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You can watch the full episode below or on Hulu.

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I'm a vegan. You got a problem with that? Eh?

Oh really? You might want to share that news with Georges Laraque. The 6’4″, 245-lb NHL hockey player is living proof that veganism is not anathema is atheletics.

In fact, there is no shortage of vegan athletes. There’s Mac Danzig (UFC fighter) [author note: yum], Carl Lewis (10-time Olympic medalist), John Salley (first player in NBA history to play on three different championship-winning franchises), Dave Scott (six-time winner of the Ironman triathlon), Stan Price (world weightlifting record holder, bench press), and many, many more…

Interested in picking up tips on vegan athleticism? Check out Vegan Bodybuilding. Or, pick up a copy of Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier, another scrawny freak vegan athlete, and a professional Ironman triathlete.

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According to Cornucopia, some of our dearly held vegan staples are, in their beginnings if not their actual physical contents, maybe not so vegan. Veganism is a lifestyle. A conscientious vegan would not accept a tofu dog that was cooked on the same grill as a beef hot dog. A conscientious vegan would not buy a dog from a pet store. A conscientious vegan thinks about what they are buying or consuming, and considers the effect it will have or has had on their body, the environment, and, of course, the animals. Because, to most conscientious vegans that this conscientious vegan knows, those three things are all intertwined and equally vital.

In “Behind the Bean, the Heroes and Charlatans of the Natural and Organic Soy Foods Industry”, a study done by the Cornucopia Institute, many of the foods that vegans consume, such as Silk soymilk, 365 (Whole Foods brand), Soydream, Boca, Gardenburger, among others, are revealed to be not as veg, earth, or body friendly as they seem (or at least, if they are, some of them aren’t telling us they are!).

Gardenburger refused to participate in the survey. If they have nothing to hide, why refuse? Criteria such as ownership structure, organic certifier, sourcing and farmer relationships, and percentage of organic soybean purchase should not be withheld from enthusiastic consumers. Concerned consumers are urged to contact Gardenburger regarding their refusal to participate.

Boca is owned by Kraft, which is owned by Phillip Morris. When one thinks of Kraft, most likely the first thing that pops into one’s mind is “cheese”, and following that line of thinking—what enters your mind when you think of Phillip Morris?

Kraft has had many concerning problems in the past including marketing unhealthy food geared towards children, unwillingness to label milk that contained Bovine Growth Hormone, and the Humane Society of the United States revealed as recently as 2004 that Kraft’s testing facility in Hanover, New Jersey tested on as many as 109 dogs and 50 cats.

From the study:

“Kraft would not share the sourcing of its organic soybeans for “made with organic soybeans” veggie burgers.

Boca Burgers® that are not labeled “made with organic soybeans” are most likely made with hexane-extracted soybeans. Hexane is a neurotoxic chemical solvent that is listed as a hazardous air pollutant with the EPA, and food and feed processing is the major source of hexane pollution in this country.”

In Peta’s Vegetarian Starter kit (a generally bright, informative, positive booklet that helps many people begin their more peaceful journey into veganism), Silk soymilk and Boca Burgers are some of the top products suggested to make the transition to veganism.

Here is what Cornucopia has to say about Silk:

“Silk® is manufactured by WhiteWave, which is part of Dean Foods, the largest dairy agribusiness corporation in the country. Dean Foods also owns Horizon Organic, which produces milk on organic factory farms that allegedly violate the organic standards by denying adequate outdoor access to their cows, among other alleged improprieties.”

The study goes on to reveal that Silk, though they have announced that they are not sourcing their soybeans from abroad anymore (countries such as China), were unwilling to clue us in as to where they are sourcing their beans from now.

Don’t despair, vegans (or other veg-friendly concerned consumers!)!

Tofurkey, a (delicious) company that has provided many a green bean munching vegan a wonderful, jealousy inducing meal for not only Thanksgiving but for that every day brown bag luncher, is as wonderful to our sense of ethics as it is to our tastebuds. It is a family business with one hundred percent organic purchases, all of their manufacturing is done in house to insure its quality, GMO contamination testing is done on all incoming materials, though they go through a soybean supplier, but they insist to their supplier that all beans come from North-American grown suppliers. Maybe the most important part, however, is the fact that they shared their information, honestly and openly.

From Turtle Island Foods (Tofurkey’s company name):

“We use organic soybeans and organic tofu as a soy protein base for all our products. All our products are formulated to promote the health and vitality of both the consumer and the planet’s ecosystems. We make everything in small batches using only the finest ingredients and go the extra mile to maintain the taste and integrity of our products. Our products are vegan, kosher, packaged in recycled paperboard and cholesterol free.

