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Soy Surprises Again at the 25th International Vegetarian Food Fair

Sometimes I forget that the squishy chunks of tofu and the bright green edamame pods at my favorite Japanese restaurant come from the same humble plant as many industrial products

like hydraulic fluid, biodiesel, and printing ink. It's the demonstration of soy's incredible versatility that always surprises me at the International Vegetarian Food Fair at the Harbourfront. This year in addition to the usual tempeh and miso soup, I tried ice cream, cheesecake, chicken nuggets, and even a turkey drumstick—all magically crafted from soy protein.

But soy wasn't the only star. In the World Cafe, which was dominated by South Asian foods, I tried a whole range of vegan delights. Mirch Masala had a killer channa masala (spicy chickpeas in a tomato sauce), Udupi Palace, the infamous South Indian eatery at Coxwell and Gerrard were frying up very tasty masala dosa (lentil pancake stuffed with spicy potatoes), and Govinda's Hare Krishna restaurant had a sampler plate of ten curries for $8. King's Cafe took charge of the Chinese contingent, with gingery dumplings, fried noodles, and sweet and sour "pork."

After I'd polished off at least enough food for two, I realized that I'd missed a whole section of food stalls outside. With only enough space in my belly for one more snack, I had to choose wisely. The tantalizing scents of garlic and berbere wafting over from the Ethiopian stall, M&B Yummy, and the fresh and colorful Mexican food at Rancho Relaxo weren't making my decision any easier. In the end, I went for a little hemp butter toast by Manitoba Harvest and a Ginger Snapper cookie by New Moon Kitchen.

Luckily the International Marketplace featured products that I couldn't shove in my mouth. The Toronto Vegetarian Association bookstore had a few dozen cookbooks, including the educational Get It Ripe by local vegan author jae steele, and tons of literature on how to make the transition to a vegetarian or vegan diet. Ella's Botanicals, Sigrid Natural Skin Care, and Arbonne International had cool cruelty-free beauty products like herbal moisturizers and all-natural makeup. And after I'd gone through all the anti-meat clothing at Sick on Sin and the non-leather vegan accessories at LAVA, my mind somehow wandered right back to edibles. I found myself at the E3Live booth downing free shots of live blue-green algae. After all, how many times in your life does an offer like that come along?

The most hardcore of vegetarians, vegans, and raw foodists descend on this annual festival in droves, but in recent years they've been rubbing shoulders with thousands of veg-curious Torontonians. Last year I met a whole busload of meat eaters from Detroit and a few devoted vegans who came from as far away as Halifax and Los Angeles, and this year's festival promises to be even bigger and better. Saturday and Sunday will host vegan stand-up comedian Ben Shaberman, registered dietician Brenda Davis who will be deconstructing common myths about vegetarianism ("but you need meat to survive!"), and other speakers lecturing about disease prevention and reducing our carbon footprints through a meat-free lifestyle. Cooking demonstrators will cover everything from Butterscotch Blondies to raw "junk food" and outside on stage, you can catch jazz and folk performances all weekend long. The festival runs from at noon-9pm on Saturday and noon-7pm on Sunday.

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

Mother Nature must be a fan of fiery hot curries and spicy jerk chicken because it took a celebration of the chili pepper, in all its spicy splendour, for this summer's cursed weather—thunderstorms, cold spells, rain, and even a tornado—to come to an end. I took advantage of this week-long dose of blue skies and brilliant sunshine to head down to the Hot and Spicy food festival happening all weekend long (including Labour Day) at the Harbourfront Centre. Because there's nothing that goes better with hot weather and a cool breeze off Lake Ontario than a plate of spicy food and a cold beer.

Though I've never been known for my spice bravado, in fact "spice wimp" is exactly how my husband would best describe me and my not-so-daring palate, I decided to head down to educate myself in the ways of the chili. I started in the World Cafe, where things weren't officially opening until noon, but hoards of spice fiends had already started long, winding lineups by quarter to. At Makkah Indian Restaurant, the chickpeas were rich and flavourful, the samosas left me gasping for water; over at the Jamaican Jerk stall, where an equally long and lengthy lineup was forming, the crowds couldn't get enough of the stellar jerk chicken and goat curry. And there were stalls selling cold exotic fruits and creamy ice cream—perfect endings to feasts of fire and spice. Even Natrel had set up a little promotional tent to give out mini cartons of 2% milk.

