I am thrilled to welcome Lomez to the fold as a guest contributor to Fat Gay Vegan. This post about eating vegan in the Netherlands is a fascinating and entertaining read that will leave you desperate to get to the land erroneously known as Holland.
Take it away, Lomez.
Ah, the Netherlands, more commonly (and incorrectly) referred to as Holland. Land of tulips, clogs, cycling, Gouda, Edam, Leerdammer… (for those of you so deep into veganism that dairy doesn’t exist, the last three are cheeses.)
My partner and I have been to the Netherlands a few times over the past year, and we’ve managed to eat vegan throughout. We’ve learned so much on our travels, and have so many vegan tips, that it’s difficult to know where to start!
So why don’t I begin with the best? If you only go to one restaurant in the Netherlands, go to Veggies on Fire.
The unthinkable happened today. I saw a new vegan food truck located in Camden Lock Market and I didn’t buy any food. My stomach was beyond capacity following epic eating sessions at both Mr. Falafel and Cookies & Scream. I simply couldn’t fit in another morsel.
So you see, you need to assist me in getting information out to the vegan masses.
Your task, if you accept it, is to get down to Camden Lock Market and locate Rupert’s Street Food truck. Once you have found the food vending van, buy vegan savouries, cakes and drinks before reporting back on this very page.
One of the most popular recurring features on this blog is airline food. You people are mad for it. No other posts get as much instant attention as these airline meal posts. If you have any theories as to why this is, please let me know below.
While I wait for your replies to pour in, let me tell you about a recent eating adventure from above the clouds that was made a whole lot more enjoyable by music.
Recently returning from Philadelphia on British Airways, Josh and I were treated to a decent-verging-on-notable meal that appeared to be completely vegan. But it wasn’t just the inclusion of vegan spread and a salad dressing kit that made my flight enjoyable. I was also blown away by the staggering amount of super cool music featured within the inflight entertainment catalogue.
Let’s get the food over and done with and then we can talk music.
My main meal tray featured a tasty tomato dish with sides of mushroom sauce and steamed broccoli. I wasn’t running up and down the plane celebrating culinary greatness, but it was a solid dish that was consumed promptly. That’s about as good as it gets on a flight for vegans.
The salad was just a salad except for the little dressing kit accompanying the bowl. A small bottle of olive oil sat with a sachet of salt and herb called Mrs Dash. It was life-altering, but I don’t think I’ve seen ingredients to make your own vegan dressing on any other flight.
Toss in a bit of fruit and my meal was of a fairly high standard, but it was the music that made this the best flight of recent times. Check out the food photos mixed with shots of some of the albums I enjoyed.
London Vegan Beer Fest is a boutique summer drinking event showcasing independent breweries making beer suitable for vegans. In 2013, the festival is taking place in the hall, chapel and grounds of the gorgeous St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green.
Join a host of independent breweries serving craft beers and the kitchen staff of The Gallery Cafe as they serve mouthwatering vegan BBQ food. Doors open 1pm on Saturday July 13th, 2013.
The day will be a celebration of vegan drink, food, independent businesses and music.
Visit the London Vegan Beer Fest website for full list of participating breweries, latest news, BBQ menu updates, sponsor lists and more!
On sale time for tickets is Monday 17th June, 2013 at 9am.
*A reader says Scoop advised chocolate is not vegan. They told me it was. Any other feedback?*
*UPDATE – OK. I just got an update from Scoops via Twitter. The brand of chocolate is Callebaut and the product they use is made from vegan ingredients (cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar, natural emulsifier, soya lecithin) and is labelled ‘may contain traces of milk’ as it is made in a factory with milk chocolate.*
Late night, tipsy walking around Soho can reveal special joys. Hidden surprises spring up but often disappear again as the fog of cider clear from your head the following day.
However, I experienced a glorious and accidental discovery last night I am certain will be etched into my memory forever. No amount of cider (mixed with wine and beer) could wash the wonderful thoughts away.
People. Hold onto you seats. Kip and I discovered hot, fresh vegan churros accompanied by hot, melted chocolate in a gelato store in Soho, London.
What a find!Delicious, vegan churros
I won’t waste your time with witticisms and queen of the world retorts. I understand you are probably walking toward the door right this second, thinking of the quickest route to Soho.
I want to take a moment to digress from my usual food rants to show my appreciation for London Vegan Potluck.
