After waxing about the number of vegans in Europe and the US I came across this interesting post about vegan demographics on Vegan Bits.

Vegan demographics
Most likely to be female and under 35.

Vegans By Age:

They pulled this information from the same source I sited in my earlier post, but I didn’t see these charts. Wow! Nearly 80% of US vegan are women. I thought it would be more equal. Good news for single vegan guys! You can look at the full study here.

I haven’t yet bought this cookbook, but I’m pretty sure it was written specifically for me. It’s definitely on the short list of after Christmas purchases that I will be making. Other than Thai food, I can’t think of anything I like better veganized than soul food. Not only do you get “The Vegan Soulfood Guide to the Galaxy” book but you get the “Pimp My Tofu” cooking companion DVD as well. I think it’s pretty amusing that they are marketing it as a “healthy eating” cookbook but I guess for the average soul food eater, vegan versions would be a much better alternative. As far as vegan food goes, I can’t think of anything much more unhealthy than vegan soul food. That’s probably the reason I love it so. Let me know what you think of the book if you’ve picked it up. The book is available at the author’s website here.

Big news on the vegan shoe business front, Natalie Portman’s shoe line is apparently no more. Parent company and manufacturer of her line Té Casan folded on November 30th and their website has a “currently updating” message which is not a good thing during the holiday season. I remember the last time I looked on the website, most of the styles were drastically on sale. Hey Natalie, if you’re looking for a new partner, drop me an e-mail! But in all seriousness, I hate to see any vegan business go out of business, especially such a high profile business.

Lifehacker today has an article posted today about cooking vegan on their website. They link to the WikiHow page How To Feed A Vegan For Three Days Or More. The most amusing thing, of course, is the backlash, of course, about veganism in the comments. They are worth reading for a chuckle. You can get to the post here. Some of my favorite comments:

• - I’ve seen some vegans that are worse than a kid who doesn’t like peas, and they really need to be handled in the same way.
• - I’ve always wondered if vegetarians/vegans realize that animals don’t even know they are alive.
• - i blame peer pressure, i went to school in Boulder, Colorado. but then i saw the errors of my ways, and now i enjoy flesh regularly
• - Veganism is an eating disorder. It’s just an excuse to starve yourself by using a socially accepted label.

General public, how I love thee.

If you’re looking to find fellow vegan raw enthusiasts in the Los Angeles area, there’s a new Meetup group for you to join. The Your Radical Health, Los Angeles, Vegan, Raw Food Meetup just started on the 18th of October and has yet to hold a Meetup. Get in on the ground floor and get the info on various raw food/super food potlucks and gatherings. You can find all the info here.

Fall is a beautiful, festive time of year stirring up feelings of nostalgia from a pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating, candy consuming past. Those memories were fond, and I must admit, each Halloween I feel the urge to spontaneously run out, purchase a pumpkin candy basket, knock on the doors of my unsuspecting neighbors and shout “trick or treat” at the top of my lungs (all while they stand two feet in front of me). Luckily, for everyone in my neighborhood, and perhaps yours too, there is another reason for me to get excited this October, because it’s also Fair Trade Month!

Filling the depths of your trick-or-treat bag is almost a sure thing, but seeing an end to the abusive labor conditions 284,000 children face in the West African fields so that cheap cocoa is readily available to the candy manufactures to make chocolate, can only happen when more people are educated on these inhumane conditions. Global Exchange is taking the first step, to make it easier for you to spread the word about the truth behind the cocoa industry. With Reverse Trick or Treating you can truly make a difference in the hearts and minds of people in your community. So, take that second step and put Global Exchange’s compassionate effort into action. You’ll be sure to sleep better on Hallows’ Eve, that’s for sure.

Register here: http://store.gxonlinestore.org/rtot.html

And hey! If you’re going to pass out candy on Halloween night, consider these delicious Organic Fair Trade Vegan Chocolate Bites: http://sjaaks.com/product_molds/show/110

The average American consumes 550 pounds of dairy each year, while their health, the environment, and animals pay the price. A few non-dairy, earth friendly, humane treats for the trick-or-treaters to take home won’t hurt. It can only help.