Being Vegan in Hamilton: Part 1

I moved to Hamilton last year from North Bay, Ontario and was immediately struck by how incredibly vegan friendly it is compared to what I am used to. I guess it's not all that surprising; Hamilton is significantly more multicultural than North Bay, which is notably monochromatic, and it is  kind of HUGE comparatively. In spite of this, I am finding that being vegan anywhere presents its own unique set of challenges. In North Bay, I struggled to find restaurants that had a large number of vegan options,  but for the most part (perhaps this is because it is a college/university town, or maybe just because it is small) I never had trouble finding  chefs who would happily whip up something vegan for me (without having to be told what vegan means). And even though grocery stores seldom stocked the plethora of vegan alternatives you find in larger cities, North Bay's few grocery stores happily began stocking veggie sandwich meats and dairy free cheeses when requested.

Hamilton is a whole different ball game, and while I really do love this city, I find myself getting increasingly frustrated with the ignorance of some of the people I meet, especially in the service industry. A couple of days ago, for example, I went to a new pizza place that just opened up in the strip mall by our house to ask if they could make vegan pizza. I wanted to know, obviously, if there dough was vegan, and what non meat, non-dairy options they had. The girl at  the front counter responded: "No, sorry, all our dough has gluten". ....I didn't even know how to respond. I explained that I wanted something without animal  products, and she just stared at me blankly.

How is this something that people don't know?! Granted, its not as though we have vegan education in public schools but still!

Nonetheless, there are lots of places in Hamilton to eat vegan, even if there are fewer places now than there were when we moved here (RIP Affinity!).

So, I came up with a little list of our favourite places to eat vegan and find vegan products in Hamilton in the hopes that it will help out other vegans who are new to the city, or those who are looking to start incorporating ethical choices into their lives (vegan or not). This is definitely not a comprehensive list, but its a start. I will do my best to post another with awesome vegan stuff in Hamilton  later  in the summer.

Food Places (Vegan/Vegetarian)
There aren't a ton of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Hamilton, surprisingly, but the ones that exist are pretty damn good.

1. The Green Smoothie Bar: this place on James St. North is all vegan and serves smoothies, yummy puddings, and fast order food. They also have some groceries and supplements. They recycle EVERYTHING and every time I go in there the staff are friendly and informative.
2. Bridges Vegetarian Cafe: Bridges is a vegetarian restaurant on the McMaster main campus. Make  sure you specify that you are vegan,  though, because they do serve dairy products. 
3. Lettuce Love Cafe: This is actually on John St. in Burlington. But for a 15 minute drive, its pretty damn worth it. They are completely vegan, and offer lots of different  options from smoothies to burgers to soups. They are a little pricey, but worth it for a once-in-a-while vegan treat. Their nachos are super good, but VOMD doesn't like cilantro so if you are of like mind, don't order them, or ask for them sans cilantro.
4. DEMOCRACY: Holy crap is this place amazing. They make the BEST soy lattes in the city and have an entirely  vegan menu with full meals, snacks, baked goods and awesomeness. 

Food Places (With Vegan options)

Vegetarian Combo Platter at Wass Ethiopian Restaurant

1. Mulberry: Its a standard coffee shop, but they can make you an awesome vegan sandwich and they serve yummy vegan cupcakes and cookies. Try the chocolate cookie with dates and oats. I forget what it is called but  it is  UNREAL when you heat it up.  
2. Wass Ethiopian: This place is so much fun. They have about five or six vegan entrée options, but you can get them on a platter all together for about $13. You eat everything with injera, a flat, pancake like thing made of fermented grains. Its excellent. VOMD and I go here about once a month.  The vegetarian combo platter is enough for both of us if we get extra injera. Also, you get to eat with your hands! Who doesn't love that?
3. Pita Pizza (Main St. E): This place is your standard shawarma and pizza place that you find all over Hamilton, but with the exception that they make a falafel pizza that is completely vegan! Its so good with extra veggies. 
4. Cafe Oranje: This is a cute little Dutch inspired coffee place on King St. down town. They often have gluten free vegan blondies and vegan date squares and these amazing chocolate peanut butter crunch bars, and they just started stocking vegan nanaimo bars! They can make you a latte with soy or almond milk and are generally pretty good. I just wish they made vegan boterkoek. I would die of happiness right there. 

   

   Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch Bar from Oranje (the picture does not do it justice)

Happy Eating! 

-J

Being Vegan is more fun with friends! (Vegan Resources)

Good Morning Herbivores (and everyone else),

Sometimes it is hard to be vegan. The choice  to not consume non-human animals and products made from their fluids is one that none of us take lightly. If you are the only one of your friends, or the only in your family who has made  the decision to be vegan, being vegan can get incredibly lonely. And even when you do have a decent support  group of fellow vegans and family members who share your lifestyle (or at least support you in your lifestyle choice) being vegan can be a marginalizing. Honestly, begin vegan is  just more fun with friends! I can't tell you how much I have struggled with being vegan, especially when I was dating a carnist! But now, with VOMD, things are amazing. I'm not trying to brag or  anything, but having a boyfriend that not only gets it but lives it is AMAZING!

Here are some resources that you might find helpful on your journey.

If you are feeling down and want to get away from it all and surround yourself with amazing animal friends and like minded humans for a while, check out Piebird Vegan Farm Sactuary and FarmStay: www.piebird.ca

If you want to learn about how to become a vegan, check out The Vegan Starter Kit: www.vegankit.com/be It's a super helpful little place to learn the basics of going vegan (and why it is so important to do so).

If you want a little cheering up, check out this new page on Facebook (created by my sister  and one of her best friends!) called Dear Vegans: www.facebook.com/DearVegans

This is a new page, but it is seriously adorable, and just makes you feel good about your choices. Sometimes as vegans we need to be reminded that we are literally saving the world. You're all superheroes! And seriously, isn't her art just cute as all damn hell?

facebook.com/DearVegans

If you prefer to consume knowledge in video form, check out the Bite Sized Vegan or The Vegan Zombie on youtube. One will give you knowledge, the other will give you yummies.

If you live in the GTA, check out the Toronto Vegetarian Association  website to  find veggie resources in the  area including restaurants, events and more: www.veg.ca

If you're a struggling vegan  in the GTA, visit the Toronto Vegetarian Food Bank: www.tvfb.ca

Its easy to be vegan if your  surround yourself with the right type of people and take advantage of the resources that are available to you. If all else fails, convert a friend! ...the trick is to tell them its going to make them skinny and then BAM they're saving animals and don't even know it.

It's also super easy when you have cute bunnies around! Here's Tobi discovering her new toy. Look at that face! How could you hurt anything so f#cking precious?


Good luck on your journey, Herbivores!

Happy Thursday!

-J