Taking the long way around

You’re hiding, underneath the smoke in the room

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Rushing the Homegrown Smoker food truck

During a recent trip to Portland to attend Vida Vegan Con 2011, I was overwhelmed by vegan food choices. Every restaurant appeared to cater thoughtfully to my type, no matter if they were a veggie establishment or not. The picturesque city was packed wall to wall with cruelty-free dining options.

By far my favourite dining experience was the Homegrown Smoker food truck. Actually, it was so stunning I dined with them three days running. Everything I ate was tasty like I’ve never known, the staff were incredibly welcoming and I adored the concept of ordering my meal from a mobile kitchen parked up on a city sidewalk.

I must warn you the following pictures could lead to growling tummies. I make no apologies.

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Call me up whenever u want 2 grind

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As a frequent traveler, I often rely on coffee shops for beverages, restrooms and internet access. Coffee shops can be your lifeline to friends, a much-needed hiding spot from the world outside or even just a place to replenish your bodily fluids. A coffee shop with vegan options is extremely common in 2011. You can increasingly find soy milk and other dairy alternatives such as almond or rice milk.

Having established that the humble coffee shop can be a sanctuary for the weary, vegan traveler, let’s move on to discuss how it can get better. Yes, I’m referring to a 100% vegan coffee shop. What was once a fanciful dream is now a fabulous reality in Philadelphia.

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Oh hear my voice

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Have you ever sat there in front of your laptop/computer/smart phone/tablet and drawn a complete blank when wondering what a FGV sounds like? Live in ignorance no more!

This weekend marks my first foray into being a radio show guest. The wonderful, charming and talented Jose Maldonado is graciously allowing me to keep him company during his weekly show dedicated to all things Smiths and Morrissey.

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LHR-Foodswings-LAX

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My regular readers will be aware of a story category I use on here known as Taking the long way around. The bulk of my stories deal with London-based tales of depravity, over-consumption and brief queer history, however I do venture further afield and I love to bring you the details of these adventures and misadventures too.

With that overly-verbose introduction out of the way, I want to tell you how a vegan eatery named Foodswings saved my life during a journey from London to LA.

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Ooh man, I love dee cake!

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My vacation in Barcelona was a moving experience and I enjoyed many profound moments. Celebrations, street carnivals, cultural awakenings and informative strolls throughout historical neighbourhoods… I guzzled it all up like it was a cheap, vegan beer.

Now I am in Los Angeles and eating my way around the city, but I wanted to take a brief moment to reflect on one of my Barcelona highlights that helped me become a better, more rounded FGV. Vegan cake.

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Vegans need more B12

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There are a few more updates still to come from my trip to Barcelona, but before we get to those I would like to inform you of a stunning vegan eatery located roughly an hour north of this city.

In the northeastern Catalan city of Girona is a vegan food destination known as B12. This cafe is a gem of a location for vegans  and it is full of burgers, desserts, beers, colas, hot drinks and more. Every single item in the restaurant is 100% vegan and the staff are 100% helpful, welcoming and friendly.

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Mega vegan food super photo post

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Gopal vegan deli in Barcelona

If you want to go to vegan food heaven, get your backside to Barcelona and walk straight into a fantastic vegan deli known as Gopal. I proclaim this to be the finest vegan food in the entire city and I might even be bold enough to declare it in my top 5 restaurants in the world.

This post is very thin on words because I want the photos to do the talking. It was also important to me to get this up in the same week that Gopal announced their expansion. Madrid is very shortly and very fortunately going to be exposed to the Gopal goodness.

But enough from me and my FGV mouth. Let’s head on inside the deli to drool over some of the food I’ve consumed during my stay in Barcelona.

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What’s in store

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Another post from Barcelona and with only a week remaining in this gorgeous city, I had better get a move on if I want to feature all of the vegan food I have been experiencing. There are just so many options for vegans and the two cruelty-free grocery stores are perfect places to start. That’s right… Barcelona has two completely vegan grocery stores!

The first of these stores I want to talk about is Veganoteca. Located a short walk from the bustling tourist area of La Rambla, Veganoteca is a small piece of retail heaven for vegans.

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Stick it to the pimp: vegan ice cream wars

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The vegan ice cream wars are in full effect and a front runner has now taken the lead here in Barcelona. It is sweet, chocolate/candy coated and comes on a handy stick.  FGV readers, I introduce the Swedish Glace Pearl.

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Where you’re breaking my heart

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I have been missing in action for almost a week and I apologise to all of you who have been refreshing the home page in order to read my latest tale of food depravity. I do have a rather solid excuse though… I am in Barcelona!

Following a rather intense period of work back in the UK, I am celebrating my freedom by taking in the Catalan sights for a few weeks before jetting off on a whirlwind jaunt around the USA. Being the FGV means I will be doing my best to keep you informed of all the scrumptious vegan food that I encounter, as well as supplying you with interesting trivia and snapshots of my experiences.

Here we go… FGV is on the road!

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