Bethlehem Vegfest 6: Sweaty Highlights

Another year, another Bethlehem Vegfest! If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that this is a favorite- not only for its proximity to Vegan Treats, but because it's free, dog-friendly, and open to the public. The safe space of a vegan festival that caters predominantly to vegans is alluring, but charging admittance keeps out non-vegans- particularly when it's an exorbitant sum. If the point is to create new vegans (it is!), what better way than to woo them with a free invitation to our exemplary and celebratory festivities? But, I digress.

 

We always begin our BethVegFest adventure at Vegan Treats. Sure, they have a tremendous booth at the fest, but that's kind of for tourists; we like to go straight to the source.

Vegan Treats old fashioned glazed donut, monkey bread, chicken & waffles donut, strawberry cheesecake softserve

Then it's off to the fest. They alternate between holding it in late August and early September; I think we can all agree that henceforth mid-September is the way to go because August is JUST TOO DAMN HOT. Thankfully, this year the organizers put tents over the tables/chairs in the food court area to offer a much appreciated reprieve from the relentless sunshine.

too damn hot

saving the day with orange coconut Mompops

Per usual, we met some wonderful, open-minded, curious non-vegans at the fest- mostly over lunch. Because it's a neutral setting with a built-in topic of conversation, it's always a good chance to informally chat about the truths and myths of veganism.

Franklin Hill Vineyards sangria spritzer for VM

Of course, the Bethlehem Vegfest wouldn't be what it is without me having an argument with someone (2 at BVF #5!). This time, it was with a clueless vendor inexplicably selling expensive pottery that was "beautiful because it's from Spain." First of all, I'll never understand why these types of vendors choose to vend at vegfests. The pottery is, most likely, accidentally vegan at best. So, what do these kinds of wares have to do with a vegfest? As far as non-food items go, people want messagewear, vegan clothing and accessories, cruelty-free beauty products- you know, things that aren't usually vegan by default. But that wasn't my beef.

While we were looking at the pottery she explained that the ridges in the center were a grating feature and proceeded to demonstrate with an ugly hunk of provolone animal cheese. Because VM has repeatedly implored me to work on my finesse, I diplomatically informed her that a block of cheese was an interesting choice at a vegan fest. She hesitated, then shrugged and said, "But not everyone is vegan."

BUT THIS IS A VEGAN FESTIVAL.

Her posturing became very defensive and I was unsure how I was going to proceed when a voice a few feet from me stated with equal neutrality, "Perhaps you should leave that out of your vegfest demonstrations." I looked up to see another disappointed vegan (as evidenced by her shirt) and breathed a sigh of relief and solidarity. The vendor then trivialized, "I didn't realize cheese was so upsetting!" We all walked away and heard her laughing, telling the next attendees passing her booth how "angry" vegans were mad at her just for having cheese. I did not hear their response. Why? Because I was storming over to the organizer table to defer to the professionals. It turns out, not surprisingly, that each vendor is provided with copious amount of information and guidelines for the fest, so there was absolutely no excuse for the presence of the cheese or, frankly, her attitude. They went over to speak with her and the next time we passed the cheese was missing from the table.

For the record, it's not so much that vegans can't bear to be in the presence of animal products. Let's face it, we all live in the real world where we're surrounded by non-vegans eating, wearing, and otherwise using animals in a manner we wouldn't consider. But to participate in a VegFest with such little respect for the cause is an absolute affront.

Moving on.

Vegan Treats speculoos cookie

The vendors and organizations were a little sparse this year, but there seemed to be more food options than ever. Granted, this is always the busiest section of the fest, but without much else to do, it was hard to find a reason to stick around until you became hungry enough to eat again.

The Taza Truck Egyptian kushari

To be fair, the intense heat didn't help matters either.

MomPops strawberry lemonade popsicle

The Cinnamon Snail crushed it again with the longest line; I admit I couldn't brave it in the oppressive heat. Vegan Shop-Up fave Freakin Vegans came in second. It seemed as though the other vendors catered to the overflow, of which there was plenty. As for desserts: Vegan Treats and MomsPops were the clear winners.

Freakin' Vegan buffalo wrap, mac & cheese, and empanadas

Rumor has it that there could be a revamp in the works for future BFVs and I find that prospect rather exciting; they've definitely had some ups and downs over the years. The huge turnout always confirms that there is significant interest in this event and that's the biggest piece of the puzzle. I'd gladly offer input if anyone is interested; this great event definitely has the potential to be amazing.

Bethlehem Vegfest 4!

The Bethlehem VegFest was held in late August this year; it's one of my favorites. The event is free, so it doesn't just preach to the choir; it fills up with veg-curious and even the not so curious who are just looking for a fun way to spend an afternoon. It's also a wonderful event to bring your pet. The delay of this post is no way a reflection of my love of the fest!

This was my outfit of the day, courtesy of MooShoes via Raven & Crow (or vice versa)...89-approved.

Per usual, we stopped off at Vegan Treats on the way.  This time we were greeted by a giant bowl full of festively wrapped chocolate-covered pretzel rods: both with white or dark chocolate.

All dark for us:

 

There was also a tower of enticing chocolate-covered pretzel cupcakes!

I didn't partake, but they deserved a close-up.

Mini crumb-topped pies (peach or apple?)

I started with a big ol' cup of peanut butter soft serve.

Yep, started.

Much to the delight of a certain numbered dog.

