New student guide to vegetarian and vegan options, on and off campus
 
This year, for the first time, Toronto Vegetarian Association printed a special mini Vegetarian Directory for first-year university students.

Thousands of full-colour cards were printed and included in frosh kits at York University and OCAD. We still have cards available to distribute if you know any campus groups that can use them. Online, the information is available at veg.ca/campus.

The guide includes the best vegetarian restaurants close to downtown campuses, the top three vegetarian-friendly places to eat at York U, vegetarian fast food options, vegan sandwich suggestions, veggie groups, cooking classes, nutrition, links for finding a veggie roommates, recipe suggestions and much more.

The latest print edition of the Vegetarian Directory was launched September 5-7, 2008 at our 24th Annual Vegetarian Food Fair at Harbourfront where it proved very popular. Several thousand were picked up during the course of the weekend (50,000 have been printed in total). We also will be distributing them to over 140 locations around Toronto.

The Vegetarian Directory is a concise compilation of vegetarian-friendly restaurants, bakeries, caterers, food stores, organic produce suppliers, cooking classes, vacation spots, bookstores and organizations in the Toronto area. The current 2009 edition features restaurants and food stores listed alphabetically, along with neighbourhood maps.

If you would like one of these pocket-sized directories and can't find one in your neighbourhood, send a self-addressed stamped regular envelope and we will mail one out to you free of charge.

Upcoming: Celebrity chef Howard Dubrovsky will be a featured guest at our Vegetarian Food Fair. He is presenting a cooking demo there at 3pm on Saturday, Sep. 6, 2008.

A few day ago on Saturday, Aug. 30, Howard presented an amazing vegetarian cooking demo full of gourmet tip at Toronto's Brick Works Farmers' Market. Howard guided participants through the market to shop for field-fresh produce, engaged them in a hands-on cooking workshop, and finally treated everyone to a delicious meal. It was part of the Brick Works' Taste of Place series.

A professionally trained chef from the California Culinary Academy, Howard Dubrovsky is also a published writer, photographer and food stylist who appears regularly on TV shows such as Entertainment Tonight Canada, MTV Canada, and Food Network Specials. He also teaches cooking classes throughout Canada, edits cookbooks and develops recipes for various publications.

VegE-News is a monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe. Their August issue's stories included:

• Feast or famine: Meat production and world hunger. The United Nations estimates that 854 million people – nearly 13 percent of the world’s human population – go hungry every day. And the problem is only getting worse. Josette Sheeran, executive director of the UN’s World Food Program, says, “The world’s misery index is rising.” So is our hunger for meat. Every year industrial animal factories in the U.S. feed 157 million metric tons of legumes, cereal and vegetable protein to livestock, resulting in 28 million metric tons of animal protein for human consumption (for a ratio of 5.6 to 1). Nutritious plant-based food that could feed humans instead goes to feed animals in a very inefficient use of resources.

• On trail of elusive carbon footprint. The most accurate calculators (such as the one by the Berkeley Institute of the Environment) take a cradle-to-grave approach, tallying everything related to an individual's consumption. For example, the Berkeley calculator will count not only tailpipe emissions from driving, but also those from a vehicle's manufacture. Most calculators are comparatively simple, counting only driving emissions. Food can also play a large role in a person's carbon footprint. Cows are notorious for their methane emissions, but feeding them also requires fuel and energy. A University of Chicago study found switching from a diet laden with red meat to a vegetarian one can lower a carbon footprint by 1.5 tons.

• Eating less meat and junk food could cut energy use almost in half. An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the U.S. is taken up in the production and supply of food. By curbing junk food and over-eating, reducing processed food intake, switching to more traditional, organic farming methods and converting to diets lower in meat, that number could be cut to 10 percent. Conventional meat and dairy production is extremely energy intensive. Half of the energy used to make food in the U.S. is spent making animal products - meat, dairy and eggs. Also see ABCnews for an excellent story on this report.

• Kids are picking up on eco-friendly veggie lifestyle. PETA has recruited 200,000 youths this summer while tagging along with the music and sports festival Warped Tour, said Lara Sanders, the group's head of youth marketing. "Kids have been making the connection between the environment and a vegetarian diet and knowing that going vegetarian is the best thing that you can do for the environment."

