If you have an opportunity to visit Chinatown in New York City, you should dine at Bodhi at 77 Mulberry Street. This vegan Chinese restaurant serves a wide variety of vegan Dim Sum along with soups, sushi, and main dishes. VRG staff members recently enjoyed their wonton soup and vegetable chicken and corn soup, along with braised soybean skin with vegetables and chow fun with vegan chicken.

They are open daily for lunch and dinner. Further information can be found here: https://buddhavegetarian.com/

Also, see VRG’s online guide to veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

By Gene Sager, Palomar College

A colleague of mine, a philosophy professor, sat me down to listen to an allegory which he said sheds a great deal of light on the vegan way of life. Since the time of Plato, allegories have been used to convey insights about important issues and problems.

This allegory begins with a massive number of extraterrestrials arriving on the earth. Since these ETs are more intelligent than humans and have far superior technology, they easily take control of the planet and suppress the human population.

The invaders sample the various foods and resources available on the earth and, unfortunately, the aliens develop a taste for human flesh. What is more, they begin to consume “human products,” considering them richer and more nutritious, even though the aliens do not need human flesh or milk for their physical health.

A delicacy for the ruling class is the soft, pink flesh of 18 week old humans who are separated from their mothers at birth and confined singly in small stables so their flesh is tender. Human females are subjected to intense control so that their breeding and lactation suits the perceived needs of the aliens. Women are forced to endure the breast vacuum machines every day. Human skin is the preferred upholstery material, especially for spacecraft.

Confinement is the most efficient way for the new earth rulers to insure access to humans for their various uses. Random mating, lactation, and feeding would disrupt the rulers’ economic and cultural values. To produce the preferred taste of human meat, CHFOs (concentrated human feeding operations) are built, especially for the final year before slaughter. Quality control means strict control of diet for the right taste and texture.

I became uncomfortable listening to the allegory and asked the philosophy professor about the interpretation of the story. He said the interpretation focuses on the listeners. Everyone naturally feels sorry for the humans. Especially interesting are the two types of individuals who hear or read the story: omnivores and vegans.

     An omnivore who feels sorry for the humans has a problem. If you feel that the alien beings should not treat human beings as in the story, then you yourself should not treat other beings in this way. But in fact, omnivores treat animals the same way that the aliens treat humans in the story. The omnivores violate a form of the Golden Rule of ethics: “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you.” The positive form of the rule is more familiar: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

The heart of the Golden Rule is compassion. It is based on both feeling and logic. If I myself would feel harmed or violated by someone’s action, then I should have the sense (compassion) to avoid performing that action myself.

The allegory is effective in teaching us lessons about the real world we live in. Who knew that consuming animal products is a violation of the Golden Rule? It is sometimes said that the vegan way of life is a compassionate way. The allegory helps us understand this aspect.

If you find yourself walking through the heart of Little Italy in New York City, quite honestly you might pass by a family-owned vegan Italian deli/market and not realize that you’ve done that. Galioto’s serves up a wide variety of vegan Italian dishes including sandwiches, pasta, salads, and bites from their deli case, as well as desserts (zeppole, biscotti, etc.) and coffee. No where do they mention that it’s a vegan or plant-based deli.

For more information, see: https://www.galiotos.com/

For information on veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group is celebrating its 40^th Anniversary this coming fall and this year we have changed the name of our quarterly magazine to Vegan Journal. You’ll find the same type of articles and recipe pieces in an updated format. Enjoy in-depth original research, product and book reviews, scientific updates on veggie nutrition, delicious vegan recipes with gorgeous photos, plus so much more. Both long-term vegans and those new to a vegan life-style will enjoy this magazine.

To subscribe in the USA, see: https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

When visiting Vegan on the Fly at 24 West 45 Street in NYC recently we quickly noticed how busy this establishment can be. They offer three varieties of Gyro Sandwiches including seitan, Impossible kefta, and vegan chicken. We tried the seitan gyro and it was delicious and quite filling. They also offer several platters including falafel. Additionally, they serve a variety of empanadas (we tried a spinach/vegan feta one and it was great), salads, a Beyond Mac Bowl, burgers, loaded fries, vegan drumsticks, and more.

See: https://www.veganontf.com

For information on veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels was quoted in a Washington Post article on raising vegan children. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/02/12/kid-vegan-vegetarian/

For more information on raising vegan children, go to:  https://www.vrg.org/family/kidsindex.htm#nutrition

To join VRG’s Parent’s list, sign up at https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/

VRG staff members recently enjoyed lunch at JaJaJa in New York City. The food was delicious and the service was great! We dined on Gorditas (two stuffed tortillas, beans, serrano, shiitake bacon, and vegan sour cream) and their Chorizo Burrito (Spanish rice, black beans, guacamole, smothered with salsa and vegan sour cream).

See: https://www.jajajamexicana.com/

For information on veggie restaurants throughout the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The Veg Society of DC. has posted a new history section on its website. See: https://vsdc.org/history/vsdc-historical-gallery/

For more veg history, go to: https://www.vrg.org/history/

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

Started on Friday, February 4, 2022, and continuing weekly, the largest district in the United States will be having “Vegan Fridays.” On Fridays, food served at lunch in public schools in New York City will be vegan, according to an Associated Press article (1).  A carton of cow’s milk will still be offered on Fridays because this is required by the USDA. Children who cannot consume dairy milk due to a dairy allergy or lactose intolerance may receive a soy milk substitute (2).

