On Saturday, Sept 11 I went with some friends to the 20th Annual Vegetarian Food Fest. It was my first time going down, and I was excited to see what was new and exciting in the Vegetarian/Vegan world.

As a disclaimer, I am by no means vegetarian, or anywhere close to being one. But I am cutting back on the ratio of meat to fruit/grain/vegetable intake, and I can't very well eat much dairy due to lactose intolerance.

The event is run by the Toronto Vegetarian Association. They're a non-profit vegarian group that has been running since 1945, says the website. Not too shabby eh? This year the festival had a variety of vegatrian options, as well as "stop the world from eating meat" "cruelty to animals" etc. kind of messages.

As with any food festival, there were tons of samples available. It was great to try out some stuff that SOUNDS good, but in actual fact TASTES REVOLTING. But everything's worth a shot eh? A highlight were alternative "ice cream" bars from Tofutti. They make amazing non-dairy alternatives, which actually taste as soon as the real thing! I swear i couldn't even tell the difference from regular ice cream bars. It was great! A low light were Soy Jerky -- yes, ok, the name sounds as bad as it tastes. It tasted like splitered wood with crusted pork marinade which fell from a firepit a week ago... It was a once-a-lifetime experience for me.

ANYWAY, It was great to see such a variety of people there. People from all cultures, age, gender and sexuality were all there. You could tell it was a vegetarian festival since most of the people where slim / fit! There were some who looked bit like skeletor phantoms, which made even ME feel fat! -- This wouldn't be my top hangout to find a hot squeezeable stud, that's for sure! (no worries since SBF was already with me!)

They also had some incredible fruits available. I guess you'd expect that from a vegetarian fest! I got some info from PETA, who's booth had some gruesome pictures of tortured animals and vegetarian/vegan "starter kits". Heh.

This lunch I read through one of the free "starter kits" from them, and i'd say that some of the claims are quite bold. I think it's great how they're educating the public about the conditions of animals, but promoting vegan children can be dangerous. I guess i need a bit more reassurance than "Studies [what studies?] show that you don't need meat for protein, nor do you need to combine foods to get the right nutrients in your diet [where is this from?]" to omit meat from a growing child's diet. I would like to think it can be done, but not without some careful planning and proven studies on the LT effects.

I do feel better eating less meat, but i don't think i'll ever go insofar as omitting it completely.. How can I say no to things like sushi or smoked chicken from the cottage firepit? And no, substituting soy jerk for the fingerlicking firepit chicken from the cottage is NOT a comparable substitute!

Take care,

RE

"Eat drink and be merry"