Health

• Large study links meat consumption to increased cancer risk. A new large-scale study has provided stronger evidence linking the consumption of red and processed meats to an increased risk of cancer. Researchers from the U.S. National Cancer Institute examined data on 494,000 participants in the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-AARP Diet and Health Study. Researchers found that people who consumed the most red meat (beef, pork and lamb) had a 25 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer in the study period compared with those who ate the least, and a 20 percent higher risk of developing lung cancer. The risk of esophageal and liver cancer was increased by between 20 and 60 percent.
• Canada confirms 14th case of mad cow disease. Mad cow disease is believed to be spread when cattle eat protein rendered from brains and spines of infected cattle or sheep. The rendered protein was still allowed in pig and poultry feed until July 2007, when regulators, fearing cross-contamination, ordered that brains, spines and other high-risk material from old cattle be removed at slaughter and destroyed.
• Controlling diabetes might be easier than you think with vegan diet.
• Africa courts animal-spread diseases. It is estimated that about 75 per cent of the new diseases that have affected humans over the past 10 years have been caused by pathogens originating from animals. This was the case of the HIV - the virus that causes AIDS, which experts believe jumped the divide from apes to humans.

Lifestyles and Trends

• Bringing an end to food waste. There are people out there that can afford to buy food first-hand, but they would rather live off discarded, yet perfectly edible [mostly vegan] food that would otherwise clog up land fill sites. They are called freegans.
• Answers about the vegan lifestyle in New York (and elsewhere). Sample question: Why are so many omnivores so incredibly hostile towards vegans? Answer: Vegans are culinary gadflies whose very existence sting people into re-examining the morality of eating murdered animals.
• Just right for the UK garden: A mini-cow. Registrations of the most popular breed, the Dexter, have doubled since 2000 and websites are sprouting up offering "the world's most efficient, cutest and tastiest cows." For between £200 and £2,000, people can buy a cow that "stands no taller than a large German shepherd dog, gives 16 pints of milk a day that can be drunk unpasteurised, keeps the grass 'mown' and will be a family pet for years before ending up in the freezer."

Animals

• In a flap over caged hens. A November ballot measure seeking more space for calves raised for veal and breeding pigs could also make California the first U.S. state to ban the housing in small wire cages of egg-laying hens. An undercover investigation in May by Mercy for Animals showed video of rotting hen carcasses in cages with live hens and scrawny hens covered in excrement.
• From battery farm to family pet. Chickens have real characters: they can be very curious and cheeky. They're like little cats and dogs with feathers.

Books and Perspectives

• Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn. "After reading her description of how the deli meat got to my Tupperware container, I put off lunch until late in the afternoon . . . With each bite into the ham, I heard the shrieking of pigs in my head. When will the pigs stop screaming, Karen Dawn? When? When the world converts to vegetarianism, she writes in the book. This will happen eventually. She's not militant about this point. She's logical. She's levelheaded. She's funny. That's why her message is so . . . darn . . . persuasive." – Dan Zak of the Washington Post.
• KidLit: Wild Animals in Captivity is a book by Rob Laidlaw, director of Zoocheck Canada.

Colleen and I (John) have a bevy of news items to address. On the fun front: Udupi Palace is having a dosa eating contest. These dosas are supercharged with lots of chlilies so those of you with an iron stomach, you've found your calling. The contest gets going on Sunday, August the 24th at 2pm outside of Udupi Palace (1460 Gerrard Street East).

On the sad front: Maple Leaf foods has had to recall their packaged meats due to a listeriosis outbreak. Four people have died so far and another couple dozen are seriously ill.

On the cool front: Sneaky Dee's (a popular restaurant/bar at the Bathurst/College intersection) has lots of vegan items on their menu now. Some of these items include: vegan nachos, a tofu wrap, veggie burger and cupcakes. Indeed, vegan cupcakes do take over the world.

But it's not just fun and games on today's podcast as there is news of a new soy milk which will be of interest to Torontonians. Yoso (based in Cambridge, Ontario) is a local producer of soy milk and yogurt. Colleen reports that the milk is delicious and can be purchased at the Big Carrot. Update: "Last night it had thickened considerably and by this morning it had curdled completely. The due date wasn't until Aug 29. So, I'm going to have to retract my good review of it," writes Colleen. Perhaps it really wants to be yogurt?

I am happy to report that my marathon training is going well which means I'm burning a lot of calories - I can stare down massive portions of food and know that there will be no leftovers.

