcohol. What about food? Oh! As you can guess, there was absolutely no dearth for that either. The place was filled with booths selling vegan cupcakes, vegan parfait, Ayurvedic entrées and fruit smoothies. The visitors were enjoying their brunch, I could tell.

As I was wrapping up my visit, a few special mentions in my notebook were due. I sampled the yummy and healthful golden milk from the Roots in Harmony booth. This is an herbal tea and spice store who sell online and also at the local farmers markets. Lastly, I am sure you have heard the hype around BPA. It is everywhere. Most of us tend to think nothing can be made sans plastic or toxins. But wait! VegFest just gave me the opportunity to rethink. Eye Glassiers sell a whole line of natural, plant-based eye glass frames. Impressive?

Okay, so that was the last booth I stopped by as I reluctantly walked out of the Minute Maid Park. However, I left happy. VegFest 2019 was a feast to my soul. It showed me a tiny shimmer of hope that the world is inching slowly toward becoming a better place to live. We are getting there. I cannot wait to see what the Vegan Society for peace has planned for the VegFest 2020. http://vegansocietyofpeace.org/vegfesthouston Until then, hug trees, save animals, and live well.