Need an April Fools Joke?

I'm starting a revolution.

Ok, maybe not a revolution but I'm spreading the word about a great meat-free product. It's called Gardein and it's sold at grocery stores all over the country.

Typically I include it in salads. So during lunch the other day, it caught a co-worker's attention. She was so intrigued she had to try. Surprisingly she liked it. Which led to her tricking her boyfriend a few days later by including it in their meal and passing it off as real meat. The story sparked a trend around my office, with other co-workers attempting to fool their significant others and friends with the fake meat product. Not convinced? Try for yourself.

It was even featured on Oprah and Ellen, so it has the seal of approval.

Go Veggie

I've worked around the corner from Go Veggie for years but it wasn't until a few weeks ago that a co-worker brought it to my attention when trying to figure out what to eat for lunch. " You're a vegetarian, why don't you try Go Veggie?"

Good question. So I tried it.




Attached to a market, Go Veggie is small enough, you'd miss it if you weren't looking. Inside, behind the counter is a small friendly staff which includes Maria.

Maria has worked at Go Veggie for almost a year. She's not a vegetarian but enjoys the veggie options the small restaurant offers.

A self serve buffet lines one side of the room with a limited number of tables on the other. Informative signs mark the type of food available. "I've written many of the signs," Maria says, "But I haven't tried all of the foods. My favorite is the pickling red cabbage. It's a regular".

Sandwiches, burgers, salads, and soups make up the menu at Go Veggie along with a number of tasty drinks such as veggie juices and fresh fruit smoothies.

"When I first started working here, I would drink the fresh grapefruit juice every shift. I think I've had enough of it now. I like the watermelon better."

With a rotating menu of delicious vegetarian options, including a curry which was recently introduced, Go Veggie offers a fresh alternative to eating vegetarian. There's something for everyone which Maria reiterates, "I don't have to eat the food we serve but I like it. The capellini pasta salad is good and the marinated tofu but I still like a burger too."

Go Veggie is close to the intersection on Centinela and Jefferson near Culver City.

To Live and Eat in LA

Found a kindred spirit in a fellow LA Vegetarian food blog. Based primarily of photos, To Live and Eat in LA, offers vegan options throughout the city. They share restaurant tips and chronicle adventuring through the LA Vegan scene. The photos are enough to make anyones stomach grumble. Check out this one for a Veggie Quesadilla.

Unfortunately they're taking some time off but it's worth it to look through previous articles for some vegetarian inspiration.

Ink Not Mink

This week PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of animals published a story about rocker Dave Navarro from the band Jane's Addiction. The story was paired with PETA's latest campaign "Ink not Mink" in which Dave posed completely nude in an effort to reduce the sales of fur. Dave paints a vivid picture, in the article, of the cruel and inhumane ways animals are stripped of their fur for society's desire to look fashionable, "These animals are often still conscious as they have their pelts peeled off their writhing bodies and can be heard screaming in pain." A graphic case is presented against the slaughtering of animals for their fur. One which many already know is inhumane. However does Dave Navarro posing nude get the point across clearer? Only those who visit PETA's website will read Dave's article and hear his reasoning while the rest of us will rely on the shock value of his nude ads.

It may be a good advertising technique but the article made me wonder how likely is it that someone will forgo a new mink jacket because a member of Jane's Addiction bared all for PETA. He isn't the only one either. This month alone, women from the TV show The Real Housewives of New York and Twilight star Kellan Lutz both participated in ads for PETA. I'd like to get your thoughts on how effective you find this type of marketing.

I think it's more of a novelty then anything. So many "celebrities" have posed nude for PETA at this point, that it seems more like a publicity stunt then support for a cause. Take for example, Stephanie Pratt from the TV show The Hills,who recently posed for PETA. Stephanie isn't even a vegetarian. Makes the ad effective right? To look at other celebrities who have bared all for animal rights you can check out http://www.peta.org/.