Turtle Island Foods has long been a proponent of a plant based diet. We actively work to help consumers reduce their meat consumption, and realize the environmental, health and ethical consequences for their dietary choices. Turtle Island Foods is an active partner with the Humane Society of the United States, and their logo appears on our entire line of vegetarian products.”

Among other companies that rated “Outstanding” or “Excellent” on Corunucopia’s list are Edensoy, Twin Oaks Community Foods, Whole Soy, and Nasoya.

It is important to realize that our dedication to buying vegan products makes a difference, whether or not the company they come from is a completely ethically sound one. If we continue to buy their vegan lines, they will produce more and advertise more, which is a good thing for the movement. On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to dust off our inventiveness as vegans (and maybe our stove tops and kitchen counters, too), and not buy products just because they claim to be everything we are looking for. Do a little research so that you know your decisions are what’s right for you, or, just make your own veggie burgers!

Please visit http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/ for more information.

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Thanks to the efforts of the Richmond Vegetarian Festival, Vegan Action, and the Vegetarian Society of Richmond Virginian’s may soon have there very own super cool Vegetarian License Plates (i am so jealous). If you live in Virgina and are interested in getting one you need to register, they need 350 people to sign up for them before the end of the year, so they can go into production. The plates will read “vegetarian” or “vegan” and will feature reasons as to why people live their lives veg.

Submit VSA-10 (completed) with $10.00 application fee
($20.00 fee for personalized plates) to:

Richmond Vegetarian Festival
P.O. Box 6692
Richmond, VA 23230-0692

Checks should be made payable to “Vegan Action”

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A few of my faves are:

- Herbivore For Life Tee
- Herbivore We Ride Brown Canvas Belt
- Tinymeat Wallet • I’m Vegan & I Love You! (also available in a tee)

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Hardly a concern to most DC-area Vegans, but I just had to write a bit about eating and traveling as a vegan in Costa Rica. This country is not only lovely and environmentally-conscious, but I found it supremely easy to follow my vegan lifestyle here.  I’ve traveled many places where vegan means steamed/boiled vegetables (often with butter, d’oh!!) or bread and cheese (I’m sorry, you didn’t understand that vegan means NO CHEESE?!), but there was no shortage of fresh and tasty things to eat in Costa Rica. Que sabroso! Some highlights:

1) Vishnu, San Jose
Cheap and cheerful! Not fancy, and I wouldn’t call it anything terribly special, but it was just what I needed after a day of airport food. Be sure to ask for soy cheese (queso de soja) if it doesn’t specify, and also beware of honey (miel), which they use in some desserts. You can get jugos or batidos made with water or milk, although I didn’t ask about soy milk. There’s also a sister restaurant called Shakti, although I didn’t get a chance to go there.

2) Trio, Santa Elena
This place was a little pricey (for Costa Rica… certainly not by DC standards), but definitely worth it after a day of hiking and ziplining. I couldn’t find a web address because it’s quite new, but Santa Elena is teeny tiny, so you’ll find it (around the corner from the grocery store). The cocktails are better than you’ll find at Chi Cha or Ceiba, probably because of the availability of fresh fruit and varied liquors (Posoa– passionfruit rum, anyone? *droooool*), and the trendy cuisine was killer (omni, but lots of veg options). I ate with two friends, and with gazpacho, appetizers, dinner, and cocktails, I think it came to $60-some.

3) Jungle Foods, Quepos
Right on the main drag perpendicular to the beach, this open cafe has nice healthy vegetarian and vegan options. I had some sauteed Asian-style veggies with spiced soy squares (huh? just turned out to be TVP chunks) and cous-cous.

4) Casados and comida tipica
Costa Rican food is quite simple, but they have some good basic options for everyone. Desayunos (breakfast) are often comprised of gallo pinto (rice and beans), plantains, toast, maybe some fruit, and scrambled eggs. I asked for this many times minus the eggs and was quite satisfied– but be sure to ask for your toast sin mantequilla (without butter). As I mentioned, it’s a pretty simple breakfast, so if you are looking for wild spices, you will be disappointed– ask for hot sauce! Casados are combination lunches or dinners, usually with similar components to breakfast: rice, beans, plantains, a salad, and an entree. In lieu of chicken or another meat, I just asked for additional vegetables. Sometimes that was boiled/steamed veggies, sure, but I scored big time one day with a plate of spiced summer squash with toasted cumin seed. Mmmmm!

