These videos are happening daily to help keep our spirits up within the vegan community and draw attention to independent businesses that are struggling, charities that need our help, and musicians that need support.
Links for everything I mention are below.
Check out this GOOD NEWS story about food outreach being undertaken by a vegan business in Tennessee: https://tinyurl.com/vpat2dg
Hi all. Fat Gay Vegan back again with another video to try and keep spirits high within the vegan community AND draw your attention to independent businesses and charities that need our support.
Links are below for everything I discuss. Please add your own links and suggestions in the comments.
Unicorn Grocery is a vegan coop supermarket in Manchester. They now have special opening time slots for 70+ and vulnerable people. Support this vegan business: https://www.unicorn-grocery.coop/
Here I am with Day 2 of my reach out video series during the global pandemic. These videos are to foster a sense of community for vegans around the world and to bring attention to some of the independent businesses, charities, and even bands that could use our help.
Please use the links below for all the mentions from the video:
Bandcamp is a place to buy and stream music by independent bands. The platform is waiving their revenue share on Friday March 20. Buy music if you can afford it: https://bandcamp.com/
I’m watching a wonderful series on Netflix called Gentefied. I love it. Give it a try!
Ten years is a long time for a blog. A really long time.
I can hardly believe that in December 2020 I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of being Fat Gay Vegan.
It has been a wild ride of a decade and to look back in a positive way, I am hosting a week-long vegan cruise on the gorgeous Danube river.
Wanna celebrate ten years of FGV with me?!
Prices start from $1,499 USD per person.
Join me and Vegan Culinary Cruises for a week-long 100% vegan cruise on the Danube traveling from Budapest, Hungary to Passau, Germany between December 31, 2020 and January 7, 2021.
As the cruise is a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Fat Gay Vegan, it is set to be a vegan experience like no other.
The cruise will feature:
morning yoga classes
incredible vegan cuisine served across three meals a day
special guests involved in cooking demos and panel discussions
disco and karaoke nights in the lounge
100% vegan toiletries in each cabin
Wi-Fi access
24h coffee and tea station
Teatime and cake
Midnight snack in the lounge
All day water and ice-tea in the lounge
Electrically assisted bicycles
Optional extras on the cruise will include:
city and vegan food tours
drinks packages
airport transfers
Cruise schedule
Day 1 December 31 Budapest
Day 2 January 1 Budapest
Day 3 January 2 Bratislava
Day 4 January 3 Vienna
Day 5 January 4 Villages of the Wachau Valley – Durnstein & Melk
Day 6 January 5 Linz
Day 7 January 6 Passau
Day 8 January 7 Passau: Depart
We take over the complete ship meaning this is a fully vegan cruise.
Help me celebrate my 10th anniversary as Fat Gay Vegan. I have met thousands of vegans and vegan-friendly people over the past decade and it would be wonderful to share this huge milestone with familiar faces.
Click here to get all the details and if you like what you see, book a cabin!
With all the intense and feverish attention given to mainstream non-vegan restaurant chains serving vegan options, I wanted to take a step back and give some space to the true legends of the vegan food scene.
I’ve compiled a list of my top ten favourite vegan restaurants and eateries on the planet as a way to celebrate the people who put animals first.
This list is current as of February 2020 and is as accurate as I can recall. Some places would have made this list had they not sadly closed. I also am aware that I am missing a whole bunch of amazing vegan spots that I haven’t had a chance to visit, so please feel free to add your suggestions in the comments.
Are you ready for FGV’s Ten Favourite Vegan Restaurants On The Planet?
Por Siempre Vegana Taqueria (Mexico City, Mexico)
Tacos are more than just food in Mexico. They are an inextricable part of the culture. Late night and early morning taco stands are on every corner, making this cuisine the most popular and most eaten in the city.
Por Siempre launched a vegan version of a traditional taco stand six years ago and it quickly became one of the absolute must visit locations for vegans. The business has recently expanded and now boasts a second spot featuring chairs and tables.
Temple of Seitan is more than just a place to get irresistible comfort food. It is a food company that has become world-famous and unquestionably legendary.
The first location of this fried vegan chicken powerhouse turned the world of plant-based eating upside down when it opened in Hackney, East London. With a second spot in Camden and more expansions soon to follow, Temple is set for world domination.
If you haven’t dined with Vedge, I promise you haven’t dined with the best vegan restaurant on the planet.
