A Friendly Message to the Colorful Toreador on West Portal

I love your restaurant but couldn't eat there recently with a friend because you didn't have anything for vegans in the way of a main hot  dish.  I hope that by now you've added something like butternut squash tamales.

Please let me know, and we'll be back.

Also, do you now indicate on your menu what's vegan, what's vegetarian, what's gluten free, etc?

What Fuzio's Can Do To Help the Environment and Alleviate the Suffering of Animals in Factory Farms and

Two friends and I had lunch at Fuzio's yesterday, and when  the hostess forgot to deliver the message that my friends were already seated, I used those 15 minutes to look over the menu--varied but with almost no vegan options.

Since plant-based dishes are kinder on the environment and on animals that suffer in factory farming, Fuzio's Bistro could add a vegan sauce for the Pad Thai fish sauce and add pine nuts to the tomatoes on pasta dish to provide protein and make it a bit more interesting.

It would be great if they would add a vegan dessert too.  Right across the floor there on Embarcadero, the Embarcadero Cinema offers 6 kinds of cookies--all vegan!

The servers were courteous, but they shouldn't have to work so hard to accommodate vegans.  The menu needs to have vegan options right there, ready to go.

King of Thai Noodle Cook Likes Vegans

Jonathan and I had a quick lunch at King of Thai Noodle Cafe, and when I asked the server what the difference was between vegetarian and vegan broth, she told me some vegetarians were fine with a chicken stock.  She said the cook was happy that I was a vegan.  I don't think she was just saying that because she'd put chicken stock in my soup.  I'm sure she put vegan, and maybe she had so much on hand that wasn't ordered that she celebrated being able to use it on these rare occasions?

The Sequoias: A Retirement Center Induced to Consider Vegan

  My son Jonathan and I usually have a pre-Christmas celebration with his Aunt Patty and Uncle Joe at the Sequoias, where they live.   This year there were more vegan options and even a labeling of such options, and Patty and Joe told us that was because the vegans among the residents pretty much insisted upon it.

The only thing they didn't have for vegans was dessert, unless you consider Sherbert--too cold on a wintry day!

I was impressed and want to know more about these retirees who remind me of what the authors say in Hello.  My Name Is Vegan Freak:   "Timid vegans go hungry."
I'd like to know more about how these assertive vegans improved the offerings!

A Surprise (Vegan) Package

What a surprise!

My son is visiting for the holidays and ordered some things to be delivered to my address and in my name (so as not to confuse the mail carrier), so since I hadn't ordered anything, I put the three packages that arrived yesterday with his things in the bedroom, and then this morning I saw that he'd left one of the  packages out with a post-it note  to me.  It began, "Tina, I don't know how to thank you for that wonderful letter--" and I was trying to figure out who'd gotten a wonderful letter from me.  I feared I hadn't written any wonderful letters, and I wondered whether the person had the wrong Tina!  But I read on and continued to wonder.

  I should have thought of the   wonderful now-90-year-old vegan I met at a Christmas party three or four years ago because she has a way of writing like a writer--someone who thinks things through on a lot of different levels, and the wording of "Actually, yes, I do {know how to thank you for that wonderful letter}--by doing better than this in reply."  She uses words with mastery, and   I feel that I'm reading Diana Athill!

But I read on and saw that the sender was giving me some vegan candies.  Who would do that?   I saw a signature of "L," and my son had just returned from visiting someone whose name is Lani, but she never sends me vegan candies, and she wouldn't have mailed them anyway.

I thought of a vegan friend who lives in Pacifica (and is active with the SF Veg Society), but I hadn't written her any "wonderful letter."

Finally, I thought of   this lovely, 90-year-old vegan because, even though I hadn't considered my letter to her wonderful, it was wonderfully heart-felt.  

Before even thanking her, I popped one of the vegan chocolates  into my mouth, and they're delicious.

Wholesome Bakery Makes Delicious Things, Vegan and Gluten Free

 The name "Wholesome"  may be off-putting for people who are more conscious of taste than health, but Wholesome Bakery offers treats that are  vegan and gluten free AND pleasing to the palate.

I just wrote a sort of fan letter to the person who runs the bakery, located in San Francisco on 18th Street between Mission and Capp.

Dear Anna,

Last Saturday, I arrived early at Wholesome Bakery to get something (other than bûche de noel) for my French group meeting on Sunday, and even though you hadn't yet arrived, the very nice people who run the Alite Outpost were there--Mere (?) and John--and she showed me what they had from the previous day, so I bought the almond cakes and cookies, which were a big success the following day!  The gluten-intolerant member of our group was grateful, and our host mentioned that when he sent out a message of thanks after our gathering.

I'm attaching a photo for you to see the display. 

I'd like to become a regular customer of yours!  We take turns bringing the amuse-gueules, so most Saturdays I'd just need to pick up a small portion of something vegan that's also gluten-free.  But when it's my turn, I'll order the whole almond cake and more.

A feast called The Three Kings, which is celebrated in both the Latino and French communities, is coming January 6, so if my group  gets together for that, I think we could use a whole almond cake for the galette   des rois.     Have you considered offering that the way other bakeries around the city do?  Yours would be so special for vegans and people who are gluten-intolerant!  The one made in the Mission District is very different from the French one, and even though I love some of the Mexican baked goods, in the case of this cake, I much prefer the French version, which is a lot like your almond cake!

Tina

Vegan at the Embarcadero Cinema

 The Underdog vegan hotdog is available at the Embarcadero Cinema, where I found 6 different kinds of vegan cookies from Alternative Baking Company!

