Herbivore Magazine - Editor's Blog

So, for….oh….4 years….I’ve been planning on writing an article about Portland and how awesome it is for vegans. Most people know Portland is awesome, we were voted the most veg friendly city in American by PETA, Food Fight’s blog and attitude is somewhat legendary at this point, lots of folks know In Defense of Animal’s own Connie Durkie streaked the world cup a few years ago here to protetst Adidas, most folks know about the huge anti-fur campaign that helped shut down a hundred year old fur shop downtown, so forth and so on.

But there is so much here that people don’t know about. Which is why I’ve wanted to do this article. The problem is, I have been putting it off and putting it off because it’s a realy big article and I just haven’t known where to start. This would have been a big article 4 years ago if I’d have written it when I wanted to.

Now? This article is an issue in and of itself. Since I’m ACTUALLY starting on the article today, I won’t give too much away. But I’ll say this, last night we went to the newest all vegan restaurant (all vegan except some of the wines, which are noted as not vegan) in town, Nutshell.

Oh my god, y’all. Jamaican barbecue plate, Pineapple and avacado sandwich with bamboo fries, fundido as an appetizer…oh my god, y’all. So good. And a really really nice space, staff, and everything else. Ruby was in a “I can’t sit still mood” so she kept running up and down the length of the place having the time of her life. We’re always happy to see her happy, but damn if we didn’t want her to sit still so we could just stuff our faces!

You’ll have to wait for the full write up and photos later. But here is my bigger point:

If you go next door to Nutshell you can visit Suzette at her all vegan hair salon, Akemi. We had a nice talk about how she just changed over all her supplies because, even though what she was using was all vegan, they got bought by Loreal and that’s no good. So she switched to an Italian brand, I can’t remember the name, whose goal is to “not rape the earth.” You’ll find out more about Suzette in the monster Portland article too.

Then on the drive home (which should have been a bike ride, Portland isn’t all that big) we passed the building our friend’s John and Clyde are opening a vegan bar in. It looks really really cool. I don’t know the name or when it’s opening, but we are very excited.

This kind of thing isn’t uncommon here. An easy bike ride from our house and we could have gotten a drink at a vegan bar with a snack, then gotten our hair done by a vegan at a vegan hair salon, then had an AMAZING vegan dinner.

Sometimes Portland feels like Sesame Street, but vegan. I’m not sure that makes sense. But I love Sesame Street. And vegans. And Portland. So make it work, ok?

Screening of One Crazy Summer starring every girl I ever had a crush on’s favorite actor John Cusack.

When: Sunday July 8th, 8 pm.
Where: The Artistery, right up Division from Food Fight on the North side of the street

I was a “Better Off Dead” kinda kid, so I’m excited to see this cinematic cinematization after all these years so I can view it with a little hindsight and see if I bet on the wrong horse all those years. Pardon my non-vegan cliche.

hey gang, this weekend at the store we’re having a vegan cookie bake off! come by at 2 pm and eat your guts out!

I’d tell you more about the competition but we sent out press releases around town and the Willamette Week did a wonderful piece on us, it is pasted below. For a second I thought a drunken Republican hick wrote it before I realized Mr. Smith was a, I’m sure, highly educated journalist of the highest ethical and moral standards. Well done Mr. Smith! And kudos for not being a stereotypical vegan hater.

From the Willamette Week:

SATurday, JULY 7

I Spell Trust M-E-A-T

It List is a keen judge of character. For instance, from the moment I heard of him, I totally knew Hitler was no good. The same goes for Hannibal Lecter, the Olsen twins and Godzilla. How do I see so clearly into the soul of humanity? The Bacon Principle. It’s simple: People who don’t eat bacon aren’t rational and cannot be trusted. Therefore, I won’t even shake hands with vegans. They’ll probably try to steal my watch and extract the non-animal-based protein from it. Now they’ve invented another affront to civilized society with a “vegan cookie contest.” Local vegan-cookbook authors will compete for Portland’s “Best Vegan Cookie” title—a category so qualified it’s meaningless. It’s like deciding the world’s fastest car by racing a Yugo against a three-legged dog. These tempeh-loving tricksters are spreading filthy rumors about our city, calling Portland the “vegan Mecca.” That’s just offensive. But I’m not discouraging anyone from attending this competition. Free vegan cookies will be handed out, which every undecided eater should sample—there’s no better tool for recruiting carnivores. The Herbivore Store, 5519 NE 30th Ave., 281-8638. 2 pm. Free. All ages.

I can’t even begin to add anything to this letter from SHAC prisoner Andy Stepanian. His work and writings have been a real source of inspiration to me.

Next time I get bummed out or don’t feel like getting out of bed I’m going to re-read that letter.

Keep writing to our friends in prison, ok? If they’re work and situation has inspired you at all, write them a note and let em know.

A month or two back a nice lady, Zoe Stagg, wrote and asked me if she could interview me for a VegNews article about the 25 most fascinating vegetarians. I don’t think at that time she specified what the geographic or space/time range this was to cover. I’m assuming, in the universe and since the beginning of time. I would participate in nothing less, assuredly. Anyhooch, I agreed, though tried faintly to let her know I’m a pretty boring fella, a commoner if you will, all considered. (Proof: yesterday I spent an hour picking out and ordering a DIO tee shirt online.)