Until Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau launched their super swanky (yet still incredibly welcoming) Vedge restaurant, I wasn’t certain that I had ever truly eaten exceptional vegan cuisine. My multiple trips to the Philadelphia-based restaurant have forced me to reconsider everything I know about good food.
This restaurant located at Mermaid Beach on Australia’s Gold Coast means more to me than I can effectively express. Living in nearby Brisbane wasn’t always amazing for vegans (it has changed BIG time) so Tian Ran was my sanctuary.
Their menu is overflowing with some of my favourite dishes on the planet including olive fried rice, crispy bean curd, noodles, and drumsticks. I adore Tian Ran and I miss them deeply.
Veggie Grill (multiple locations, United States of America)
The first time I actually adored a salad instead of eating it out of duty was probably at a Veggie Grill location.
This chain of casual quick service restaurants is consistently high quality. They serve the perfect mix of comfort dishes (wings, burgers) with decadent salads packed with kale.
Veggie Grill is expanding rapidly around the USA. Eat with them when you can for pure happiness and satisfaction. Extra note: make drinking their strawberry lemonade a priority.
Plant Power Fast Food (multiple locations, United States of America)
Vegan junk food (junk is not a bad word!) is a reality thanks to Plant Power Fast Food. With seven locations and a food truck spread out across Southern California, the chain is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in the fast food industry.
Plant Power recreate all your favourite foods of pre-vegan times without hurting any animals, including breakfast muffins, shakes, fries, and stacked burgers.
Not only are Carla and Marco dear friends of mine, they are also bloody talented food creators. Their pie and mash outlet in Camden, London is unquestionably one of the best places to eat on this planet.
Crispy pie shells, hot savoury fillings, creamy mash, and decadent gravy will be your reward if you make the effort to visit the shop. I would eat there every day if I could.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6fcYzjHbZi/
Napfényes Étterem (Budapest, Hungary)
During my first visit to this Hungarian restaurant and gourmet bakery, I almost started crying from the pure joy. Seriously. It was an intensely emotional experience for me.
Traditional Hungarian cuisine turned vegan by their impossibly talented chef makes this the finest vegan restaurant in Europe. The glass cases near the restaurant’s entrance are piled high with pastry items that cannot be bettered in my opinion.
Imagine traditional Italian food bursting with flavour. Imagine gnocchi. Imagine creamy tiramisu. Fried pasta. Ravioli. Now imagine this all done vegan.
So What? is the restaurant of your dreams if you adore Italian food. I was so shocked at how utterly delicious everything was during my visit, I kept pinching myself to make sure it wasn’t a dream.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bo0_FhaiNme/
Doomie’s Home Cookin’ (Hollywood, United States of America)
Imagine being the happiest you can be. Imagine your happiest of happy places. Where do you see yourself?
When I close my eyes and think happy thoughts, I picture myself sitting at a table in Doomie’s with a vegan chicken basket in front of me and a jumbo soda off to the side.
Comfort food rarely comes more delicious than at Doomie’s.
This post was originally published as my column in Vegan Life Magazine a few years ago.
If you would like to read my monthly column, you can subscribe to Vegan Life Magazine online now.
So, you’re a vegan. Congratulations. Now what?
If you currently find yourself newly vegan, you are not alone.
Over the past few years, January has become a favourite time of year for people to explore what it means to live vegan. Dietary habits of old are replaced with plant-based groceries as thousands of consumers begin expanding their ideas surrounding compassion to include the welfare of non-human animals.
If you are one of those who decided the festive season or January was a good time to try veganism on for size, you are probably a few weeks into your plant-based adventure as you read this column.
The hard job of trying to convince you that veganism is worthwhile is obviously out of the way, so I won’t waste precious energy listing the reasons why animals are important. I’ve got a lot of leftover chocolates to eat, so let’s just do what we have to. OK?
I’m more interested in chatting with you about STAYING vegan for the long term.
You and veganism got together a short while ago, but let’s be honest with ourselves. The honeymoon period is coming to a close. Being vegan so far has been effortless because you were happy to have found something you could see would make a big, fat positive contribution to the planet.
This initial excitement of committing to veganism was enough to spur you on through what otherwise might have been tough time.
The bacon jokes and baffled looks didn’t touch you these past few weeks because you were ecstatic to finally be living vegan after all these years. Doing the right thing felt so darn good and you have been riding that wave of positivity since you made the switch. Right?