Every day students in New York City can choose a vegan option but on Fridays all students are served a vegan lunch unless they request a non-vegan option.

On February 11, here’s what some of the vegan menus looked like (3):

Express Cold Lunch: Italian Veggie Grab & Go Salad  and Confetti Corn

Hot Lunch: Mediterranean Chickpeas served with rice or pasta; Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli

Other planned offerings include a black bean and plantain rice bowl, a chickpea stew, and vegan tacos.

To learn more about school meals see

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch

School Food Lunch

VRG’s School Lunch Testimony

Tempeh in School Meals

References

1. New York City school lunch menu going vegan on Fridays. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-new-york-education-new-york-city-nyc-state-wire-bca2dcfd0dda46cb08160baf6ecfcc86. February 4, 2022.

2. New York City Department of Education. Menus. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/menus

3. New York City Department of Education. Free Lunch Meals. https://www.schools.nyc.gov/school-life/food/menus/school-lunch-meals 

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Drink Me Tea Room, 1730 E. Warner Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284

Drink Me Tea Room is a wonderful, almost wonderland-ish tea spot that has gorgeous decor. It features adorable cakes and scones to go with your tea. Make an online reservation for one of their fantastically-themed tea parties.

Fennel Organic Eatery, 322 Bloor St. W., Toronto, ON M5S 1W5 Canada

Fennel Organic Eatery offers an a la carte type menu that changes daily. The menu includes an assortment of hot foods, fresh salads, snacks, juices, and smoothies. Locally sourced ingredients are used in many dishes such as Balinese brown rice with Ontario peas, spinach mushroom quinoa salad with Ontario mushrooms, and cucumber and dill salad with Ontario cucumbers. Fresh juices and smoothies are made with no added refined sugar and include options such as an all green juice, a daily detox juice, and a rainforest smoothie sweetened with dates.

Lazy Cow Bakery, 3418 Fremont Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103

They offer a wide variety of cakes such as the spicy pear frangipane tart, cardamom birthday cake, ginger-flavored cake, and custom-made cakes.

Mis Tacones, 1670 NE Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97211

Mis Tacones is about 2 blocks from Alberta Park, near the main shopping area, right on the corner of Killingsworth and NE 17th street. Mis Tacones aims to celebrate the flavor of their Mexican and Chicanx heritage and embrace the BIPOC and Queer communities through food and culture. Dine on guacamole and many tacos including seitan and pico de gallo as well as optional cashew cream. Many tacos include seitan and pico de gallo as well as optional cashew cream. Of course there are burritos and empanadas too. Choose from corn or potatoes empanada with soyrizo—a soy based vegan version of Mexican chorizo. Their Chimichanga looks like a confection, swirled with zigzags of cheese and lime cilantro-cashew cream sauce, topped with a rosette of peppers and onions. Dessert options include caramelized flan, conchas, deep fried ice cream, and dough fritters dressed in cinnamon sugar called bunuelos.

Pepitas Vegan Taqueria, 1115 W. Hickory St. #113, Denton, TX 76201

The owners of this family restaurant took on the considerable, but worthy challenge of transforming their Mexican family recipes into whole food, plant based, vegan dishes. The idea sprouted, like the eatery’s namesake, pumpkin seeds, promoting compassion for animals and reducing carbon emissions. Choose from several tacos such as marinated Jackfruit “Brisket” with vegan birria broth and Al Pastor–marinated soy sautéed with onions and pineapple, all embellished with various toppings. Or select from their Favorites section—maybe a Fajita skillet with Portobello Mushrooms, veggies and toppings, or Hamburgesa Mexicana featuring a house-made patty, with Tofutti sour cream finishing off many of their dishes. For larger groups they offer Fajita, Enchilada and Tacos platters. There are several sides, including not only Mexican favorites like guacamole, or rice and beans, but also Elote—a combination of grilled corn enrobed in mayonnaise with a lime and chili based sauce. They offer a Sunday brunch with tofu scrambles, breakfast tacos and burritos, pancakes, waffles, coffee, and more. Also enjoy desserts such as a strawberry empanada, their own version of cinnamony, sopapillas, and their Tres Leches Cake, baked in house.

The Cleanse Theory Kitchen, 83 Henry St., New York, NY 10002

They serve gluten-free choc berry tarts, chocolate raspberry tart, poké bowl, coconut chia pudding, plant-based scrambled eggs, and much more.

Vegan Pastry Lab, 18 E. Forest Ave., Englewood, NJ 07631

Small all-vegan bakery on the corner of Dean St. and E. Forest Ave. Stop in for a sweet treat or a hearty snack: offers savory pastries alongside a daily-varying selection of cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, cookies and the like, plus small local goods (candles etc.). Gluten-free options available. There is limited seating inside (the interior is bright, and modern, with walls of plants and neon signs) and outside. They also have an extensive online menu of celebration cakes (chocolate, red velvet etc.) that can be ordered in different sizes.

Wild Chestnut Café, 22 Chestnut St., Florence, MA 01062

Wild Chestnut Café is a vegan café offering vegan comfort food such as baked goods, hot drinks, smoothies, soups, and salads. Their house-made vegan cupcakes include chocolate and yellow cupcakes with a variety of frostings such as mint, strawberry, mocha, and cream cheese. Cinnamon buns are available on weekends. Soups of the day include creamy broccoli and potato chowder, healing broth with vegetables, and tomato basil with brown rice. Soups and salads are served with homemade bread.