Who Says....

New York City is all hot dog stands. Fruit stands are all around the city in springtime.


Having a soy cappuccino, $3.75, at Macaron Cafe while flipping through their French magazine collection can't be considered an educational outing in my studies of the language?


You should be fraught with worry over the state of your thighs, stomach, or other part of your body if you will be pool-side, lake-side, or beach-side in a month or two.

When have you EVER heard a man utter, "Sorry, I can't eat that cookie. Swimsuit season is almost here, you know!" I've heard the dreaded swimsuit comment three times in one week from women.


You can't be a vegetarian or vegan and still adore food films like Babette's Feast, Julie & Julia and the woman herself, Julia Child. My Life in France was with me all over Italy. I found her enthusiasm for life contagious, and her love story with Paul endearing. How many romances survive that long?

I could so relate in Julie & Julia when Julia (a la Meryl Streep) declared, "All I think about all day is food and then I dream about it all night."


You can't support Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, just because he is not promoting veganism or vegetarianism. I've been disappointed at the animal rights community's utter silence about this show, and their refusal to acknowledge his ground-breaking shows on factory farmed chickens and pigs in the UK.

I think of Natalie Merchant's observation in her Leave Your Sleep liner notes about the "timeless truth that we fail to understand the entirety of anything because of our limited perspective." Many vegans only seem to want to hear or discuss people promoting vegan only. That's a mistake, in my opinion.

We need a massive shift in our food culture, and Jamie Oliver promotes many of the same ideals. More organics. More local food. More cooking from scratch as often as possible. For many, learning how to cook. Revamping a broken school food system. Improving brown bagged lunches. I couldn't agree more when he said in his closing show that if parents fed children the junk he witnessed every day, it's child abuse.

"You can have anything that you want in food, but just in moderation," he assures us. Moderation is one of my favorite words. I tire of the food police declaring you shouldn't have any sugar, white pasta, and such ever. He's not saying that either.

Sign Jamie's petition, which simply declares, "I support the Food Revolution. America's kids need better food at school and better health prospects. We need to keep cooking skills alive."

The Vegetarian Good Life?

It's no major secret that I don't follow a strict vegan diet. I have come to dislike labels (see Sarma's post), but if I have to use one, I am now back to saying vegetarian.

Why not vegan?

By adhering to that label all the time, I got frustrated by people having to make me entirely separate portions to avoid a pat of butter or dollop of cream, or debating at a farmers market should I not get the spearmint basil iced tea since it has a touch of honey. I also saw no merit in removing the cheese off of vegetarian sandwiches served at company lunches. I don't think animals in factory farms are being helped by these types of decisions.

In fact, I believe because most people don't want to have to deal with such scenaoris, people aren't open to exploring all the wonderful vegan foods.

I hear these phrases ALL the time from vegans: "It's so easy!" "joyous" and you "get so much more than you give up." I just can't help but think some vegans set people up for failure by presenting a lifestyle of ease and perfection, and condemning people who aren't up to their standards. Following any type of diet strictly all the time for life may not be easy. Not everyone lives in New York City where there are countless vegan restaurants, has $7 for vegan marshmallows, has supportive families, or the will-power to turn down communal cheese trays.

I've made peace with myself that I still want to eat certain vegetarian foods. I'm not perfect. I don't think this should be so taboo either. No one wants to hear how morally superior and perfect people think they are. I don't.

Here are some of my imperfections.

After visiting the New York Botanical Garden, I stopped by Brooklyn's Brick Oven Pizzeria in Hackensack, NJ, with my boyfriend and my mom.

To start, a Caeasar salad, $3.95. Talk about out-of-control portions: this fed all three of us!

As did this: eggplant parmigiana, $5.95.

A large pie, $14.50. I ate two slices of this.

Another great weakness: French food. These are from my favorite French cafe, Macaron Cafe.

The capri sandwich, $6.50. Goat cheese, pine nuts, raisins, apples and honey.

Macarons, $1.95 each. Cassis and one of my favorites, honey lavender.

A crepe with apricot preserves, $2.75, with a soy coffee, $2.25.



Blog name change in order? I've thought about it.

