Portland: A Vegan's Holy Land

I think I found a new favorite city. And it's Portland.


I flew out to Oregon a couple of weeks ago. One of my closest friends from college lives in Portland and it's terrible that I haven't been to visit her sooner. (She's visited me in Minnesota twice and DC once.) It was about dang time I got out there. And we had a fun-filled weekend!

Highlights include (don't be surprised at all the food mentions):

• Multiple options for vegan cupcakes - we went to Saint Cupcake and enjoyed some DELICIOUS desserts
• My friend works for the Trailblazers, so good seats to two NBA games (including the Timberwolves)
• Two words: Slappy Cakes...it's a restaurant with griddles built into the table, so you choose the batter and toppings, and make your own pancakes at the table (vegan batter, toppings and butter are available!)
• Voodoo Doughnuts, which is a well known doughnut shop with TONS of vegan options
• Powell's Books - a HUGE (and I mean HUGE) bookstore with both new and used books. Anything and everything you might like. We wandered the main location in Portland, but I didn't buy any books and kicked myself later. Luckily, they also have a location at the Portland Airport! So I got me some quality used books! :)
• Most importantly, good friends. I got to see some (new and old) Portland friends, some friends from Mpls who recently moved to Portland and one of my closest friends in DC also flew out for the weekend. Just an all around good weekend.

I am hoping to get back out this summer. It rained the entire weekend, so I'd like to check out the non-winter weather. Although, rain and 50s is GORGEOUS January weather to a girl who grew up in Minnesota. Plus, with all of our other "must see" food stops, we didn't even check out the food carts of Portland -- so I really DO need to get back!

Eat Up, Carnivores

My mom anxiously called me during a commercial break on ABC's evening news tonight and asked me if the national news aired at the same time in DC as it does in Mpls. Yes, Mom, we get the news here too. It was cute, though, --she saw that the upcoming story was on beef production and thought I'd be interested -- and I was. So I tuned to ABC and was hugely disappointed. The story was a good one -- informing the public of this latest beef recall (380,000 pounds!) and pointing out that the E.coli we're always hearing about comes from - *dramatic pause* - cattle feces. Mmmmm. Gives your Hamburger Helper a little zing, eh?

ABC had the right idea, and even referenced the new documentary, Food Inc and interviewed Michael Pollan (great book, check it out!). The let down came in the G-rating format they chose. If you're going to talk the talk, walk the walk and SHOW America the obscene and graphic images that is our factory farming operations. That's where those neat little burgers on the "barbie" came from. It was just way too mild. I'm sure ABC would hate to cause middle-America to gag on their beef stroganoff while eating dinner & watching TV. I gagged on my veggie stir-fry, just hearing about factory farming. Ugh,

For those of you who want to take the risk, keep eating your animal products. And if something tastes a little funny in your meatloaf, don't worry - that's just cow poop.