Don’t let any one thing about yourself define you. Strive to be three-dimensional. Want to be loved for everything you are.

This weekend my mother happened to be driving through Toronto to some sort of event and stopped by, adorable puppies on hand! Here we see Barbi from TVA and Barbie the few month old black lab puppy. They were meant to be! It’s sort of amazing how much traffic a couple of puppies draw in downtown Toronto. In a 5 minute period, at least 6 people stopped and, without asking just started petting away (not something that’s generally recommended - FYI). Thankfully these puppies are anything but vicious. 

On Saturday morning, I had some brunch with Ann at Sadie’s Diner. It was… a lot of food. We ordered three things to share, the soup (which was some sort of ginger, carrot deliciousness), the pecan salad, and an actual brunch item, the huevos rancheros. I’ve wanted to go to this place for a little while, but I saw a post on It Ain’t Meat, Babe and decided I must go. I chatted about it quite a bit on the Toronto Vegetarian Podcast (among many, many other things) with Lisa O. and we made a pretty record-breaking podcast in terms of length. I was… a little excited about the Food Fair.

Today, Casey and I thought it would be a good idea to wander around Live Green Toronto - which did seem pretty interesting. Unfortunately, the festival was basically over and with the temperature incredibly high we decided it would be a nice idea to stop in the Eaton Centre - just to cool off. Apparently this is not possible there. Let me set something straight - I hate malls and pretty much everything they represent, but I will gladly cool off for free in them. I ended up getting the wonderful vegan wrap from Freshii and we toured around a bit, laughing at the absurd things people buy. Such as, this lovely jacket from Zara (that thumbs up is a thumbs up for sarcasm). Tomorrow, to two of us will be heading to a screening of Catfish (it actually looks like I’m going to be terrified) thanks to blogTO. I really do like free things!

What a wonderful weekend of wonderful friends and wonderful food. I seem to be having a lot of these lately. Here’s to that!

(ps - on a giddy note - Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum will be just metres away from me tomorrow filming The Vow while I’m at work. Their trailers are currently also set up outside my apartment. I don’t really “follow” celebrity buzz but I still think this is pretty darn neat. Love you, Toronto.)

It was one year ago today that I returned from a trip that, in some ways, changed my life forever. If you know me well, you know that I tend to use that phrase quite a bit. Not in a way that makes it any less significant, I just truly believe that pretty much everything that has happened in my life has had significant meaning. A little corny, I know, but it keeps me going. Going to Turkey for two months was due to a few choices I made in my life over the period of two years. I love recalling the exact moments that encouraged me to make those decisions. It makes me realize how truly amazing our lives are.

So I went to Turkey vegan, and came back an omnivore. Huh? To reiterate, yes I am vegan now, and staying that way for the foreseeable forever. But let’s talk about how this all came to be, and one of the reasons I find countries like Turkey so interesting.

I guess I could say it was mainly due to poor planning, but it was impossible to be vegan in Turkey. Southern Turkey at least. If I had been in Istanbul it may have been a different story. In southern Turkey, vegetarians are completely unheard of, but my lovely newfound Austrian friend Isa tried her best, and did quite well considering her circumstances. The problem was, when it came to pretty much any meal in the day, the only vegetarian option was a terrible salad and bread. Eating this for two months may not have killed me, but it wouldn’t have been healthy either. I had already been sick several times for various reasons, and eating no protein at all would have just made things worse. My salvation? Sarma. I love sarma so much I could eat it every day. Thank goodness there are quite a few places to get the stuff around Toronto. Akram’s, anyone?

On the positive, it was (a little) better to know that in areas like this there isn’t the kind of factory farming conditions we see animals in North America in. Let alone the types of medication and things that go into the animals used for consumption in North America. In some ways, being an omnivore in Turkey can be much healthier than being vegan in Canada. Every day there seem to be more and more processed vegan options, steering us further away from whole foods, which is exactly where I’m headed back to. And in this respect, I learned so much from Turks about food and how wonderful it can be without that awful production line, a country where processed foods in packages are hard to find. I visited the villages where the production of these wonderful fruits and vegetables come from, and even using the word production seems strange here. It wasn’t for industry, it was for life. 

I’d just like to take a moment to reflect of the beauty of this country. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to, and there is something about it that captivates your soul. You can see some of my pictures over on Flickr if you like, but a fair warning: this was pre-30D goodness (provided with a learner’s permit from the lovely and talented Tina).

I will return to Turkey, maybe even to Adiyaman, but this time I will come prepared. I’ve been captivated by this country in a way a can’t even describe. (to the right is the view from my window - travelling sheep)

To Turkey and my Turkish/non Turkish friends, I do miss you. Not to mention that tan, which has yet to return this summer…

Turkey also had me thinking a lot about what humans are “meant to eat”, which is a whole other post (or several). I’m a very happy, compassionate, nourishing whole-food loving vegan, and I hope to be that way forever. Maybe being vegan is not how all humans were designed, but it is how I was.

Okay, so maybe I am already “signed up”… more like helping to plan it… but I am still really excited (probably more than is healthy). If I don’t see you there among the 20,000 people sea… I’ll be very, very upset. It’s only a few weeks away. Eek!

Some of my favourite vegans are going to be there speaking and giving demos. And there are going to be something like 100 amazing vegan vendors (WITH samples!!).

Go to veg.ca/foodfair for the schedule and details. And come, especially if you live in Toronto. You have absolutely no excuse to say no. Actually, even if you live in Iceland I’m making in mandatory. I’m also giving you the right to force me to be at something for you wherever you live. PLUS I’ll share some Coconut Bliss “frozen non-dairy dessert” with you (it’s ah-mahzing). What a deal! 

See you in a few weeks!

continues to have some of the best vegan food in the world.

keeps on growing.

keeps me going.

wants to be different.

tries to be better.

asks the wrong questions.

never goes to sleep.

~And I hope the same for you.

Please sleep though.~