Is that a Banana in your Undies? Moby’s Gristle & Tom’s Vegan Shoes

Moby’s new book ‘Gristle: From Factory Farms to Food Safety (Thinking Twice About the Meat We Eat)’ is already making waves. From TheNewPress.com:

“Multi-platinum musician Moby and leading food policy activist and expert Miyun Park have brought together fifteen of the country’s leading voices on this issue–an eclectic group from such diverse backgrounds as farming, workers’ rights activism, professional athletics, science, environmental sustainability, food business, and animal welfare advocacy–who together eloquently lay out how and why industrial animal agriculture unnecessarily harms workers, communities, the environment, our health, our wallets, and animals.”

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Could it get more suggestive? AussieBum offers up mens undies made from..ahem..bananas. Well, to be precise, they’re made from the weave of fiber extracted from the banana plant and mixed with soft organic cotton. These undies are comfy, stylish and made with a conscious effort towards ensuring minimal environmental impact.

Tom’s has some new vegan spring styles. I really like the ‘Black Tangier’.

Fluevog Fancy Feet, Our Hen House, and TV Stars go Veg

• My new spring shoes are these killer, plaid, vegan oxfords from John Fluevog! How cool are these? They’re perfect with khaki shorts, jeans, or black trousers. From a punk rock club to wall street, you can mismatch them with other patters, or let these kicks stand alone as the centerpiece of your outfit. The best thing of all is that help you tread more light since they’re free of leather, one of the nastiest sources of pollution and global warming.  $179

CBC (Evergreen Plaid)

• I was recently interviewed on the podcast “Our Hen House, Episode 9where I discussed The Cave Man Diet, Mainstream Manliness, and other interesting tidbits with fabulous hosts and activists Jasmin and Mariann. If you aren’t subscribed to this podcast that discusses all kinds of ideas on how individuals can make change for animals, you should SUBCRIBE.

Our Hen House

• American Idol’s Ruben Studdard, went vegan and has lost over 100 lbs already! One of his favorite restaurants is Soul Veg in Atlanta. Ruben explained his weight-loss on ‘The Wendy Williams Show’, saying, ”I went to vegetarianism about a year-and-a-half ago, and then about 6 months ago I started being completely vegan.” Read the full article on Ecorazzi and his interview with Peta.

http://patrickhiller.com/images/blog/bob-harper-3.jpg• According to VegetarianStar.com, Biggest Loser host and trainer, Bob Harper is almost 100% vegan, and has challenged his twitter followers to go vegan, too!

When his cholesterol dropped 100 points after going veg, he couldn’t help but send out tweets like this: “Your Challenge today is to go the next 24 hours, starting now eliminating ALL animal products. Good for your heart AND the environment!!”

“I’m a HUGE fan of Gardein!!”

“I love this day..getting together with a couple of close friends and I’m preparing a VEGAN FEAST..hope they like it!!”

Follow Bob on Twitter, too.

Convert Concept Shop, Fast Vegans & Awful Offal

Convert apparel for men and women - storefront

CONVERT is a new concept shop in Berkley, CA featuring sustainable designers. It’s the only store in Berkeley’s Fourth Street shopping district to carry men’s apparel. It also offers a selection of women’s clothing, stylish accessories and Bay Area-based labels.

1809B Fourth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710   •   (510) 649-9759
Open: Monday – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It’s rad that another NBA star has gone vegan (for at least 4 days) but I can’t help being ever-so-slightly insulted that Phoenix Suns player Amar’e Stoudemire considers this vegan diet a “fast”. Call me crazy, but isn’t a fast when you eat nothing at all? Clearly he hasn’t had my Pistacio Crusted Seitan, or he’d be talking about his vegan feast. Full story at Ecorazzi.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/multimedia/photo_gallery/0902/nba.trade.block.big.names/images/amare-stoudemire(2).jpg

Just Offal. Did your food have a face…that you ate right off the skull? If the idea of eating face, entrails, scrotum, testicles, brain, snout, feet, heart, organs, blood pudding, heads, and tripe (rectum) makes you feel awful, it’s no coincidence that offal sounds as bad as it’s name. However, there is a huge and dedicated following of offal foodies, and I can only wonder if these phttp://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/772/152488.JPGeople want something all-their-own just to give them cool points, street cred, or something of shock value? Or are they just more honest about what they’re eating; the parts that everyone else throws away because they’re “gross”. A lot of people require the ambiguity of meat to enjoy it, but offal is difficult to hide whose body it came from, especially if you’re eating a face or a brain.