London Vegan Potluck came into being over two years ago when I had the idea to create a regular, monthly event that was as much about socialising as it was about vegan food. I wanted to create a safe and welcoming gathering that would always be there for (and because of) the vegans of London.
The event started as a tiny get together of 20 people in the arcade next to the Ms. Cupcake bakery in Brixton. I remember being terrified that nobody would show up, but almost instantly the sense of community surrounding the potluck came to life and we haven’t stopped growing since that first night.
After six months of hosting the event in Brixton, I had to say goodbye to Ms. Cupcake and move London Vegan Potluck to bigger premises. It was just that popular! Thanks to the immense generosity of the Syracuse University London Program and its staff, we were able to secure a huge central London space equipped with everything we needed to make the event a continued success.
We have now been celebrating the potluck in our Holborn location ever since and to say it is a runaway success would be an understatement. The attendance numbers have broken the 100 mark on several occasions and I am always overwhelmed by the number of new attendees I meet every month.
The list of vegan and vegan-friendly companies that have supported the event with samples is mammoth. I am grateful to the traders who have personally attended to not only share their products with us, but to also make connections within the vegan community. I am humbled by the travellers and tourists from around the UK and the world who go out of their way to make London Vegan Potluck a stop on their already packed schedules. We have enjoyed the company of visitors from Australia, France, the USA, Canada, Spain, China and many more locations than I can recall.
Tim & Ellen of Oakland, California meeting Ms. Cupcake at the June 2013 London Vegan Potluck
It is hard work putting the potluck together every month. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the amount of time I have spent moving chairs, washing dishes, arranging tables, liaising with sponsors, updating websites, answering queries, shopping for supplies and hosting the actual event.
But I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Sure I get irked when people show up with no food to contribute or complain the event doesn’t suit their taste/schedule/sensibilities, but the positive contribution and social capital I see being paid back into my community on the first Wednesday of every single month overrides any negativity.
The immense interest surrounding the potluck led me to create and host the monthly London Vegan Drinks event which is even more successful and draws well over 100 people on the third Thursday of every month. I have received messages from people around the UK who have been inspired by the London event to create their own local potluck. The goodwill generated by that first-ever event in Brixton is infectious and continues to spread.
London Vegan Potluck works to support vegans on their journey to remain vegan, helps the curious and kind-hearted make the transition to a plant-based diet and creates a safe and dependable space for people to exist as compassionate eaters without judgement for two hours each and every month.
In my opinion, all of this improves outcomes for animals, people and the planet. What more could you ask for?
I think every city could do with a monthly vegan potluck. Don’t you agree?
Josh is jumping in again with his take on our eating experience at a vegan restaurant in California. You are all going to be fans of his writing and you won’t want me back!
Take it away, Josh.
A couple of weeks ago FGV and I were on our way to Portland, driving up the Northern Californian coast, marvelling at ancient redwood trees and gasping at stunningly dramatic coastal roads. On our way, we stopped to stay with our friend Susan in delightful Mendocino, a picturesque period town overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Not only is Mendocino visually charming, it is also home to the luxurious Stanford Inn which incorporates the legendary Ravens’ Vegan Restaurant. Of course there was no doubt about where we were heading for dinner!
Like all good love affairs, my recent dalliance with vegan snack across the USA had to end.
I’m sure it wasn’t the reality, but my memory leads me to believe I ate from the time I set foot on San Franciscan soil to the moment they rolled me onto a London-bound plane departing Philadelphia. Readers based in the US know how readily-available vegan junk food is and my chubby hands were rarely empty.
Following are a collection of photos documenting my final days of vegan vacation snacking. These pictures, together with the previous posts, detail the food adventures Josh and I experienced throughout San Francisco, Oakland, Mendocino, Bend, Portland, New York City and Philadelphia.
If you have visited these pages recently, you wil be well aware of my current trip around the USA in search of vegan food.
These travels landed me in New York City, where Josh and I have been hitting up food trucks, cafes, grocery stores and restaurants all in our quest for tasty treats. Josh has decided to take the controls for this post and tell you all about our experiences with a vegetarian Thai food outlet in the East Village.
My previous posts detailing my vegan over eating throughout the USA were nothing compared to this installment.
Since we last spoke I have been on a food consumption journey. I ate in Bend, Oregon. I ate in Redwood forests. I ate in the rental car. I ate in the mountains. But most importantly, I ate during a three-day conference for vegan bloggers in Portland.
Hold on tight as I power through this list of vegan delights.
