Bay Area Vegetarians

Photos from our April 11th tour at the Animal Place sanctuary and education center in Vacaville are now available in our photo gallery.  Here’s two of our favorite photographs.  The first shows the green hills and pastures at Animal Place, and the second features Marji, our tour guide and Animal Place education coordinator, telling us the chickens’ stories.  Humans are all queued up and interested in the chickens, and the chickens are all queued up and interested in the human visitors.

Visit our photo gallery for more photos from our 2009 tour.

Beautiful green pastures at Animal Place

Chickens and Humans, interest on both sides

Vegan Sponge Bob Cake made by Christine

Dust off your baking pans and get ready for the First Annual Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale between June 20th and 28th!  Make this a fundraiser for your favorite veg or animal charity, or use the organizer’s suggestions to make this a vegan food giveaway to the general public.

One of our members, Robin, is looking for co-organizers and participants to bring this activity to the South Bay.  Please email us if you’d like to get involved.

Enjoy Vegetarian has opened a new restaurant in Chinatown, at 839 Kearny St (between Jackson and Washington). Their original location is in the Inner Sunset district on Kirkham.

Thanks to Winnie and Jordan for the update.

Ultimate Guide: Enjoy Vegetarian – read it, rate it, review it

The lease for the Café Gratitude on 9th Ave. (near Irving) expires on May 1st. They may go month-to-month until a new tenant signs the lease. Once there is a new tenant, this location will close.

Ultimate Guide: Cafe Gratitude – read it, rate it, review it

One of our members, Sky, is interested in organizing a daytime letter writing party in San Francisco.

Letter writing is one of the most effective ways we can advocate for animals, and I would love to start a letter writing group in San Francisco. I can host and provide all the materials and research we would need… but my only free time is around 11-2 on weekdays. I’m just writing to see if there would be any interest out there to meet in that time frame. If so, let me know, and we can start to plan a meeting.

If you’re interested, please email us and we’ll forward your information onto Sky.

Fragrance Land, a popular Chinese vegetarian restaurant in Cupertino, closed its doors, permanently, earlier this week, bring the number of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the South Bay to 32. (Click here for list)

Thanks to Sharon, who hosted our monthly dinner at Fragrance Land, for the update.

Saturday was the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in San Francisco, and also the annual Bay Area Vegetarians Leafleting at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  🙂

BAVeg Leafleting Leprechauns

Our team of leafleting leprechauns hit the streets of SF, and handed out 1,500 Vegetarian Stater Kits in one hour!!

THANK YOU Alex, Ari, Lisa, Caroline, Michelle, Donna, Jordan and Tammy! BAVeg volunteers share some thoughts about this activity:

Alex enthused “Event leafleting is always fun, because the crowds are in a good mood. Twice I had people chasing after me to get a brochure! Love that! Leafleting is is so easy, and so effective.  I love thinking about all the people who learned about animal suffering today for the first time.  I wonder how many vegetarians we made?”

Parade attendee reads VSK

“This may have been the easiest leafleting I have ever done! Not a negative comment all morning, a few dozen people came up asking ME for guides (rather than the other way around) and at least 50% of people who I offered I guide to took it. Combine that with a great meal with some inspiring vegetarians, all committed to raising the consciousness of our society, and you’ve got a heck of a finish to my week!” exclaimed Ari.

Michelle adds “It was great fun, and such a happy vibrant crowd that seemed to really embrace the veg message!”

Reading her new VSK

Jordan shares his personal experience.  “I’ve been a vegetarian since 1967, and had little success in getting people to go veg. It came as a big surprise, there is an easy way to recruit new vegetarians. Just hand out leaflets. Some people who read the leaflet decide to eat less meat, some become vegetarians or vegans.

Leafleting is fun. Especially at special events, parades etc, because people let down their guard and are willing to talk to strangers. In a short time you can hand out a lot of leaflets.

Now I organize vegetarian leafleting at some Buddhist teachings I go to, asking Buddhists to go veg. Think about what events you go to that you can leaflet. It’s great to know that you have done something that makes a difference.”

Please watch the BAVeg calendar for the next San Francisco Have a Heart, Go Veg Leafleting activity.

The owners of New World Vegan in Oakland have opened Symphonie, a new vegan restaurant in Richmond.

Like New World, it features an international menu featuring Thai, Italian,  Indian, Chinese and Brazilian appetizers, soups and entrees. Low fat or oil-free. Lunch specials $8.25 – $9.50 include soup, salad, rice, and your choice of 16 lunch specials.

This is a new restaurant (opened Feb 2009) so always good to call first and confirm hours.

Thanks to Mike for the information!

Symphonie: read it, rate it, review it

Ari, a local activist and Bay Area Veg volunteer/supporter, is in the running for PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Next Door contest!

To vote for him, go to male contestants and vote for Ari!

Please vote by March 11th