Vegan Anonymous

World Vegan Day

World Vegan Day is the First of November and marks the start of World Vegan Month every year, commemorating the coining of the term, ‘vegan’ and the founding of The Vegan Society in November 1944.

Visit the Vegan Society’s event page for World Vegan Day events, or check with your local groups.

Please post events that you are aware of on the Volentia Events calendar.

Watch the Why Vegan? video by EVOLVE! Campaigns on Volentia

That reminds me, the Veg Pride Parade is this Saturday!

Just discovered a vegetarian and vegan cafe / takeaway in Cape Town called Zucchinis. Apparently they’ve been there for the last 16 years serving fantastic food and fantastic fruit juices (had a carrot and ginger juice, freshly prepared on the spot).

Outside Zucchinis at 83 Loop Street Cape Town

Inside Zucchinis at 83 Loop Street Cape Town

Food available on the menu includes 6 vegan meals and a large array of vegetarian meals ranging from breakfast (fruit salads, smoothies, …), sandwiches, snacks (carrot cake, chocolate cake, chocolate oat crunchies, veg curry pies, chick pea fudge, …), salads, soups, curries (refried bean burrito, butterbean curry, …), pastas, hota meals (lentil & vege cottage pie, stacked spinach pancakes, roast veg & humus, …)

They also do deliveries if you’re in the area, give them a call on 021 424 8571 or pop in anytime between 7am and 5pm at 83 Loop Street Cape Town.

The majority of people I’ve spoken to who are thinking about trying the vegan lifestyle are all still hooked on cheese.

I’ve discovered an alternative, a dairy free cheese; also free from hydrogenated fats, gluten, artificial colours/preservatives, cholesterol and GMOs and none of the nasties found in regular cheese.

It’s a soy based cheese tasting even more exotic than the feta cheese you might be used to and it’s karma free as the Hare Krishnas would say – in other words, contains no animal products.

The product is called Cheezly (the spread is called Sheese) and comes in a large number of “flavours” (I put flavours in quotes as these flavours are created using herbs but taste even better than the real thing used to taste). In Jo’burg, it’s widely available in most Pick & Pay and Checkers branches, in Cape Town, only a couple of the larger branches actually stocks it and it usually evaporates of the shelves the same day the new stock arrives.

I’m off to go try out some new recipes, hope you manage to get your hands on some of this amazing cheezly!

I’m really excited about South Africa’s first veg pride parade happening tomorrow (30 October 2010 for those of you with time machines) between 10:00 and 11:00 starting at the corner of Long Street and Strand Street in Cape Town.

See all you awesome people there!!!

Whether you’re in Cape Town, Jo’burg, or in Durban, you’ll get a chance to meet Shannon Keith in person at the Beauty Without Cruelty Film Festival. For those of you who don’t know Shannon Keith, she is an American animal rights lawyer, activist, and documentary director/producer. She is also the director of the Animal Liberation Front documentary, Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals.

Cape Town: 29 / 30 October, 18:00 at the Labia Theatre in Orange Street.
Durban: 3 November, 19:00 at Earth Mother Organic, 106 Bulwer Road, Glenwood
Jo’burg: 6 November, 14:00 at the Hyde Park Ster Kinekor

Eat a plant and save an animal, conscious living is here to stay!

A parade needs participants so we need you, and you and you! If you are vegetarian or vegan please join us and show Cape Town that we are here and that veg living is great!

Break out the veggie / vegan message tee shirts, dust off the fruity topped hat ala Carmen Miranda, stitch up a ‘peas on earth’ hat, wear orange pants and tee with a green hat (carrot), or red pants and tee with green hat (strawberry) paint up a positive and fun poster / banner and come and be part of Africa’s first VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE at 10 o’clock sharp in Cape Town on Saturday 30th October, from the corner of Long Street and Strand Streets. If you don’t want to dress up, that’s okay too, just come and join us!

We will walk to the Beauty Without Cruelty Awareness Day in conjunction with the Wellness Natural and Organic Market at Jan van Riebeeck Primary in Kloof Street, which is from 9am to 2pm. (About 1½ kms)

It won’t be a long parade, so bring the veggie kids – if only your kids are veg, you can wear a tee that says PROUD PARENT OF A VEG KID and you can join us too!

We will have prizes for the best adult and under 16 outfits (we want funny, clever, inventive) and the best banner / posters too!

I want to see HUNDREDS of you please, so take a days’ leave, set the tape to record, and be out and proudly Veg at 10am in Long Street, at the Strand Str corner!

The market will have music, vegan food demos, organic fruit and veg, stunning art and crafts, animal welfare stands, vegan food, cookies, bakes and cakes and more! Prize giving will be at 12pm and winners must be present to collect their prizes.

Date: 30 October 2010
Time: 10:00 – 11:00
RSVP: On Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141963589180915

Please RSVP ONLY if you live in Cape Town and are physically joining us, so we can get an idea of numbers.

Update: For more information regarding the event, have a look at: http://www.bwcsa.co.za/campaigns