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October 26, 2004

CANDY CORN!

I used to love candy corn. However, most candy corn contains gelatin, which is a slaughterhouse producd, and, as a result, not vegetarian. Those that I've seen that do not have gelatin definately have egg whites, making them not vegan. But I always check labels in vain.

Today, I found almost completely vegan candy corn! I say almost because a lot of vegans will not use beeswax. I usually do not, not because I abstain from it, but because I generally don't ever find products that contain it. This candy corn has beeswax, but I decided that I had to have it anyway. After all, it's only once a year and I just love candy corn. I sometimes eat stuff with honey, too, though I try not to.

Anyway, for those interested, the candy corn is a "Jelly Belly Confection"--ie, a non jelly bean candy made by jelly belly. I found them in a bodega on 2nd ave and 46th St, but you can order them online, too, at www.jellybelly.com

I'm so happy.

Trick or Treat just got so much better. :-)

Posted by Mallory at 09:47 PM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2004

Prospective/Potential Vegans

This week was pretty good. My playwrighting professor was extremely impressed with the script I'm working on, and said it was one of the most true things he's read all year. His words: "Awesome. Woah. High Five. I have nothing to say." Then he went on to tell me all his favorite lines. :-) I felt great.
Musical theatre class on Saturday was good, too. We're on our Rock/Pop unit, so I'm working on Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin) and Wedding Bell Blues (5th Dimension). So far, they sound pretty good.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday, so today my father, my sister, my grandmother, my two uncles and one of my uncles' girlfriend went out to dinner. We went to a Japanese place. My uncle, Gerry, claimed he had no idea what to get, so he had me order him some sushi. I ordered him sushi with fish, digging back into my memory as to what I used to like. I ordered my own few sets of rolls, too, all vegetarian. This place had a good vegetarian section. I had oshinko maki (japanese pickles), sweet potato rolls, and an avocodo roll.

After dinner, we went back to my grandmother's house for cake, so I abstained and picked on some grapes. My grandmother kept trying to convince me to take just "one little taste" of the cake, saying "it won't hurt your figure!"

I've been vegan for almost TWO YEARS and she still can't get this into her head?! She kept trying to offer me her chicken at dinner, too, and afterwards was offring to send me home with some chicken. I just kept politely saying "No thanks" or "No, thank you, I don't eat chicken." or simply, "I don't like it."

I feel like I have to be patient with my grandmother. She is, after all, 86. But it's frustrating that she just can't seem to remember that I'm vegan. Oh, well. I don't see my dad's family too often, so I guess I can deal.

Now, back to the studio

Posted by Mallory at 07:14 PM | Comments (2)

October 17, 2004

Another Week Has Come and Gone

Now, back to the studio

Posted by Mallory at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2004

I heart carbs

I saw a girl walking down the street today, who had on a shirt that was styled like the I (heart) NY shirts, except that it read "I (heart) carbs!!!" I loved it!

It got me thinking, though. I know I rant against low-carb dieting, while hypocritically limiting my "bad" carbs (white bread, white rice, white flours... really anything white, bleached and stripped of nutrients). But I don't think these things are bad BECAUSE they're carbs. I think they're bad because they're a bunch of empty calories with no nutritional value. If, for nothing else, I'm a broke college student, and can't afford to buy and eat food if I'm not getting anything out of the deal! :-)

But, I must admit, I do (heart) even bad carbs. If I had limitless funds and the metabolsim of a hummingbird, I'd gladly eat white rice by the shovel full, loaves of white bread, and cake for breakfast, among other Atkins "no-nos."

Why is it that stuff that tastes so good is so bad for you? :-

Posted by Mallory at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2004

Chinese Food and Looking Young

I was lazy today and ordered Chinese food. There's a great Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood called Chopstix that has a few mock meat items on the menu. It's nothing like VP2 (Vegetarian Paraidse 2) in Chinatown or VP3 in Manhattan (no idea if there's a VP1, and where it is, lol) which are all vegetarian and mock meat dishes, but it's great just the same. It's also local and they have free delivery.

My favorite item to order is the mock chicken with Buddha's delight, which is a mixed steamed veggies with mock chicken in a light sauce. The sauce is slightly tangy and really good. The mock chicken seems to be made of seitan.

I've also gotten their mock eel appetizer before, which is pretty good. I just prefer the mock chicken because it also comes with veggies. I have no idea what the mock eel is made of. But it's yummy. This doesn't hold up well as take out though.. it's only good in the store. If you take it out, it gets soggy.

Tomorrow I have a screening for my school's spring production of The Secret Garden. I really want to be involved. My school never picks a musical with roles that would be good for me. There was nothing for my look in The Human Comedy, and even less in The Spitfire Grill. I could've worked in the ensemble for The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but they mostly cast dancers. Finally, there's a role for me. I want to play Mary.

Mary is 9 in the novel and 11 in the musical. Tomorrow they're screening "short girls who look young" to see if a student at the college could play Mary, or if they need to hire a child from outside of the school for the role. I'm going to go pick out a dress (pink, if I can find one) and will wear really innocent makeup (I've nearly perfected makeup that doesn't look like makeup that gives a "fresh young look" for modeling calls I've gone on for children's print ads, lol!) Please cross your fingers for me.

I'll update soon.

Posted by Mallory at 05:40 PM | Comments (0)

October 07, 2004

Working in Vegan Talk

Today, at the coffee shop where I work, a man came in. I can't remember what he ordered, but he was looking in our fridge for the Honest Tea bottled iced teas that we sell.

