Vegan Weddings

I really wish I had found this resource by the magazine Veg News before our wedding. It is a profile of 8 couples who had vegan weddings. Vietnamese Snow Rolls, Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes, Portobello Lasagna, Olive Wreath Antipasto?!

Ok - so our wedding was very mushroom/rice centric as well - but many of the couples had dishes with tempeh or seiten and a wider variety of ethnic foods that our caterer just couldn't/wouldn't prepare. Paella? NO. Falafel? NO. Also when I asked our caterer if they could do without the cream or butter when we did decide on a final dish they just didn't know how. I personally didn't really like the main entree but everyone I asked said they loved it - but I think they are just being polite. Is vegan food for a crowd really that difficult?

I just remember looking over at my grandpa and seeing him choking down a giant hen of the woods mushroom with a look of utter horror on his face. And the ultimate slap in the face? They re-used the leftover rice pilaf the next morning at brunch and still charged us $17.95.

I must admit that they did willingly depart from their standard menu of filet mignon with a side of chicken and a fish option for those vegetarians out there. I just wish they had done it a little better.

So vegan brides - stick to your guns and demand vegan food. Good vegan food. Because you don't want to pay 13,000$ for a party where you are roped into serving your friends and family second rate food just because they can't learn to cook without using animal products. Rant over - look forward to new recipes soon!

Vegan Eco-Footprint

Part of being vegan is constantly scrutinizing and re-scrutinizing where your food comes from. While some people become vegan because of health or animal rights issues I chose veganism because what I found out about the meat and dairy industry business practices sickened me. We actually eliminated almost all eggs and dairy from our diet long before going vegan (seafood was the last to go) but learning more about the mass production of agricultural products drove the final nails in the coffin. Even though I don't feel guilt anymore for contributing to those business practices (but still horror) I have become obsessed with constantly learning more.

The dialogue on veganism seems like it has turned to what benefits it holds for the planet. So I did a little test. I took the eco-footprint quiz once as a vegan and once as someone who ate meat or dairy at every meal. As a meat eater I would require 4.4 planets to satiate my meat eating needs. Just switching to veganism reduced this number to 3.6 planets. Not a saintly number but 22% lower.

Then I took the eco-footprint quiz as if I lived in Finland as a vegan. 1.8 earths. Half of my current usage. I guess for Americans they just take the score you might have gotten in a responsible country and double it as an asshole tax.

Instead of ranting about how New Orleans has yet to establish a recycling program and just passed out huge plastic bins large enough to accommodate five human bodies I am off to search for a curry recipe that includes chickpeas and cauliflower. My roti will be done resting in half an hour and I have no idea what to serve with it!