The good life, and this blog, is about many things for me: awareness about what you are eating and how it is produced, enjoyment of food, financial empowerment, a cleaner Earth (which is good for all animals), a more positive culture, especially for women, that is not so focused on vanity and youth but instead on wisdom and embracing what God gave us.

But it is also to showcase all the amazing vegan food I eat, the stylish and very affordable vegan fashions you can find at swaps and thrift and consignment shops, and how to incorporate vegan foods whenever we can (i.e, using egg replacers for baking, or pouring almond milk on your cereal).

My vegan path has not been as smooth as I'd hoped, and I'd rather be truthful about challenges and temptations. Ultimately, to me, it's not about "being" a member of a dietary group, but "eating" a certain way as much as possible. The journey is more important to me than a label, so for now, we continue on.

J'adore...

David Lebovitz's take on French napkins. Disposable? Jamais. He also offers Tips for Vegetarian Dining in Paris.

...the Ultimate Money Blog's column, Frugal French habits You can Try at Home. I'm a big advocate walking, paying with cash and not credit, and many other things mentioned, so I'm off to a French and frugal start.

...stumbling across little French-themed books at the C.A.T.S. Resale Shop for my nightstand. "Je fais un somme, donc je suis." I nap, therefore I am.


...stealing away a few moments for myself at my favorite French cafe, Macaron, with a soy coffee, $2.25 and flipping through their collection of French magazines like Elle and Paris Match. I don't understand most of what's in them still, but I'm having fun trying...

...how much better tap water tastes out of a cheerful pitcher. Instead of lemon, add slices of orange for a refreshing change, like they did at Macaron. In my opinion, how 'good' water tastes is often psychological.

...rainy evenings. Perfect excuse to get under a blanket, put on the comfy clothes, and watch dvd's from the library. I cannot wait to watch Food Beware, The French Organic Food Revolution.


...the feeling I have after sitting down to savor delicious, wholesome food (versus mindless eating). When walking down a New York City sidewalk with my friend, I pondered, is it possible to be in love with food? In Babette's Feast, one of my favorite films (non-vegetarian feast aside), a character talked about a chef who "Had the ability to transform dinner into a kind of love affair. A love affair that made no distinction between bodily appetite and spiritual appetite." Food fuels the body, but what you eat, and how you eat it, nourishes the soul. When I have a good meal, I'm tempted to do a happy dance just like my family's rescue dog does after he's eaten his.

...remembering sunny, warmer days: sunflowers from Old Hook Farm in the summertime.

Bon week-end tout le monde!

Petit Déjeuner and Déjeuner: Paris via New York

I was nearby New York City's Chelsea Market attending a meeting for work, and couldn't resist stopping by Amy's Bread for their "Parisian Breakfast." Can you blame me?

A (soy) cafe au lait and a half a crusty baguette (hold the butter) with red raspberry Bonne Maman jam, $5.25. I brought the jam jar home to reuse as a container to transport salad dressing for lunches.

My cafe au lait even garnered a compliment from a gentleman standing in line, who thought it looked just charming. Don't you agree? I can't imagine a paper cup with a plastic lid.

Chelsea Market offers much for vegans. I didn't visit it, but One Lucky Duck now has a location there. Check out Sarma Melngailis' blog post, "I'm Not a Vegetarian." I think her sentiments on labels are very realistic and healthy, especially for those having trouble committing to veganism. I struggle myself and fall off the wagon. Me and cheese: a forbidden love.

Closer to my office, Macaron Cafe is my slice of Paris. Most of the staff are French, and the place is brimming with real Frenchies and those Frenchies-at-heart who just adore good, simple food.

The Farm Salad, $8.25. Evian or Perrier? Tap water please.

C'est cher, non? Oui. I usually opt to brown bag it, but sometimes, I need a little mental health time away from my cramped cubicle and fluorescent lighting. Have to have a little French music on the iPod. For good measure, I like everything from the campy - Georges Ulmer - to the modern - Kaolin. Even Belinda Carlisle covers French classics.

I was watching another French-inspired cook, Barefoot Contessa, on Food Network. She shared a favorite vinaigrette recipe. Ready? Olive, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard, with a dash of salt and pepper. Easy.