There are lots of awesome upcoming events with the Toronto Vegetarian Association. On Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 8pm there is the Shades of Green Party (a semi-formal silent auction) taking place at Vegetarian Haven. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $20 or $50 qualifies you for a charitable donation receipt. Call 416-544-9800 if you're interested. The Vegetarian Food Fair is a mere two weeks away. Lastly, there will be a vegan Bake-on taking place October 4, 2008 - listen to future podcasts and check veg.ca for more information.

This podcast is a spicy dosa 32 minutes.

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Colleen and I (John) discuss many a far off place in today's podcast. First, we thank David from Atlanta (Hotlanta!) for sending us two Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe t-shirts. In order to receive these t-shirts we answered a question (posed by David) on podcast 107 about the "un-vegan" things that we do. I still wear a 15-year-old leather belt fairly regularly and Colleen sometimes kills cockroaches.

There is also some discussion about "Korean Night". This is an evening where friends get together to try out the Korean recipes from The Asian Vegan Kitchen cookbook. I am making Hodo Kwaja (Korean Walnut Cakes) and Colleen (via her husband) is making Bibim Bop (Spicy Rice).

Next on the world tour is Argentina and Uruguay. There is good vegan eating to be had in these two countries which are known for steak. I highly recommend the following three restaurants in Buenos Aires: Verde Llama, Krishna and Bio. Also, you can eat well in Montevideo and specifically at Bambu. This just proves that there are vegetarian options in parts of the world where you wouldn't expect it. Heck, there's even a vegetarian organization in Argentina and vegan graffiti.

Colleen discusses her love of the raw vegan restaurant, Cilantro in San Diego, and her tempeh salad of which she is equally fond.

This week's question of the week: what are you most looking forward to at this year's food fair? My answer: Brendan Brazier. Colleen's answer: the raw burger in the Food Fair's world café.

This week's podcast is a grade-11-belt-sized 28 minutes.

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Today, we (Colleen and Angeline) discussed the great visitors we had at the Resource Centre, including honey-mooners from VegMichigan. They visited more of Toronto's vegetarian restaurants than we have eaten at! Their biggest event of the year is VegFest in April. Road trip anyone? We were also visited by a vegetarian doctor who must, unfortunately, remain nameless because he's not taking new patients.

We also waxed poetic on the Vegetarian Food Fair which is coming up soon (Sept. 5, 6, 7), veg-friendly cities in North America, the advantages and disadvantages of watching upsetting films like Earthlings (available at our Resource Centre. View trailer), the vegan bake sale Colleen recently participated in to raise money for Rabbit Rescue, and fakey meats.

This podcast is a quotation mark enclosed, "seafood"-wrapped 34 minutes long.

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The VegNews annual reader survey in 2008 included options to select Toronto as your favourite vegetarian-friendly city and our Vegetarian Food Fair as best vegetarian event. According to VegNews: "By voting, you can choose today's most popular vegetarian people, places, and products. This is one of the magazine's most anticipated features, with winners announced in the 'Best of Vegetarian' holiday Nov/Dec edition of VegNews."

Favourites aside, which city is actually the most vegetarian-friendly?

A poll at HappyCow lists the top five as New York, San Francisco, London (England), Singapore and Portland (Oregon). Toronto is a runner up. A list at GoVeg.com shows the top five vegetarian-friendly cities in the U.S. as Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, New York and Atlanta. They list the top four in Canada as Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal.

Certainly Toronto has a lot going for it. We have the Annual Vegetarian Food Fair, the largest vegetarian event in North America. The city boasts several excellent organizations that promote vegetarianism, including us. There is also a huge variety of world cuisines available – our Vegetarian Directory lists 54 vegetarian restaurants (73 in the Greater Toronto Area).

Here is an analysis of the number of vegetarian restaurants per person in North American cities: 

Notes: Population stats are from Wikipedia. Number of restaurants are from HappyCow except we used our own more complete list for Toronto, Earthsave's thorough list for Vancouver and SuperVegan's long list for New York. The figures above are not for the greater population living beyond the cities.

Larger cities have one distinct advantage. They have the population to support a greater variety of vegetarian restaurants, including gourmet full-service places.

