New York and Boston, oh my!

I had a fabulous, yet exhausting weekend. On Friday I went to New York City, where I managed to hit tons of galleries and see some of the best (and funnest) new art. On Saturday, I went to Boston to attend the Vegetarian Food Festival hosted by the Boston Vegetarian Society. I will be blogging about both of these experiences, but first

• I'm sorry for the poor quality of a lot of my photos from VegFest- with the poor indoor lighting, the crowds, and the short time available, I couldn't always capture the best shots
• Since VegFest gave me so many new ideas, foods, problems, and solutions to think about when it comes to animal rights, I don't think this one post will be enough to cover it all, so I have decided to devote the rest of this week to posting about specific groups, companies, activities, or products that I learned about so they can all get the attention they deserve. So STAY TUNED FOR MORE!

First, some impressions from NYC:

This is a portrait from a show of photographer Jill Greenberg's new Monkey Portraits. (See more information about the artist and the show here) The photographs were haunting, because they showed the undeniable closeness between human and non-human primates, and the viewer actually feels that s/he can "read" the expressions on their faces. There was also a depressing dimension when you think that some animals, like the ones in Greenberg's portraits, are pampered, while others just like them are hunted to extinction or tortured in medical labs. (I know, I know, I'm a real Debbie Downer)

An inspiring quote, this time from a show by the American artist Joseph Kosuth.

Possibly the cutest thing I have seen in an art show recently- what I call the "cabbage chicken" from a show of Surrealist art. ["Choupatte (Très Grand)" by French artist Claude Lalanne]

Lunch at one of my favorite New York restaurants, Republic. I used to eat here all the time before I went veg., but fortunately they have quite a few veggie options on the menu. Republic is a pan-Asian noodle joint, where fresh flavors dominate. I had the cold noodle salad with carrots, jicama, mint, peanuts, shallots, and a lime dressing. In the background you can see some veggie dumplings and some fresh lemongrass/ginger tea. Yum! Click here for a review of Republic. [Beware- if you don't want to wait 45 minutes to eat, go at a down time- we didn't have to wait at all at 3:30 p.m.]

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And now, on to Boston and VegFest!

We got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams while driving to Boston on Saturday, where I literally put the car in park because we were not moving an inch. Because of this, we got there much later than anticipated, but fortunately got to do and see most of the things that we wanted to.

First of all, free food! Samples, and tons of them. Here I am eating a Soy Delicious ice cream bar. Mmmmm. If you can remember Homer Simpson at the Candy expo., that is what Daiku and I were like, eagerly going up to all the food counters and stuffing our bags full of samples, brochures, and coupons. I will be blogging about some specific foods and companies in the upcoming week, but the most exciting food moment was getting to try Cheezly! (Click here for their company website) Cheezly is a vegan cheese alternative made in England and not yet available in the U.S. I've heard so much about how good it is, and it is! Even vegan cheese-weary Daiku was pleasantly surprised. The firm and crumbly texture, the tangy flavor, the meltablility, perfect! My favorite was the sharp white Cheddar flavor. They are beginning to be available in the U.S., and they need consumers to spread the word by asking their stores to order it.

How lucky was I to meet Peter Singer, who is a hero to me not only as a vegan, but also as a student (me) and teacher (Daiku) of philosophy. He gave a talk about his latest book "The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter" which was so inspiring. It gives you so many things to think about- the ethics of food, of course, but also the economic, labor, and health issues involved with how we eat. He was so approachable-he signed our book, talked with Daiku about teaching philosophy, and was nice enough to let us photograph him. (Ignore the crazy expression on my face!)

Another hero, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Here we are holding two of the delicious cupcakes that Isa and Terry Hope Romero had brought for us to sample as part of their cooking demo. I feel so privileged that the first cupcakes I got to try from the book "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" were baked by the authors themselves! Their cooking demo was so fun to watch, and I will definitely share their recipe for spicy cranberry dipping sauce- it was one of the best things I've tasted in a while. (Don't you love it when something shocks your tastebuds awake?)

[Nikki, I'm sorry we didn't get to meet at the cooking demo-- I figured I could look for you, but didn't expect 500 people crammed into one room! I hope you had a good time!]

The cooking demo was also the occasion of a rare and beautiful VEGAN TRIFECTA:

Peter Singer joined Terry and Isa and rolled a spring roll. I can not decide what was more surreal- this or the cabbage chicken sculpture. ;-)

(Candi, this picture is for you! Boston wants you back!) I am sorry I didn't get to hang out in Boston any more than a few hours- such a waste to go to such a great city and not be able to get your fill of it!

On the left: the two books that I got signed. On the right, "Meat Market" by Erik Marcus, that we bought for only $5 (it was a review copy)- score!

I promise to bring you much more information about what I saw and learned at VegFest in the next week. There was just too much to cram into one post.

Good night!

New York and Boston, oh my!