Savor...Don't Run

"NYC Runs on Dunkin," says an ad for Dunkin Donuts. Those same words could describe the American cultural attitude toward food. Almost as important as what we are eating, is how we are eating. How can people put any thought into how their bacon, egg and cheese sandwich (for which three animals had to needlessly suffer: a pig, chicken and cow), when one is mindlessly eating it while walking down a busy street?

We run (and by we, I mean far too many Americans). We don't savor. We eat too much of foods that are bad for us, then feel guilty about it. We drink our coffee out of disposable cups with wasteful plastic lids, which will survive generations after the few moments of caffeine fix will. We get overpriced takeout in even more wasteful packaging: think plastic containers, plastic utensils (wrapped in more plastic), plastic bags. Plastic everything. We pay a premium for bottled water, but put little thought into how the food put into our body is produced, opting for the cheapest choice available. We pay $1 for value meals, but find the funds for premium cable, DVD collections and more. We eat out of convenience, microwaving $2 frozen meals to eat at our desks checking e-mail. We may hop on a treadmill to work off all of the food we shouldn't have eaten in the first place. We put little value on the real pleasure of eating. We speed through our day as quickly as possible. We repeat this cycle the next day.

This is not living to me, this is enduring. Our stomachs are full, but our souls are starved.

The disposable coffee culture is one I don't understand. I so wish we had a cafe culture in the U.S. (no, Starbucks doesn't count). I mean real cafes: think sipping cafe soy cremes in real cups (never, ever disposables), while people and dog-watching or lingering over the morning paper or the latest library book or a good chat with a friend. In a world of connectivity (e-mail, Facebook, cell phones), people seem to be oddly more disconnected from each other, I find.

I can't make it here at the moment, but I can get a soy hot chocolate, $3.50, from best thing closest to me: New York City's Macaron Cafe.


Make your own vegan hot chocolate at home for a fraction of the price. Try a version using cocoa powder, or just simply use your favorite non-dairy "milk" and chocolate syrup. Did you know the Hershey's syrup is vegan? Find out what other popular supermarket brands are too.

This friendly guy greets the cafe's visitors.

The owner here always has a friendly "good morning" as soon as you walk through the door.

Macaron is in New York City's Fashion District. As seen on Project Runway: Mood Fabrics.

I had the pleasure of hearing Project Runway's Tim Gunn introduce PETA Vice President Dan Mathews at his book discussion of Committed: A Rabble-Rouser's Memoir, in New York City some time ago. Tim even appeared in an ad for PETA. Tim, in my book, that means you're in.

April in Paris? I Wish...May in New York

A day in the life of a New York City commuter can frighteningly start to resemble Bill Murray's in Groundhog Day. I sit on the same seat on the bus. I grab my free copy of amNewYork from the same person handing it out. But my "Phil Connors" moment really arrives when I pass the same red-headed, bearded man walking in the opposite direction as I near my office almost the exact same time each day. Spooky!

To break the monotony, I treated myself to breakfast instead of eating at home while perusing The New York Times online edition and checking various environmental and animal rights action centers (PETA's Action Center has new opportunities for armchair activism almost daily).

I'm always looking to recreate a bit of Paris in New York: tartine with strawberry preserves and a soy cafe au lait, $6.50, at Macaron Cafe. Extra points scored for the Counter Culture Coffee that is brewed here.

Seating is limited in this charming (but small) French cafe. On the morning most are on the go, so I was lucky enough to get a seat by the door. There's a similar seating area in the back.

If you come at lunch, expect long lines with many Frenchies. But that's a good sign...the French know good food! Well, except for some food. You can veganize their vegetarian sandwich, $6.50 (avocado, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce on a baguette) by leaving off the egg and mayo and adding olive oil. Pair with a lemonade, $2.25.

Crepes (not vegan) are on the menu. The Urban Vegan takes the cruelty out of this classic French treat. Veganize simple fare such as onion soup, quiche, and pain au chocolat (which I always make when craving a chocolate croissant).

Visit Macaron Cafe, 161 West 36th Street (between Seventh and Sixth Ave.), NYC.

My latest Frenchie find: Emily Loizeau, whose music I discovered on a compilation at one of my favorite places, my local library. Although that better be faux fur on her album cover (wishful thinking). The beauty of spring is I no longer have to see any more horrid fur fashions on my walk to the office.