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Menu/Emarcadero_ConcessionsMenu_r1_WEB.pdf

Renee Morel's French Class: Veganism in France

Yesterday when a friend and I were having lunch at Lemonade, she (Elma) mentioned the end-of-the-semester French class she attended, which had an article on how big the vegan and vegetarian  movement is becoming in France.

Today I found these three links:

http://www.lemonde.fr/m-styles/article/2016/02/24/vegan-une-histoire-de-culte_4871005_4497319.html

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/04/14/etre-vegetalien-et-grand-sportif-c-est-possible_4902179_3244.html

http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2016/04/07/lexique-comprendre-la-galaxie-vegetarienne_4898161_3244.html

I don't have time now to read them but will be back!

Open Letter to Wholesome Baker in San Francisco

I'm happy to discover an all-vegan pastry shop in San Francisco in the Mission:

http://www.wholesomebakery.com/

They're on 18th between Mission and Capp--very close to Gracias Madre.

Here's the note I just sent them:


 As a vegan who really wants to support the vegan movement/revolution for every reason,  I'm so glad you're there.  

I only wish you made a buche de noel because I belong to a group of Francophiles/Francophones who meet once a month, and I'd like to bring a vegan buche de Noel to our next meeting, Sunday, December 18.   Is there any chance you could add that to your repertoire or as a special order?   If not, can you make croissants?

 I'm looking forward to becoming a regular customer.

Impossible Burger at Jardiniere

                            http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/feature-dining/animal-style-impossible-burger/

Lemonade--4 at Our Table and 3 Were Vegans!

There were four people at our table, and three of us were vegans.  When I asked Jane Allen, described as The World's Greatest Math Instructor, why she had made the decision to become vegan 15 years ago, she said, "For health and for humanity."

The food was delicious.   Now they just have to work on creating a vegan dessert.

Encuentro--Expensive but worth it!

We celebrated my sister Suzy's birthday yesterday at Encuentro in Berkeley, and everything was terrific!     My photos don't really do justice to the plates.  I see that I've cut off the prices--pricey, but worth it and worthy of a very special occasion!

A Vegan's Boar's Head Carol?

The San Francisco Bach Choir combined fun and beauty in a  wonderful way last Friday  at a Candlelight Service at Calvary Presbyterian Church, but I was a little confused about part of the fun.

Is this a chocolate boar's head?

Here are the words to one of the songs they sang in the category of The Community Celebrates.

The boar's head  in hand bear I,

bedecked with bays and rosemary.

and I pray you, my masters, be merry,

Quot estis in convivio [As many as are in the feast].

Capput apri  defero [I bring in the boar's head]

Reddens laudes Domino [Giving thanks to the Lord].

The cheese plate aloft I bring.That vegetarians may sing.

Though you eschew the flesh of pork

Still raise a glass and wield your fork!

Caput cheese plate...[I bring the cheese plate].

The boar's head as I understand,

is the rarest dish in all the land,

which thus bedecked with a gay garland

let us servire cantico [Let us serve with a song].

Caput apri...[I bring in the boar's head]

Fie then, sirs, and shame on you!

Abhor the boar, and serve tofu

This gorgeous block of gleaming white,

hic bean-um bonum servio!

Caput tofu...[I bring in the tofo].

Our steward hath provided this

in honor of the Queen of Bliss,

which on this day shall be served is (us?)

in reginesi atrio [In the hall of Queen's College].

Caput apri...[I bring in the boar's head].

Advice for the modern host:

You need not kill the thing you roast.

In faith whereof I propose this toast:

Ally ally al-ly oxen free!

Caput vino...[I bring in the wine].

Our cook hath roasted brussels sprouts,

and beans with garlic fill the house

a meal for friends of pigs and cows

in verdurum vivero

Caput garlic...[I bring in the garlic]

I would think this were funnier if I didn't fear that this really is the image people have of vegetarians--and they're not even talking of vegans!  To be continued!

Does the San Francisco Chronicle's Season of Sharing Include Vegan Outreach?

 Does the San Francisco Chronicle's Season of Sharing Include Vegan Outreach?

That's  what I want to know, so I just sent the following e-mail message  to  JKirschenbaum@sfchronicle.com:

This season I want to give to two causes: an organization   to help the people without homes and an organization  to help the factory farmed animals through vegan outreach.

Do you have a list of vegan organizations?

I'm about to sit down and read  the enclosure that came with the SF Chronicle this morning, "Beyond Homelessness," which is a directory of nonprofit groups needing donations or volunteers.  

But I'd like to know what the SF Chronicle is listing in the way of vegan organizations, which help animals and  the environment.

Tina Martin

Donations to Organizations to Help Animals

My sister, who became a vegetarian in 1972 and vegan before I did, gave me $30  for my seventy-first birthday and told me to donate to any cause of my choice, so I looked online, and here's what I found on the website  animal charity evaluators.org   

https://animalcharityevaluators.org/research/donation-impact/where-donations-go

Of animals used and killed by humans in the United States, over 99.6% are farmed animals, about 0.2% are animals used in laboratories, 0.07% are used for clothing, and 0.03% are killed in companion animal shelters. However, about 66% of donations to animal charities in the United States go to companion animal shelters, 32% go to groups with mixed or other activities, and just 0.8% of donations go specifically to farmed animal organizations, while 0.7% go to laboratory animal organizations.

Spending on animal advocacy is highly inconsistent with these patterns. As of 2015, Charity Navigator listed 90 major US animal shelters with budgets over $3.5 million, together endowed with $1.2 billion. By contrast, 10 major US farmed animal outreach organizations together controlled just $19.9 million.

These numbers together suggest that typical donors and volunteers should concentrate their efforts on preventing the suffering of as many factory farmed animals as possible.

I want to make sure that the San Francisco Chronicle's Season of Sharing includes vegan organizations on its list.