Then VM and I shared a chocolate-dipped speculoos cookie, a triple chocolate donut, and a smore's donut.  Those are our closely guarded pretzels on the side, with a back drop of cookies that- luckily for anyone else who would visit Vegan Treats that day, we managed not to eat.

My bad, we did get a few of those to go, but left plenty for others.

 

Then we were off to the vegfest!

 

One thing to especiallyy love about the Bethlehem VegFest is that they always have produce booths (the omission of which people are constantly complaining about at other vegfests where indoor space is at a premium). Plus, it was particularly adorable the way the melons were displayed.

We'd arrived later than expected, but were lucky to catch most of Gene Bauer's presentation in the speaker tent.

Much like last year when she'd cheered for Danielle Konya, 89 did the same for Gene at the conclusion of his presentation.

And we even got our photo taken with him! You'll note that I'm holding 89 like a sack of potatoes for some inexplicable reason because I was so overwhelmed with glee and admiration for Gene's charm and accomplishments.

Elsewhere on site was some fresh kale growing! If memory serves, it was the project of a local youth group.

I can't help but to wave at the pigs, but my sentiment remains the same from year to year.

And then a visit to our friend and beauty-supplier, The Fanciful Fox!

89 is particularly enamored with one of the proprietors, so she stood as the welcoming committee while I shopped.

Another advantage to having the fest outdoors: 89 makes new friends.

 

The Vegan Treats booth is always packed.

Even though we'd already gorged, I braved the crowds to give you an idea of the tent's contents.

Cookies, cakes, cannolis, and donuts as far as the eye could see.

While I was there, I accidentally bought this samoa cake. In my defense, it was only because it was one I'd never seen before!

Confession: I ate the cookie while I was on line for lunch.

 

Not to be outdone, The Cinnamon Snail line was even more extensive than usual.

I had the special, which was peking seitan with tamarind plum sauce, 5-spice roasted Brussels sprouts, bean sprouts, arugula, and wasabi mayo on a toasted baguette.

89 eying it up.

It was one of the best Snaily sandwiches I've ever had!

89 was really tired at this point, but not too tired to munch on my arugula.

CS was out of her fave veggie sammie, so VM decided to get a pizza from the Pizza Wagon, the place we'd enjoyed the previous year when the Snail was not in attendance.

I wasn't too impressed this time around.

The wine spritzer from Franklin Hill Vineyards made it easier to bear.

Per usual, a good day was had by all.
Make sure to watch the Bethlehem Vegfest page for more info on the next fest!

Don't you hate it when you go someplace good, but then when you take friends back it's not so good?

I really enjoyed my food at Horns last time, so I was excited to bring some friends back- especially in light of the recent taxidermy removal.  

cardboard unicorn mount

Unfortunately, the visit didn’t go as planned.

We arrived at about 8:30pm on a Saturday night.  The place was packed even though they close at 9:00.  

 

After some deliberation over the specials, we were all going to order the vegan burger.  I can only assume that it must be very popular because, unfortunately for us, they were sold out of them.  Hooray for vegan burgers, boo for hungry vegans.

 

I thought I might have the tofu dog instead and asked if they could tell me what brand of hot dog they offer or if it was made in-house.  I was apathetically informed that it was “made of tofu.”  Okay then.

So, despite that ringing endorsement, I decided to go with the buffalo tempeh wrap: “buffalo style tempeh, shredded carrots, romaine lettuce, diced celery, pickled cauliflower, and a creamy vegan ranch.  Served in a whole wheat wrap,” as did a friend; I left the cauliflower off.  Another friend chose a different special: the spicy Thai wrap (made vegan by subbing seitan).

The atmosphere remained crowded and jovial, but at 9:20 one of the employees came to our table to ask if it was okay for her to remove our order number from the table stand.  I said it was fine, but inquired as to whether or not she was aware that we hadn’t received our food yet.  Even though she had been the person to take our order (and tips), she looked a bit startled by the news and scurried into the kitchen.  A few minutes later the two tempeh sandwiches arrived; I'd ordered the sandwich without cauliflower, but they neither knew or cared which was which.  A few minutes after that we received the final sammie delivered to the table- with no explanation.  I wasn't looking for an apology, but at least an "oops" would have been nice.

 

The fact that I was feeling generally affronted by that point didn't help matters, but my first impression was that- particularly compared to their vegan burger and vegan sloppy joe, this sandwich did not look like a $13 sandwich.

even the plating was a sadface

Guess what?  It didn’t taste like one either.  Only an adequate amount of crumbled tempeh with veggies in a “buffalo” sauce that tasted predominantly of extremely mild hot-sauce: this sammie in no way warranted the same pricetag as a the vegan burger.   Furthermore, when you consider that any sammie from Sprig and Vine or The Cinnamon Snail is LESS than $13, it was borderline insulting.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m under that assumption that their vegan burger is housemade; coupled with what I think is housemade ketchup, fresh fixins, and a gloriously puffy bun, I have no problem paying $13.  But one or two phenomenal housemade sammies doesn’t grant license to price every sub-par sammie the same- particularly when it’s served with an unremarkable pickle and a heaping side of apathy.  

To make matters worse, when my friend went up to get silverware and inquired because there were no forks, no one answered him.  Instead, one employee simply said to the other, “We put out all we had; there is only plastic,” yet didn’t offer him the plastic.  And that was that.  We were over the whole experience by that point, so we just wielded our knives like spears and makeshift shovels so we could eat and get the heck outta there asap. 

This was not the experience I'd imagined when trying to wow my friends with Horns and I hope it won’t be the same again any time in the future.

It will take me some time to give it another try.