Rescued by Loving Hut

My recent trip to the gorgeous Mexican city of Xalapa was downright sensational. I enjoyed a long hike through coffee and banana farms, I took in the sights of the glorious Teocelo waterfall and I swam during a torrential tropical rainstorm.

Oh, I almost forgot. I ate a lot of vegan food, too.

The city of Xalapa in the state of Veracruz won’t win any awards for being vegan-friendly. Heck, I even passed a restaurant that proudly proclaimed ‘NO VEGETARIANO’ on its front sign. Yes, it can be difficult to eat plant-based in Xalapa but the addition of a Loving Hut to the landscape has certainly brightened the outlook.

Loving Hut in Xalapa, Veracruz

Loving Hut outlets are seemingly popping up everywhere and it is making vegan travel easier. After our gruelling day of hiking and sightseeing, Josh and I were desperately in need of some recharging. Loving Hut Xalapa came to the rescue in a big way.

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A reasonably good buy

Come here often? Good, then you’ll know that I love roller derby, drinking vegan booze and overeating. If this is your first time visiting me, you’re about to get a crash course in what makes a fat, gay vegan extremely happy. Buckle up, friend.

A few weekends back, Josh and I rolled on into the inner-city district of Earls Court to take in an evening of contact sport, vegan cider and delicious cruelty-free food.

Earls Court

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Just like I pictured it

My trips to NYC come along more frequently than most people can enjoy and for that I am humble and grateful. Travel is a luxury and New York is one hell of a destination. I am extremely fortunate.

But I can’t help feeling sorry for myself when I think of how very far I live from Red Bamboo and how infrequently I experience their delights. Come with me as I step back in time to December 2011. That date marks my most recent trip to this vegetarian paradise. Preparing the photos for this post was enough to make my head spin. Take a peep, won’t you.

Red Bamboo of NYC

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Amazing cheese now in Camden

Remember how I went on and on about Vegusto vegan cheese? You don’t? Surely you recall when I announced it to be amongst the finest in the world. No? Take a quick trip back in time to refresh your memory here and then hold onto your fedora with a faux feather because I have some exciting news for you.

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Alma matters

As I am busy preparing for London Vegan Drinks (that is, harassing people via email and Twitter), Josh has kindly stepped in to keep you informed of vegan eats and drinks in the town of Oxford.

Take it away, Josh.

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Here we go, I’m hanging out in Camden

Camden is famous for a lot of cool, outsider culture that eventually works its way into the mainstream. The historical Camden Market is now a must-see for thousands of tourists every year, the underground music scene exploded out of the borough in the 90’s spawning the Indie craze and more recently, the tragic demise of Amy Winehouse has been inextricably linked to the area as her Back to Black album became the highest-selling release of recent times in the UK.

It is understandable when members of minorities bemoan their insider knowledge being shared with the world. To have something intimate blown up to a global scale can be extremely challenging and confronting. However, there is one alternative happening coming out of Camden that I hope continues its explosion into the mainstream… vegan dining.

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We said meh. M-E-H, meh.

After spending an entire weekend with other vegan bloggers at the Vida Vegan Con event in Portland, I am buzzing with possibility and new enthusiasm. There were so many interesting and compassionate people sharing news, views and practical advice. I personally got so much from the weekend and hopefully made a few new friends.

One of the themes of discussion I heard throughout the conference was bloggers not wanting to write negative or disparaging comments or reviews about vegan establishments. As much as I understand this approach in the writing of other people, it doesn’t float for me. Yes, I write this blog as a means to help people find veganism and also as a tool to entertain and show off my ready-wit, but I’m not going to say something is amazing when it isn’t in my opinion. I want to give my opinion and I want people to disagree if they feel compelled. It’s called open dialogue.

This is building to something. I’m just preparing you all for a rather negative review of a 100% vegan restaurant. Of course speak up in the comments if you have an opinion on the eatery. Don’t let my fat, gay mouth have the final word.

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‘Til I’m fit to burst

What will you travel long distances for?

Some people will sit on a train for hours just to take in the wonders of an art gallery at the other end. Individuals will fly half way around the globe to spend time with loved ones. What does a FGV make the effort for? Music and food, of course.

Martin Rossiter back in the (blurred) spotlight

It was these two top hobbies of eating and listening that resulted in me traveling to Brighton last week. Gene, one of my favourite bands of all time, disbanded many years ago and their former lead singer is only now returning to organised solo performing. Martin Rossiter was booked to appear at the Brighton Unitarian Church and I just had to be there. Josh and I packed up the car and made haste to the iconic seaside town.

We arrived to our destination with several hours to spare, so of course we hunted down the nearest food outlet serving vegan dishes. The Brighton Loving Hut supplied us with a feast consisting of a fry up, burger, chips and vegan candy.

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“Spicer won’t want fish and chips,” Dallow said.

Brighton is a shining star for vegans looking to brighten their lives with some cruelty-free dining. Unfortunately the shine has been dimmed a whole lot with the sad closing of a vegetarian supernova.

Red Veg was a fantastic idea. As a vegan I often longed for the type of fast food that is usually only sold by mass-murdering corporations. Red Veg took that concept of burger, fries and a drink and rescued the cow. They weren’t a completely vegan company, but they did have many tasty options suitable for vegans and their burgers couldn’t be beaten. I am hesitant to sing their praises too loudly as it will only make you (and me) miss them all the more.

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