I was especially disturbed by Pajata, a traditional dish from Rome. According to wiki, it refers to the intestines of an “un-weaned” calf, i.e., only fed on its mother’s milk. The calf is killed soon after nursing. The intestines are cleaned, but the milk is left inside (how do you both clean the intestines, yet leave the contents in place?). When cooked, the combination of heat and the enzyme rennet in the intestines coagulates the milk and creates a sort of thick, creamy, cheese-like sauce. Blach! I thought veal was already sick, but this? Cooking the mothers milk inside her baby? Twisted. I’ll stick to my walnut-mushroom pate and cashew cheese, thank you very much.

Human Breast Cheese, SIGG Sale, Tofu Tester & Sonic Fedora

http://www.health101.org/cow.gifBFsign.jpg

I’m trying to figure out what the hell all this infantile (haha!) hysteria about he human breast milk cheese is really about. Is it really being considered the worst idea ever? It it really illegal? C’mon. Really?

When comparing cow and human milk, let’s ask a few question. Which milk comes from a consenting individual? It’s not the cows’. Which milk typically has pus, blood, synthetic hormones, and feces in it? Nope, not the human milk. Which milk is designed by nature for human consumption? Not the cows’. Which milk is responsible for the veal industry and global warming? Not the human milk.

So why are people freaking out? Why is human breast milk any more gross than drinking the random tit milk from a cow stuck in a filthy factory farm up to its knees in feces? Let’s face it, people are so boob obsessed that’s all they can think about. Boobs! But if you had to push a calf aside, crawl under a cow and put an udder in your mouth and suck – you’d have a much different point of view. The anonymity and safety of the milk carton obscures the truth. The newness of the human milk illicits visions of adults sucking on pregnant tits, which is, apparently, very scary. That’s why I prefer almond, coconut, rice, and soy milk. Yum!

What do you think about this issue? Leave a comment!

SIGG sale at Gilt Groupe! Only $10 – $15. Click here for you invitation to Gilt.

• Serious Eats’ Michael Natkin conducted a taste test of several store-bought tofu brands to bring you the least-bland winner of the taste test! I’ve never been a huge fan of plan old tofu, but according to Michael:

not all tofu is created equal. Some tofu has a mild, sweet beany flavor and a smooth consistency, while other brands have flavor defects and strange textures.

In Japan, it’s understood that top-shelf bean curd is an artisanal product made with only the best soybeans and spring water and processed with labor-intensive traditional techniques. That level of appreciation is unusual in the United States, but perhaps it will become more common as we realize that tofu is a versatile and delicious food in its own right, not a replacement for meat.”

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• Remember those recycled cassette tape ties? Check these recycled cassette tape fedoras from the same people!

recycled cassette tape fedora from alyce santoro

Darbster, West Palm Beach, FL

Darbster

On a recent trip to Florida, I took my family to a new vegan joint called Darbster – named after the owners’ rescued pooch, Darby. I believe that it’s the first and only entirely vegan restaurant in West Palm Beach. We arrived on a rather chilly evening, and the place is an open-air bar-style restaurant with outdoor seating (dog-friendly!) overlooking a canal. Unfortunately for us, the place was wrapped in plastic tarps with heat lamps inside to keep some warmth in, so we didn’t get to experience any of the outdoor atmosphere. We were, however, greeted by a very friendly staff, and the service was quick!

There is a good-sized menu with several raw and gluten-free options, a nice wine list, and several desserts.

The food was good. The first thing I wanted to order was the Kale Chips, but they were out! So we started with the Palm Cakes, which were pan-fried, chopped hearts of palm in a savory pine nut sauce, and were reminiscent of crab cakes. I thought they were delicious, and I’ll have to try to recreate this recipe at home.

My entree was the Gardein filet prepared in a lemon, pine-nut sauce, and my sister got a marinara version with Daiya cheese and tomato sauce. My little side of mac & cheese was delicious. I so wish there had been more. The Gardein filets were a bit too thick, but seasoned well and very filling.

The Beefless Sliders were one of the highlights for my whole family. The special sauce was perfect, and there was just enough contents between the soft sesame bun. This is a must-have if you go. My mother and father (not vegetarians) thought these were the best thing, and that the faux “beef” was delicious and satisfying.

For dessert we enjoyed a coconut-sorbet sundae with chocolate fudge, raspberries, blueberries, and walnuts.

On future trips, I’ll be sure to make reservations for daytime enjoyment of the outdoor seating, or at least a warm night to be in the open air. The next time you’re in south Florida, definitely check this place out! I plan to be back.