Of course, other parts of the world are strikingly more vegetarian than North America. HappyCow lists over 100 vegetarian and vegan restaurants in Singapore, a city of 4.5 million, and they report that in parts of Taiwan you can find a vegetarian restaurant or food stall on just about every street. In India (especial in the south) vegetarian restaurants are the norm. Restaurants that serve meat are in the minority and label themselves as "non-vegetarian."

Herbivores for Herbivores: Vegan bake sale for Rabbit Rescue
Sat. August 2, 2008 — Noon - 4 pm

Heart on Your Sleeve, the eco-friendly clothing store beside Left Feet, is hosting a vegan bake sale with all proceeds going to Rabbit Rescue. Local vegans and bunny lovers (including podcast host, Colleen Shea) are baking up a storm. Sadie's Diner and other local vegetarian restaurants are also donating tasty treats for the cause.
• Location: 61A Bellevue St just west of Augusta in the Kensington Market

TARS Vegan Potluck & Rooster's Inn Farm Sanctuary fundraiser
Sun. August 3, 2008 — 5:45pm dinner, presentation starts at 7pm

After the meal, there will be a presentation by Roosters Inn, a brand new farm sanctuary and bed & breakfast, located near Toronto. They provide permanent homes to a wide variety of neglected animals, including cats, chickens, chinchillas, ducks, goats, guinea pigs, and rabbits. These animals have been rescued from deplorable conditions. Many of the chickens have had their beaks cut off in factory farm systems. Regular potlucks occur on the first and third Sundays of every month and provide a great opportunity to taste a variety of delicious entrees and desserts, try new foods, and exchange recipes. There is no cost to attend but you are asked to bring a 8-10 portion dish.
• Location: Unitarian Church, 175 St. Clair Ave W, just west of Avenue Rd.

VegE-News is a monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe. Their July issue 's stories included:

Health
• Personal values deceive taste buds. Many heavy meat-eaters believe they eat meat because of the taste. But according to groundbreaking new research the reason that a beef burger tastes better than a veggie burger to some people has more to do with values than actual taste.

• Dr. Ornish: The never-ending diet wars. A new study, funded in part by the Atkins Foundation, comparing the Atkins diet, a Mediterranean diet and a low-fat diet has resulted in headlines saying that a low-carb diet is best for weight loss and health. However, according to Ornish, the study is extremely flawed. The participants who followed the "Atkins diet" were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and protein and to avoid trans fat. A vegetarian Atkins diet?

• Could missing molecule explain why meat causes disease in humans?

• German study: Vegetarians live longer. A study of 1,904 vegetarians over a period of 21 years produced shocking results: Vegetarian women benefited from a 30 percent reduction in mortality and vegetarian men reduced their risk of early death by 50 percent!

• Research: Popular tilapia fish contains potentially dangerous fatty acid combination.

Environment
• Diet for a more-crowded planet: Plants.
• Global warming: The meat of the matter.
• Oceans empty of fish - and the ecosystem is gasping.

Lifestyles and Trends
• Canada: These elite athletes are vegetarians. A group on Vancouver Island is showing that athletes don't need meat to compete. "Dinner last night was a big yam, about two cups of broccoli, two cups of kale and a little veggie chicken thing," says Dave Shishkoff, 32, a competitive cyclist and a vegan for almost 18 years.  Dave is also president of the Victoria chapter of Organic Athlete, an organization dedicated to providing information and support to vegetarian, vegan and whole-food athletes.
• Meatless in Moscow.
• Flexitarians: Fewer omnivores find meatless meals a dilemma.

Animal Issues and Advocacy.
• EU proposes crackdown on seal hunt. The announced plan covers hunts worldwide, but focuses on Canada due to claims by anti-hunt campaigners that it is the cruelest. Canadian seal hunters use spiked clubs and rifles to kill seals.
• Rabbi finds vegetarianism to be a religious ideal.

John is joined by Angeline for today's podcast episode. There are several questions and tips from listeners. Shawn writes in and wants to know about making soy milk. While the two podcast hosts have no experience with soy milk makers Angeline describes how she has experience with making the product sans soy milk maker. There is also the suggestion of visiting "The Tofu Guy" in St. Lawrence Market. Steve suggests checking out VeganYumYum's post on making soy milk from scratch. See comment 54 where he writes: "I have a SoyQuick machine and love the taste and ease. I cringed reading your process. The machine method is so easy, and clean up is not that bad."