I wrote her back: “thanks for the note, i’m flattered i made the cut! i’m not sure how i made the cut, but i’m flattered i did. i’m game for any questions you want to throw at me, email is good, phone is good, i like faxing, i like morse code, whatever you’re into is good with me.”

She was very nice and put up with my lack of professionalism and lack of capital letters. We agreed on email, which I found a relief as I don’t know Morse code and I’d have to get one of those little ticky ticky things you make morse code with. Then hook it up to….what? The phone line? The DSL? An undersea cable system of some sort?

Since I was in at this point, denying my fascinationalism would be weird so I embraced it and told her that I can fly. Or maybe that was the writer from Seattle….either way….I can fly. Fascinating, no? Somehow that tidbit didn’t make it into the story (either in Seattle or Vegnews) which I, frankly, find fascinating. But hey, your publication, not mine.

So the issue of VegNews with fascinating old me in it came out this week. How did I find out? The torrent of wise cracking emails from goons I have the displeasure of knowing that quickly burdened my inbox. Jealous! All of them! Because they are NOT fascinating! And they cannot fly!

Literally a coast to coast barrage of emails from dullards making fun of me for my fascinating ways! Can you imagine?!

Some kind folks dropped me a note to congratulate me on this major award, thank you all.

So yeah, go pick up the new issue and see my failed attempts to take an arty photo of myself in my living room that comes off as standard myspace fare.

I will now go out on the balcony and wave nonchalantly to the throngs of admirers down on the street below.

We decided a little while ago there were a lot of amazing books out there that aren’t actually out there. We realized a lot of amazing books are sitting unwritten in the brains and hearts of some friends of ours. We decided something had to be done.

So we’re going to start making books. We’ve got two titles in the works, both due out this year.

First up is Joanna Vaught’s blog-turned-cookbook Yellow Rose Recipes. Go look at her blog and get hungry, I just did. Here’s your little helper push:

The book is going to be full color, around 200 pages, and will be out October/November.

The next book we’re working on is Lolo’s blog-turned-cookbook (seeing a theme here?) Vegan Yum Yum. This one will also be around 200 pages, full color, and out in November. Peep her blog and note the almost 200 comments these cupcakes got:

We’re overwhelmed with happy happy getting to work with these two amazing vegan cooks. We’ve been testing out some of the recipes ourselves and could not be more excited about them.

More updates to come, as well as pre-sale discounts and special offers.

Well. Crap.

Dan over at Punk Planet announced they have just put out their 80th and final issue. I knew this a while back but was sworn to secrecy. And now that it’s official, even though I’ve known for a couple months, this really hurts.

I worked on Punk Planet for a long time. I was there putting in long hours with Dan as the magazine went from being pretty crappy and amatuer to being a real political and social force. I left around 2000 and things were on the rise, things looked hopeful and the future full of promise. Now here we are 7 years later and they are closing up shop, reportedly due to distribution problems (you may know our own distribution woes, PP and Herbivore had the same distributor) as well as problems with their advertising base being another industry that is suffering: Independent music. The two income streams dried up at the same time, plus, people are supporting indy media less and less. Not much way forward in that situation.

It’s all very sad. You can read my column in the final issue for my attempt at hopefullness in all of this. I believe what I wrote, I believe the end of something is the beginning of something else. I know the viewpoints and energy that made Punk Planet happen for 13 years won’t disappear just because it’s physical form has stopped being made. Some days, however, it takes me a little longer to convince myself. Especially as I sit here typing this and six inches to the right of my right hand is the final issue of Satya that landed on my desk last week.

Portland! Sunday the 10th! The Artistery (just up the street from Food Fight on SE Division)! 8 pm! 3 bux!

Come watch the greatest movie ever made. NO FOR REAL! Big Trouble in Little China is one of hte most quotable, hilarious movies I know of. It’s going to be a lot of fun to watch and your $3 donation goes to the SHAC commissary. Woo!

Hey gang,

Our web host had some sort of upgrade that knocked our site out for a little while, but it, along with the June online edition will be up in the next few days. Woo! Sorry for the blank pages you’re seeing when you try and log in, we’ll have it fixed soon.

There are so many events coming up I (sadly) can’t make them all but I’m excited that it’s come to this!

Here is the list:
Portland:
This weekend, Vegfest! Check it: http://portlandvegfest.org/2007/index.shtml
We’ll have a table with tons of stuff, this will be the biggest Vegfest yet, woo!

Sunday! The SHAC fundraiser rummage sale at Food Fight. Word on the street is Chad Food Fight is using this opportunity to get rid of his “classic” underpants collection. He calls them collectors items, I call them threadbare dingy yellow tighty whiteys, but someone might want them.

Then later on Sunday (8 pm to be exactical)! Raising Arizona at the Artistery, SHAC fundraiser. I will most certainly be yelling out lines and getting them wrong making a fool of myself. Artistery is on Division a block East, up the road from Food Fight, on the left hand side.

Seattle! The fine fine folks of Sugarcrash (it’s a mobile vegan bike bakery!) are having a fundraiser for Josh Harper on May 12th. I want to go to this SOOOO bad! We’ll be getting a post event wrap up and article about the whole project for the mag soon enough. Sigh. Nice logo they’ve got there huh? Go to their page for the infooooze.