What's Better Than A Holiday That Revolves Around Candy?

Happy Halloween everyone!  Just a quick post to let you know how ours went.  For starters, there was this.

89 was supposed to be a unicorn for Halloween, but after numerous wing attempts, the ones she wound up with were a little large; so, a friend dubbed her a uni-fairy.

 

Precious, right?

Well, here she is making like an ostrich and pretending I don't exist.

 

And here she is as an evil unicorn throwing a stinky side-eye.

 Bored with me in between trick-or-treaters.

We gave out accidentally vegan Oreos this year: further veganified with my favorite artichoke-designed  "Veganism is Direct Action" stickers from Friends of Animals, who do amazing work.

 

That is, until I ran out and had to resort to Halloween pencils.  In my defense, I did not expect 78 kids to come a-knockin'.  Note to self: older kids come later and they do not take kindly to Halloween pencils- regardless of their fun, giant erasers.  But, it was all I had!  The only other portable, edible items in my pantry were individual, pre-cooked quinoa packets.

foreshadowing: recipe testing post coming soon!

And, after having saved it all week, I was not about to share my Vegan Treats pumpkin sugar cookie.  Not even with the numbered dog seen below licking her lips in anticipation.  She had her own cookies.

I hope your Halloween was as fun as ours!

We're exhausted.

 

Until next year...(we're already brainstorming)

Vegan MoFo 2012, Easy Halloween Activism

Hello boys and girls, it's time once again for a lesson in EASY ACTIVISM!  As you well know, Halloween is right around the corner.  While I wholeheartedly recommend sharing goodies from vegan owned and operated companies at all times of the year, that can get a little pricey when you're dealing with tons of trick or treaters.  Also, on a holiday when kids are hoping to receive their favorite treats, unfamiliar products run the risk of alienating rather than intriguing.  So these are my steps for easy Halloween activism:

Same drill as usual: buy tons of accidentally vegan treats...only this time it's for sharing, not hoarding.

Then, buy tons more.  This way, if the trick or treaters don't finish your stash- you can.  Years of experience, my friends!

If you've been vegan for any length of time, you probably have some pro-vegan stickers in your house (I'm a fan of these from Friends of Animals (especially the artichoke), but you can get others for free here.)  I'm fond of handing them out in and around vegan events- to children who may or may not already be part of the vegan revolution.  But on this day, the children will come to YOU!  And, as Bill Maher would say, "It's all about the children," after all.

Here's what you do: take ordinary treats...

and simply slap a sticker on 'em* (make sure not to cover the ingredients). 

Then pile all your goods in a bowl and wait for the little ones to come.  Chances are no one will notice as you're distributing the goods, but if they do it's simply a great opportunity to start a dialogue with your neighbors.  If they don't, you may just inspire a few kids to think about the message they received anonymously.  Think of it as planting a compassionate seed.

 Trick or Treat.

*make sure your treats are rad; vegans should be generous and have good taste!

Easy Activism

I don't know about you, but I am constantly receiving thick envelopes of junk mail from credit card companies and the like.  Unfortunately, since so much personal information is printed throughout the enclosed literature, it's not as easy as throwing it in the recycling bin.  Instead, I have to open the envelope to separate the recycling from the shredding- only to have to do it again a few days later when they inevitably send another unsolicited request.

So how do I retaliate?  By taking advantage of the postage paid return envelope; they just happen to be the perfect size to hold vegan literature.  Since no postage is necessary, I like to jam pack it full of as many pamphlets as will fit in without bursting the seams: revenge at no cost to you!

Now I know what you may be thinking, who has time for this?  You!  Me!  Everyone!  Save these pesky envelopes up over the course of a month (you'll be surprised at how quickly they'll add up) and simply stuff them while you catch up on Mad Men (now on Netflix!).  By doing so you are accomplishing quite a few things.

• Revenge.  If enough people cost these solicitors postage as retaliation for the annoyance, they may just decrease or even stop the harassment.
• USPS is a necessary evil; not everything can be done online.  And maybe if we appease the post office they'll stop raising the price of stamps.
• Spread the vegan word!  At very least, the person opening the envelope will read the information.  They may even pass it around.  Slap an animal rights sticker on the outside for added exposure and to save you the trouble of sealing the envelope.

So there you have it, another opportunity to speak up for animals.  For even the most passive among us.
[PLEASE NOTE: I am not aware of the legality of this practice, so please proceed at your own risk!]