"You don't sell the honest tea anymore?" he asked
"Yes, we do, but our distributor has been out. When he brings it, we will have it again," explained my boss, Bruno.

The man then went on to talk about how great the Honest Teas are, which I agree. I love their peppermint tea.

"They're great. I like them and the Teany Teas... have you ever tried those?" the guy asked my boss, "That singer, Moby, he makes them. They're good because they're not sweetened."

I saw my in. Moby, a long time vegan, owns a tea house in lower Manhattan called Teany. The tea house sells all different types of tea, vegan paninis, snacks and desserts.

"Have you ever been to Moby's tea house, Teany, downtown?" I asked the man casually.
"No," the man said. "I didn't know he had one."
"Yeah, it's great!" I said, turning enthusiastic. "All different types of teas!"
"Do they serve full meals?" he asked.
Me: "No, but they have sandwiches and desserts and stuff like that."
The man seemed interested, and asked a few questions about what I've had there.
"The non-dairy cheese cake is awesome!" I exclaimed. the man looked a little perplexed at the idea of "non dairy cheese cake." so I explained that the restaurant, like Moby, is vegan.
Then, the clincher: "Moby goes there a lot, too, I've seen him a bunch of times. He talks to customers and stuff and seems really cool."
The conversation died, but about ten minutes later, the man came back to the counter and asked:
"Do you remember where the tea shop is? I'd like to go."

SCORE! :-D

Also, last night I was watching re-runs of Sex and the City... it was the episode where the gals go to Raw restaurant, and Samantha meets Smith (who is so hot!). Anyway, the girls had casually forgotten to tell Miranda about what the Raw Food Movement actually is, and she was in for a surprise later in the episode. this is not exactly how the conversation went, but it's close.

Carrie: You'd think a restaurant that eliminated cooking could eliminate waiting!
Miranda: Wait a minute, they don't cook food here?
Samantha: It's the new raw food movement. Vegan non-dairy, and nothing is cooked above one hundred and seventeen degrees.
Miranda: I can see why it's a movement!

This made me laugh, both because
(1) I've never eaten raw food that I like (besides like, raw veggies) and
(2) Vegan non-dairy?! Well, of course it is! The script writers didn't do their homework, did they?! :-)

Then, later in the episode:

Miranda: People need to start telling things like it is. First time in bed--never good. Vegan Non-Dairy ravioli? Kindergarten Paste!

I laughed right out loud at this line, too. I actually really like non-dairy ravioli (the soy-boy brand ones are delicious--even my non-vegan friends agree!) but I can imagine that vegan, non dairy, UNCOOKED gluten free ravioli would be just vile.

Or maybe not. After all, who am I to judge?

Until next time,
Mallory

Posted by Mallory at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 06, 2004

oh, this post drips with irony...

hey, folks!
I bet you've been wondering where I've been the last few weeks.
Well, believe it or not, I've had chicken pox!
Yes, the chicken pox. I never had it when I was a child, and I caught it. It's been going around--I know a lot of people who have been ill with shingles, or have kids with chicken pox. But how ironic, that I have the chicken pox!
All my friends have been joking around, saying I have the "tofu pox," the "vegan pox," or (my personal favorite, "the texturized vegetable protien pox!"
I feel much better now, but have been really overwhelmed getting back on track with all my school work.
I've also been watching the presidentail and VP debates on television... it's been pretty scary.
If you're not registered to vote, New York's deadline is Friday, so hop to it!!!

Tonight my sister took me to dinner at Foodswings, a vegan restaurant in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn. check out www.foodswings.net for more info. They have GREAT food. Their vegan buffalo wings are outrageous!

Tonight I ate myself silly. I didn't eat all night so I could stuff myself. I had a pistachio cookies and cream milkshake (yum!) and my sister had a chocolate shake. We split an order of "sea styx," which are mock fish sticks. they were pretty good, but not as good as the mock fried shrimp I had last time I went to Foodswings. For our main course, we both had faux philly cheese steaks, which were awesome. I used to love cheesesteak so much. I could've used a little more of the fake cheese, though, because mine mostly melted into the bread and was kinda hard to taste. I think they used the tofutti cheese. Then, for dessert, we split a vegan "moon pie," and I seriously was in vegan heaven. For those who've never had a moon pie, it's a ghram cracker cookie topped with marshmallow and covered in chocolate... kind of a big Mallowmar. It was incredible.

My sister commented that whenever I pick the restaurant, it's always good.

My sister doesn't eat any red meat, but eats poultry and fish. Fortunately, she doesn't claim to be a vegetarian. She used to be a pescetarian, but went back to eating poultry because she was getting sick from not eating well. She told me today that she plans to go back to being a pescetarian as soon as she gets back from her Columbus day weekend away, and eventually wants to be a vegetarian. She admits that giving up fish will be hard for her, though.

I know giving up fish was hard for me, too... hardest thing I gave up. When I dropped beef, I switched all my beef to ground turkey, making turkey tacos/meatballs/burgers/etc. I hadn't eaten pork since 3rd grade when I read Charlotte's Web. When I dropped poultry, I still had fish as a fallback for restaurants, but rarely cooked it at home. After I dropped fish, and adjusted, it was relatively easy to get rid of eggs and dairy, and I was never a honey fan.

I actually don't think I have an ethical objection to honey like many vegans do... I just don't like the taste, and don't like the concept of eating bee poop. That's gross to me. So I abstain from it.

The vegan honey debate always interests me. Personally, I don't see why anyone should really care, but I don't think products labeled vegan should contain honey. That just makes things easier.

And now, back to the restaurant... err.. studio. :-)

Posted by Mallory at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)