But what amount the months ahead? Being a happy and committed vegan might just take a little bit of planning and self-care, so I’m dishing up tips for staying vegan after the initial excitement has worn off.
Tip number one is to find like-minded people. Get along to social groups, shop at your local vegan street food market, and fill your calendar with vegan food festivals. I’m not saying you will make lifelong friends, but at the very least you will feel less isolated in your choices.
Try not to put yourself in situations where it is going to be tougher on you socially. A meal out with non-vegan friends isn’t the obstacle course it once was thanks to all the vegan menus being offered up by mainstream restaurant chains. Always make your voice heard when a restaurant is being picked for a night out with friends and you’ll eat well every time.
Know your facts and practise talking about your veganism. I often say that a well-informed, unapologetic and friendly vegan is the best advertisement for the cause. Stand firm behind your reasoning and chat happily with anyone who is curious. You might just be opening their eyes to veganism and of course you will be reaffirming your own commitment.
Inspiration is everywhere. Follow vegan recipe blogs on social media for new ideas that will keep your love affair with vegan eating in fine form. Be adventurous in the kitchen and stay updated with the latest vegan food trends.
Once you have got the plant-based food part of being a vegan in place, start looking at other areas of your life that can be veganised. Need new shoes? Try non-leather. Get familiar with household cleaning products that are not tested on animals and if you wear make up, start buying animal-friendly brands.
Most importantly, work hard to keep your vegan community an inclusive, strong and welcoming place. You are going to love being vegan even more than you already do if you are surrounded by other people who love being vegan. Look for ways to weave your veganism into other aspects of compassionate living. Volunteer with a local garden that supports at-risk members of your community.
Shop with (or join) a local grocery cooperative in order to create better opportunities for workers. Keep your savings in a bank that limits investments into unethical projects. If you can afford to do so, shop with local independent vegan businesses in order to keep money in your community. When you are helping to organise vegan events, ensure the space is accessible for everyone.
For anyone with a vegan journey that is just commencing, I say congratulations. Enjoy your choice to help animals and keep them positioned as the reason you went vegan.
Once you have that deep understanding of why you are vegan in your heart and your mind, it is close to impossible to go back. As your vegan journey continues, be confident that your choices are improving outcomes for non-human animals more and more each day.
We’ve all been there. That awkward moment when you are out with friends, work colleagues, family members or even people you don’t know all too well and somebody offers you something to eat or drink that isn’t vegan.
There can be an uncomfortable silence and you can often feel a huge desire to not want to offend people or come across as a difficult vegan.
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s OK to say no to non-vegan offerings with a friendly confidence.
Actually, it’s more than just OK.
Learning to love saying “I’m vegan” gives you confidence in your beliefs, affords people a super quick insight into the type of person you are (i.e. kind!) and acts as a form of outreach to help spread your compassionate message of caring for animals.
For some people, becoming confident and comfortable with the decision of going vegan and being vocal about it takes time. One of the best ways to become assured of your own veganism is to talk about it and this can include something as simple as turning down non-vegan food.
I strongly believe a confident vegan is an attractive friend prospect to most people, not just other vegans.
When it comes to picking my friends and the people around me, there is nothing more important or admirable than a person who believes strongly in something positive and takes an unwavering stand on that topic.
You are going to look like a person of your convictions to those around you if you employ a zero-tolerance approach to non-vegan food items. I’ve been vegan for twenty years and one of the things my friends say they love about me is my commitment to the causes in which I believe.
A confident person who can be unapologetically vegan with a smile on their face is not only an admirable person, they are also the best form of activism.
When a kind and approachable vegan stands firm and friendly in their convictions, it is the best advertisement for veganism. When people see you sticking to your beliefs yet still getting on with life and enjoying the company of those around you, it can be the inspiration they need to start thinking about taking that step themselves.
It’s not being preachy to say “No, thanks. I’m vegan.” It’s being true to yourself and it is just one of the ways you are working to improve outcomes for animals.
The majority of vegans you know haven’t always been vegan, so they must have had a first time hearing about the lifestyle.
Think of how many people’s first time you can be if you find a way to say no to non-vegan food. By politely but assuredly turning down non-vegan food and drink, you might just be positioning yourself as the seed that will one day sprout and take someone on their compassionate journey.
Seeds sprouting into compassionate journeys? Yes, even my metaphors are vegan.