Shawn also has some great links from BlogTO - the best vegetarian restaurants in Toronto and the best lunches in Kensington Market. In position number one is Urban Herbivore. BlogTO calls them a "vegan paradise."

Another letter comes from David in HOT-lanta. He points out that KFC's veggie burger is reportedly fried in the same fryer as meat, and thus raises the question as to whether it is actually "vegetarian". David is partaking in a 24-hour bike relay which is sponsored by Cosmos Vegan Shoppe. He is also the inspiration for this week's "Question of the week": "When was the last time you did something that wasn't vegan, you knew it wasn't vegan, but you did it anyway?" 'Fess up! John admits to wearing a 15-year-old leather belt fairly regularly. Angeline was volunteering at a vegan farm recently and flicked a cricket off her pants and may have "traumatized it."

The podcast team also recently learned that Dwayne De Rosario is vegan. Say what you will about "vegan celebrities", but John is more impressed by "vegan athletes" because they are very dependent on the food that they are putting in their bodies.

There is also some banter about good food ideas to bring on a plane. The best snacks are dried fruit and trail mix, but there are others up for debate too. Bottom line: don't bring pudding.

This podcast is a "chick-lit"-reference-free 30 minutes.

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Four new vegetarian restaurants have recently opened in Toronto, two have extended their hours, and three are closing or are in transition.

Green Earth Vegetarian Cuisine (385 Broadview Ave, n. of Gerrard, 416-778-9199) is a new vegan restaurant in Toronto's east end Chinatown. They describe themselves as: "a small cozy restaurant that offers pure, unique and healthy vegan cuisine at an affordable price. ...full menu of spicy and non-spicy dishes. Whether you are vegetarian or not, or prefer Western or Eastern food, Green Earth guarantees tasty servings from different ethnic backgrounds such as Vietnamese, Chinese, American, Italian and more." Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm, Sun 2pm-8pm

Wanda’s Pie in the Sky (287 Augusta Ave, s. of College, 416-236-7585) has opened a new location in the heart of Kensington Market across from Urban Herbivore. They are entirely vegetarian, offering tasty pizza, sandwiches and soup, in addition to desserts. Vegan options are somewhat limited, but the soup is generally vegan, they offer one type of vegan cookie, and a variety of vegan pies. The space is very inviting with lots of activity, a large communal wooden table, newspapers for reading, and large doors opening to a street-facing patio. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-7pm, Sun 11am-6pm.

Zen Gardens (6980 Maritz Dr, n. of the 401, near Hwy 10, 905-461-2498) is a new vegetarian restaurant in Mississauga open daily 11am-10pm. They serve delicious Chinese cuisine, including noodle soups, sushi, mock meat dishes, combination specials and many other choices. Renan writes: "The decor is modern-Asian and they also sell a wide variety of gourmet teas." They are part of a line of vegetarian restaurants in Toronto (King’s Cafe), London, Waterloo, Cambridge, Quebec City and Moncton. They also opened a new location in Guelph at 104 Surrey St E, 519-620-8809.

Update (Jan 7, 2009): The Annex HodgePodge (258 Dupont St., e. of Spadina, 416-513-1333) is no longer vegetarian. Harry who was the chef and half-owner informed us that his partner is now running the place and serves meat. Harry, who no longer works there, said that they weren't making money as a vegetarian eatery. Currently closed but reopening soon.

Two vegetarian places have extended their hours

LIVE - Organic Food Bar (264 Dupont St, at Spadina, 416-515-2002) is now open on Mondays. They now serve up delicious raw food, as well as macrobiotic and Aryuvedic cuisine, seven days a week.

Sadie's Diner & Juice Bar (504 Adelaide St W, e. of Bathurst, 416-777-2343) is now open for dinner until 10pm Wed to Sat. They are also open on Mon, Tue and Sun during the day and always open early for breakfast.

Closings and transitions

Govinda’s Dining Room (243 Avenue Rd, 416-922-5415) is closed for the time being. They may reopen next year.

Saravanaa Bhavan's Indian restaurant in Richmond Hill is closing on Aug 1. Their other locations in Mississauga (4559 Hurontario St, at Eglinton, 905-290-0769) and Scarborough (1571 Sandhurst Circle, Finch & McCowan, 416-293-7755) remain open and they are looking to add a new location downtown.