5) Go to the grocery store!
There were only three things I set out to do in CR: 1) enjoy hot weather, 2) speak Spanish, and 3) eat fresh fruits! The tropical climate means there is no shortage of delicious produce like mangos, bananas, guavas, guavas, avocados, passionfruit, starfruit, melons, tomatoes, cucumbers etc. If you have access to a kitchen and can cook a little, you’ll probably also enjoy ayotes (basically a big fat zucchini), plantains, yucca, pineapple, and other things that require a little preparation. To my surprise, the health food sections of the grocery store were often really good, with vegan cookies and soy alternatives. And of course, there were plenty of portable snacks, like nuts, dried fruit, and cereals.

6) Go forage!
Freegans will love this one even more. Every chance I could, I pilfered some oranges off a tree, collected coconuts from the beach, and grabbed a bunch of bananas that grow everywhere like weeds. Even more exotic fruit trees grow all over the place in public spaces, like the starfruit that grew next to the airport in Palmar Sur, the mangos I could reach from my seat on a bus at one particular bus-stop, and the guavas that littered the path to my cabina in La Florida. There aren’t as many concerns in CR with contaminated soil and water as there are in countries like Mexico, so give your treasures a good rinse and chow down!

My other travel tips:
As always check out Happy Cow before you go to get a few ideas.
If you don’t speak the language, learn a few phrases like “Soy vegetariano/a” and “No como… carne, pollo, leche, huevos, etc.”
If you’re really feeling unsure, pack a couple snacks for the road. I took a few Clif bars, some seitan jerky, and a packet of trail mix, although to be honest, I didn’t need it.

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This time around, however, I also kept an eye out to see who was sporting duds by Giorgio Armani. Armani, who is traditionally synonymous with the Oscars, found himself the target of a PETA campaign after the designer went back on his word to stop using fur. His most recent collections include fur-trimmed jackets, skirts and coats and even feature ridiculous rabbit-fur-trimmed snowsuits for toddlers. According to a PETA spokesman speaking with Contact Music, “Armani uses mostly rabbit fur from French and Chinese fur farms, both of which were targets of recent undercover investigations. Footage shows rabbits crammed into filthy cages that are encrusted with urine and feces. Workers at the farm in China pull rabbits from cages by their ears and shoot them in the head with electric stun guns while the animals kick and scream. The rabbits are then hung upside down and decapitated.”

Although PETA has never addressed the Academy Awards before, PETA took out a full-page ad in Variety, depicting Armani as a lying pinocchio and asking stars not to wear his designs to the Oscars. In addtion, PETA wrote a letter to each nominee reiterating their request.

So, who ignored PETA’s pleas?

Two thumbs down go to Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale and — despite an endearing acceptance speech for Best Actor — Sean Penn. Also, in a public relations coup, Armani approached the family of Heath Ledger and offered to dress them in his designs.

Meanwhile, accolades go to Natalie Portman, who donned a Rodarte dress and Stella McCartney shoes. Run by two sisters, Rodarte strives to provide “environmentally friendly luxury products” and is committed to “sustainability and socially responsible practices.” McCartney avoids fur or leather in her designs, although she does utilize wool, silk, and other animal-derived fabrics in her designs.

Finally, if I could, I’d give a big hug (and a bottle of deep-cleansing shampoo) to comeback kid Mickey Rourke. Before the ceremony, Rourke, who was predicted to take home the Oscar which ultimately went to Penn, said that he would have traded an Oscar for two more years with Loki, his dog of 16 years who died just days before the Academy Awards. When accepting a Golden Globe award in January, Rourke thanked his dogs in his acceptance speech: “Sometimes, when a man is alone, that’s all you got is your dog. And they’ve meant the world to me.”

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The first Philadelphia Vegan Drinks will be on Thursday, February 19 (hey, that’s today!) from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, in the downstairs lounge at Horizons, 611 South 7th Street in Center City.

The first San Francisco Vegan Drinks will be on Thursday, February 26th, from 6-8 pm, at Martuni’s, 4 Valencia Street, at Market. They will be held the last Thursday of each month.

The first Twin Cities Vegan Drinks will be on Saturday, March 7 at 7pm, at Fast & Furless and ARC’s shared space, 2615 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, 55406. Each month will feature a theme drink – March is cosmopolitans!

Next DC Vegan Drinks will be March 12th at 7pm at the Science Club.

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Don’t forget the next DC Vegan Drinks will be Feb 12th @ 7pm at the Science Club.

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