Of course it isn’t always plain sailing when you are the only vegan in your social group. People can sometimes take your vegan stance as an attack on their choices or even come to see you as a ‘sanctimonious inconvenience’ (yes, that happened to me and still stings).
It can be a tricky balancing act to manoeuvre within certain groups of friends and family, but it is completely OK to stand your vegan ground even when some individuals will see your lifestyle choice as a challenge.
It’s completely understandable how the concept of veganism will be met with some resistance when you consider how ingrained the use of animals is in our society. Heck, they are even in our money!
But that is exactly why we are vegan. We want to help enact a change in these attitudes and practices in order to cause less harm. A little social awkwardness is surely a small price to pay as we find our vegan feet and save the planet.
You can gently yet firmly reassure people that your choice to not consume animal products is based on how you feel about the world around you (and animals!) and is not an attack on their personal consumption of ribs, rumps and legs. You can do this in a good-natured way that doesn’t have to lead to offense being taken.
It’s your decision and your life being affected, not theirs. Being self-assured and happy with your choices is one of the best parts of living vegan. Learn to enjoy it.
The ninth most popular post was a photo of me accompanied by a plea for people to not buy or breed dogs. It resonated with a lot of people and is a message for the ages!
There was a HUGE response for this photo of my Follow Your Heart pin. I never expected this to be on the end of year list, let alone come in at number eight.
This is the first of two photos of London vegan cheese shop La Fauxmagerie to make my top nine Instagram list for 2019. Having two entries is proof of how excited vegans were about this shop opening.
Vegan food in airports can be a bit uninspired so this photo of my breakfast at Wagamama at Heathrow got a lot of likes. It was a tasty treat to enjoy before a long haul flight.
I shared this message from Chapter One coffee shop in Edinburgh and it was popular enough to land at number five on my top nine list for the year. People loved reading news of this popular café switching to become a totally vegan business.
I am surprised this post took off like it did because it is kinda an ugly photo! The Wicked range in Tesco is one of the most successful product launches I have ever seen and this photo being in my top nine is evidence that people can’t get enough.
This post is not a happy read and contains a few upsetting memories of bad times from throughout my life. People who follow me on Instagram were kind and supportive, making this the third most popular post of mine for 2019.
Warning: it is a very upsetting read so do proceed with caution.
LOTS of people responded positively to this photo I took in Heathrow airport. It is exciting to see so many mainstream business be so open about their vegan options.
La Fauxmagerie took the number one slot on my Instagram account for 2019. News of this vegan cheese shop opening in London broke the Internet and more than 4,500 people liked this photo.
Much love to everyone who has helped make my blog and social media accounts viable for another year.
All of this is done to help promote veganism and independent vegan businesses. I want people to go vegan and stay vegan to help improve outcomes for animals.
This is an excerpt from my book Fat Gay Vegan: Eat, Drink and Live Like You Give a Sh!t.
You can order the book via Amazon if you personal politics permit. You can also get the Audible version read by me. Buy from WH Smith, Foyles, or order from your local independent bookstore via Hive.
Christmas in my hometown was always brutal. First of all, it was always sweltering hot and furthermore we had the joy of sitting around with relatives ranging from mildly to wildly racist.
Animals featured heavily Christmas day, from the pig-now-called-ham wrapped in a water- soaked pillow case to keep it fresh to the family dog sitting under the table hoping for scraps. Prawns, crabs, chickens and turkeys who used to all be alive at some point were scattered around the buffet in order for me and the people I didn’t like all that much to experience festive cheer.
So, animals were absolutely everywhere in my life as a child in Australia, but I honestly didn’t give them much more thought than what I have described above. Not one adult explained to me the difference between prawns on the table and the dog under it. Understanding how animals lived and died was not my concern. I was socialised into thinking animals were available to eat, wear and prod with sticks unquestionably.
That’s what I think I have in common with a lot of you turning these pages (or reading this blog post) right this moment.
Reflect for a moment on just how much animals were used in your young life, but how little thought was given to the how, what, when and why. Did adults and people responsible for your emotional growth explain the process of factory farm to dining table? The shark took a chunk from the turtle (early story in book) just as I watched crabs being boiled alive in my kitchen at Christmas time, but they were all just ‘things’ in my mind. Objects. Just like the pine cones and the cliffs and the polished glass fragments at the seaside.
I didn’t understand that these animals were capable of fear and pain because nobody told me, and I would bet my last block of tofu they didn’t tell you either.
