So, we haven't been around much lately.  I'm sure you all know how it goes.  Work, life, etc.  No, we haven't become omnivores in our absence.  We are both still very much vegan and loving it.

Jane's mom was here for a visit.  She's such a good sport.  She ate vegan for all but two of her meals, and one of those was an accident because the Thai restaurant delivered the wrong food to our house, so it would have been thrown away.  Also she had cow's milk in her morning coffee.  She tried the almond milk Jane makes every few days, but thought it was too thin.  I can't really blame her.  It took us a long time to "get over" milk.  We didn't try soy creamer (just didn't think of it), but will during her next visit.

One of her favorite things was the Seitan Scaloppini we blogged about back in February.  It's one of my favorite too.  And I would recommend you all try it.  Just remember, it is not a weekday meal.  It takes a bit of prep work!  She also really loved Shojin, where she was fussed over and made to feel very welcome.  It was a very pleasant visit.  I don't think Jane's mom plans on going vegan, but she is willing to eat that way all the time, provided someone else does the food prep.   Actually, I know she eats vegetarian often.  I just think the idea of learning to cook new things is something she no longer has any interest in.

While we were on our unscheduled blogging hiatus we noticed this bizareness... you could buy your Easter ham at our local grocery store for $0.77 per pound, but green beans were $0.99 / pound!  This seems way out of whack if you think about it.  We often complain that you can get a beef burrito at Taco Bell for $0.79, but a bean burrito - no cheese please - costs $0.99!  Seems wrong to us.  (Yes, I know plenty about food industry subsidies.)  But I think this ham thing wins the prize for the most obvious price support.

Last week Jane and I were in New York.  We were not there to play, but rather to attend the funeral of one of Jane's aunts.  As with most of these events, it was bittersweet, a somber affair, but it was pleasant to see the rest of the family.

After the funeral, there was a luncheon scheduled at a banquet hall in a far suburb of Manhattan.  We were all offered a choice of prime rib, chicken, or salmon.  Of course, we were the crazy fruit and nut people from California who eat no meat.  When the waitress came over to take our beverage order, I discreetly called her over and asked if she could accomodate us with some kind of vegetable plate or salad.  Imagine my surprize when she asked me if we were vegetarian or vegan.  We were in an area that has zero vegan restaurants, zero vegetarian restaurants, and very few vegan options in the grocery store.  Our waitress was not a twenty-something young college student whom you might expect to have a vague idea of what veganism means, nor was she a "hippie."  She was an average 40-something female, living in a non-vegan-friendly environment.  And we didn't have to explain, in detail, what we did not want in our food!

We were given a heaping plate of pasta with a marinara sauce and a heaping plate of beans and carrots which had been sauteed in olive oil and garlic.  The food was only mediocre, but we ate most of what we had been served simply because we were so excited to have been given something we could eat!

Of course, our meal was commented on at the table.  Some of our readers seem to take exception to this kind of thing.  We didn't mind at all.  No one was openly disparaging; they all appeared curious.  When asked if it was difficult to change to a vegan diet, Jane phrased her response quite eloquently.  She commented that it was just like starting any new eating regime.  It takes a bit of effort to get into the swing of things, but once you know what you're doing, it's pretty much effortless.  We didn't proselytize, it's not our style, nor was it the time for that type of behavior, but we did answer the questions that were asked of us.  And to Jane's cousin who commented, "You eat the food of my food," we responded, "Yes, and by doing so we're helping to save the planet for your children," which allowed us to segue into some of the environmental benefits of eating vegan.

Afterwards, when we were expressing our gratitute to our waitress, she informed us that she ate vegan as often as she could, and was excited that we'd made that special request so she could also share in our meal (the staff apparently gets to eat the same food as the guests).  She's not a vegan, but likes to eat vegan as often as possible.

I guess the point I'm trying to get across in this post is that even when you least expect it, there may be the opportunity to find vegan food.

Jane's mom is great.  She's probably our biggest fan.  She's got our blog in her reader and has our feed on her homepage in the number one spot.  She's always touting us...  praising our blog to family and friends, and probably strangers as well.  (Hi mom!)  And more importantly, she's always sharing vegan tidbits she's seen on television.

This morning the Today Show had a segment on the The Engine 2 Diet (thanks again Mom).  It's great to see veganism represented on a national news/entertainment show.  Not only that but, Rip Esselstyn, firefighter and author of Engine 2 looks healthy and fit.  If a firefighter can thrive on a vegan diet, can't we all?

According to Essylstyn, " the most basic, profound, and powerful way to take care of your health on a day-to-day basis is to eat a healthy, plant-based diet."

If you missed the show, here's a link to the story about how The Engine 2 Diet was devised, which also includes a link to the video segment.

Jane and I were talking about the demographics of vegans the other day.  When we go out to eat here in the Los Angeles area, we're always a bit surprized at the number of males in the restaurants we frequent.  It's not that men can't be vegan, but we seem to know many more women who are veg*n. Poking around the internet I found the following facts on veganism and thought I'd share them with you all.

Vegan demographics
Most likely to be female and under 35.

Why vegan?
87% of people are vegan for ethical/moral reasons.

When did you become vegan?
78% of vegans went vegan between the ages of 16 and 34, with 52% between the ages of 16 and 24. The average (mean) age for turning vegan is 24.1, although the most frequent ages are 19, 20 and 21. US vegans generally turned vegan younger (mean age 22.4) than UK vegans (mean age 24.9).

Source:  The Vegan Profile