may 2008

sunday may 25

Hallelujah !!

This is the most exciting Vegan News of the decade; Oprah Winfrey has become Vegan !!
Oprah Winfrey is without a doubt the most influential woman of america. She has her own TV shows (also highly populair in many other countries), her own Magazine, her own books.

Oprah has decided to become Vegan for three weeks, and you can read about it on her blog.

The most beautiful is the main reason why she decided to become Vegan, not for dietary or health reasons, but out of compassion for animals : "How can you say you're trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?"

Like Oprah, in america and europe there are many other movie stars and other famous people who are veggie and talk about veganism, and so positively influence other non-veggie peeople. They are not afraid to talk about it.

But why is it so diferent in Japan ? The only vegetarian japanese person i know who openly talks about vegetarianism and animal rights is the famous piano player Fujiko Hemming. And that maybe is because her father is european and she was raised in Europe...

when you are vegetarian or vegan, or something else you believe in, you should other people give a change to hear it, and give them oportunity to also become vegan. if they are real friends they should respect your opinion and life-style.

  pigeon

the pigeon in the kitchen is doing fine !! last week he was still eating bread and soymilk but now he eats grains !!

       volunteers

the new edition of Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide still needs volunteers :
If you speak japanese, live in japan, have some free time, you can help with :
- checking and research by telephone and email. restaurants and shops need to be called. this is crucial and important work that i cant do myself.
- translating.

sunday may 18

    Vegan Cooking

This weekend i did make a Vegan Cheese Cake. I used recipe from this site :

    Magnet's Vegan Cooking

In the Organic Vegetarian Shop near my home i could buy "organic japanese KUZU" which is like agar agar, to make liqueds thicken.

   

And in the japanese shop in the Hotel Okura near my home i could buy organic Fried Tofu.        

  

Finally, this was the result. So the next day i had a nice vegan Tofu Cheese Cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

  animal friends !

This weekend i found a lonely baby pigeon on the street. Now he lives in the kitchen. :-)
he eats bread and soymilk, he is vegan just like me. ;-)

  

sunday may 11

I am busy preparing for my japanese Vegan Trip next month!
For the new Japan Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide, i have to visit around 35 veggie places that i didn't visit yet. I have to taste the food, write a review, sometimes make a chat with the staff and cook about the ingredients, and take photo's.
The places are scattered all over Japan and will lead me to Sendai, Tokyo, Kamakura, Yokohama, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara, Kobe and...Okinawa.

Vegan Adventures are waiting for me...(^_^)

Veggie Travelers !

Esther from usa did send me a photo from her Veggie Travelling last month in Japan. Before her trip she ordered the Vegan Restaurant Pocketguide.
She did travel with her mother and they did go to Kyoto and dressed in traditional kimono. They had dinner in the Cafe Proverb 15-17 and did eat "the best springrolls i've ever had eaten".
Unfortunately because of a misstake in the Pocketguide , she was standing in front of closed doors of the Vegan-Friendly Obanzai in Kyoto! >_< sorry~~!
In Tokyo they went for the vegan Brown Rice Cafe after done some shopping.

Its great to hear that other visitors in japan have a good vegan experience !!

    
Esther and her mother in Kyoto

Vegan Cakes Recipes

Here is a site by a japanese woman with yummy Vegan Cake english recipes that are just that more extra than the average internet cake recipe.
I will try them myself and let you know. (^_^)