Day #5 and I'm beginning to empathise...
Welcome to Day #5 - Almost a whole week!!! Most people didn't expect me to last 24 hours.
Well I slept well last night. I don't know if that's anything to do with the diet or if I just happened to sleep particularly well. Either way, once again, I woke up feeling refreshed.
Today was the Foodie Fest which I mentioned yesterday. I worked only a half day and Nats came and met me before we wandered in to have a look at the stalls. I must be honest, I was a little nervous. When we first decided to go to the Foodie Fest, we hadn't decided to go vegan for a month. Naturally, this is going to limit the food available for eating.
What I didn't anticipate was by just how much! Only one stall, which sold churros, advertised itself as 'vegan friendly'. Another Greek option was a little more obvious, selling vegan options which as olives, olives and more olives but, as much as we love olives, we wanted dinner.
We did a walk around and then bought some churros as it was the only thing which jumped out as vegan friendly and we were both getting hungry. Then, I started asking the question I knew I'd have to ask at some point this month; "Do you do a vegan option please?"
For the most part, the answer was no. There was one stall which did a potato based dish but, in smaller letters, it said 'chicken'. Well that's out straight away. There was a creamy mushroom dish but, you know, cream.
There were so many meat stalls which, at any other time, would have excited me. Burgers, lamb, chicken fajitas, gyro, etc. you name it. "Do you do a vegan option please?" Sorry, no.
It's at this point I'm beginning to get frustrated. I swear, if I end up having to go to Marks & Spencers or Tesco for a Falafel and Houmous wrap when I'm at a Foodie Fest, I'll be really annoyed. I'm actually beginning to empathise with the vegan community and why they find it so frustrating when trying to actually find something, ANYTHING, to eat! It was getting ridiculous.
Okay, confession time. Previously, I always thought whenever I would hear a vegan complain, "Well why complain? There's always a vegan option, even if it's only salad". Well I didn't want salad for dinner. I wanted something substantial. There needs to be a bit of a wake up call. Nobody should be punished for their food choice, however restrictive it might be, but here I am, surrounded by food I'm not allowed to eat. It's like The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; water water everything, nor any drop to drink. It tells of a sailor on a becalmed ship, surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink.
We eventually found something which looked promising. A stall, hidden away in the corner and facing in a different direction. Well, what did we have to lose? Honestly? We were already starting to head towards M&S.
We saw this! A mix of wheat noodles, soy sauce, vegetable pakora, mixed vegetables, beansprouts and onions. I asked the man on the stall if it was vegan and rather than just a puzzled look or a shake of the head, he smiled and said it was! He became my best friend in that instance.
We got a carton each and when and sat down to enjoy them. They really were good. And substantial. I couldn't actually finish mine, although Nats made short work of what I'd left so she obviously liked them. Honestly, I don't know where she puts it! Hollow legs.
We called it a day shortly after that because, well what was the point? We were at a Foodie Fest where we couldn't eat the vast majority of the food.
On the drive home, we called in at Aldi to pick up some more almond and soya milk as we were running low by now. I did almost buy a power drill to help finish installed the bath this weekend - Dad and I did most of it last weekend; just cosmetic stuff left.
I had a look at the beer whilst we were there. You know, it's Friday night, why not treat myself to a drink? Why not? Because isinglass is used in the filtration of the two ales they had on shelf that I actually like, that's why not. Isinglass is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish so, that's not vegan friendly at all. Unfortunately it doesn't look like some of my favourite ales are vegan friendly.
That being said, one of my other favourite beers, Innis & Gunn Original, is vegan friendly (as is the whole brewery from the looks of it). I can live with that. I got happily drunk on Innis & Gunn at my best man's wedding and danced a ceilidh all night with anyone and everything whether they wanted to dance or not. That was almost 3 years ago and apparently it made such an impression that 'every wedding needs a Mikey'.
Well I slept well last night. I don't know if that's anything to do with the diet or if I just happened to sleep particularly well. Either way, once again, I woke up feeling refreshed.
Today was the Foodie Fest which I mentioned yesterday. I worked only a half day and Nats came and met me before we wandered in to have a look at the stalls. I must be honest, I was a little nervous. When we first decided to go to the Foodie Fest, we hadn't decided to go vegan for a month. Naturally, this is going to limit the food available for eating.
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| Vegan Friendly Churros |
We did a walk around and then bought some churros as it was the only thing which jumped out as vegan friendly and we were both getting hungry. Then, I started asking the question I knew I'd have to ask at some point this month; "Do you do a vegan option please?"
For the most part, the answer was no. There was one stall which did a potato based dish but, in smaller letters, it said 'chicken'. Well that's out straight away. There was a creamy mushroom dish but, you know, cream.
There were so many meat stalls which, at any other time, would have excited me. Burgers, lamb, chicken fajitas, gyro, etc. you name it. "Do you do a vegan option please?" Sorry, no.
It's at this point I'm beginning to get frustrated. I swear, if I end up having to go to Marks & Spencers or Tesco for a Falafel and Houmous wrap when I'm at a Foodie Fest, I'll be really annoyed. I'm actually beginning to empathise with the vegan community and why they find it so frustrating when trying to actually find something, ANYTHING, to eat! It was getting ridiculous.
Okay, confession time. Previously, I always thought whenever I would hear a vegan complain, "Well why complain? There's always a vegan option, even if it's only salad". Well I didn't want salad for dinner. I wanted something substantial. There needs to be a bit of a wake up call. Nobody should be punished for their food choice, however restrictive it might be, but here I am, surrounded by food I'm not allowed to eat. It's like The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; water water everything, nor any drop to drink. It tells of a sailor on a becalmed ship, surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink.
We eventually found something which looked promising. A stall, hidden away in the corner and facing in a different direction. Well, what did we have to lose? Honestly? We were already starting to head towards M&S.
We got a carton each and when and sat down to enjoy them. They really were good. And substantial. I couldn't actually finish mine, although Nats made short work of what I'd left so she obviously liked them. Honestly, I don't know where she puts it! Hollow legs.
We called it a day shortly after that because, well what was the point? We were at a Foodie Fest where we couldn't eat the vast majority of the food.
On the drive home, we called in at Aldi to pick up some more almond and soya milk as we were running low by now. I did almost buy a power drill to help finish installed the bath this weekend - Dad and I did most of it last weekend; just cosmetic stuff left.
I had a look at the beer whilst we were there. You know, it's Friday night, why not treat myself to a drink? Why not? Because isinglass is used in the filtration of the two ales they had on shelf that I actually like, that's why not. Isinglass is a substance obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish so, that's not vegan friendly at all. Unfortunately it doesn't look like some of my favourite ales are vegan friendly.
That being said, one of my other favourite beers, Innis & Gunn Original, is vegan friendly (as is the whole brewery from the looks of it). I can live with that. I got happily drunk on Innis & Gunn at my best man's wedding and danced a ceilidh all night with anyone and everything whether they wanted to dance or not. That was almost 3 years ago and apparently it made such an impression that 'every wedding needs a Mikey'.
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