At the Red Hot Marketplace, things got a whole lot hotter. I sampled a little of Jake Albert's Fuego Rojo, a dubious combination of sweet pomegranate fruit and smoky Habanero chili. Strange, but delicious. I chased that fairly mild concoction with a little of Peppermaster's Sexy Salsa before cooling my tingling taste buds with a sip of Raspberry In Heat, a sampler from their Sweet Seductions dessert line. At Susie's Hot Sauce table, I lingered long enough to go from the Mango Mandingo sauce­—a tangy yet playful fruit sauce—to Hot Desire, a medium-hot sauce blended with yellow scotch bonnet peppers. And then just when I thought I'd gotten the hang of this hot and spicy thing, my self-confidence ablaze, I decided to take it to the next level. The name said it all: Susie's Teardrops. But did I listen? No, instead I ingested a big heaping spoonful of pure West Indian red Habanero pepper. At the initial tingle my stomach barely quivered and I was ready to declare victory, but it wasn't long before I felt the zing of the Habanero coming back for a second round. First the fireball exploded in my mouth, then it traveled slowly and painfully down my throat and into my stomach where the flames slashed and burned their way through my stomach lining. It wasn't long before my own teardrops started flowing. There was only one thing to do: head back to the Natrel stall to cool down the flames with a little milk.

After my brush with death, I was only too happy to get lost for an hour or so in the racks of the International Marketplace, a few dozen stalls selling mainly textiles and jewellery from those countries blessed with hot and steamy climates. It was a vivid display of colour and texture, from Nepalese silk sarongs to Peruvian alpaca clothing to Kashmiri pashminas.

If you're like me, a spice lightweight with a death wish, or one of those heat junkies that drinks Tabasco sauce like water, then you've got one more day to explore all that the Hot and Spicy festival has to offer. Labour Day festivities include capoeira, a Brazilian dance blending elements of martial arts and music, the finale of the Food Network Canada's International Iron Chef competition, one of the ten "Tastes To Try Before You Die" cooking demonstrations, and a performance by Grammy-award winning artist Terrance Simien, who will rock the stage with his unique mix of Creole Zydeco music. The festival ends at 8pm.

Virginia - Last Day

Today I did the whole journey between Toronto and Richmond, Virginia in reverse. The bus was 1 1/2 hours late picking us up in Charlottesville, so I arrived at the Richmond Greyhound station with little time to spare. The cab driver sympathized and sped all the way to the airport. He talked non-stop about his family in Africa, and how he hoped they could all go to Canada to study at university. He had hopes for each of them: one would be a doctor, another a pharmacist, another a lawyer and one a police officer. That way he would keep all bases covered.
I arrived at the airport after my flight had closed and for a while it looked like they wouldn't let me on the flight. The Air Canada counter was actually just a small sign, and so I had to deal with United airlines staff who couldn't really figure out "those Canadian flights." Finally, after much pleading and puppy dog eyes, someone had the brilliant idea to call the Air Canada help line and get the computer system open again.
The flight was really turbulent, as we passed through many massive cumulus cloud formations. There were a few times when the plane just started to plummet, sending us spiraling downwards, but then within a second, something kicked into high gear and took us back up.

Here are some photos:

Virginia - Day 12

Here are a few pictures from my last day. We went to the JPA neighbourhood (named after the street, Jefferson Park Avenue) just north of campus, in hopes of trying Charlottesville's most famous restaurant, Thai '99. Unfortunately it was closed, and we found ourselves far from home with thunderclouds brewing above our heads. Luckily we made it back to the apartment just as the storm began to unleash its fury.

Virginia - Day 11

Today we finally found the Rivanna hiking trail. I guess it helps when you don't forget the maps at home. We entered the path via the Woolen Mills neighbourhood, which is centered around an old textiles factory that operated between 1795 and the 1960s and clothed everyone in town, from slaves to soldiers. Some early twentieth century paintings of the area can be seen at the Charlottesville Mayor's blog. There was a little too much wildlife in the forested area near the rugged Rivanna River path, including a million little frogs and mosquitoes, flying beetles, and all sorts of other frightful creepy crawlies, so we took the paved trail instead. It snaked around the eastern border of Charlottesville.

Virginia - Day 10

Independence Day in Charlottesville started with a visit from President Bush, who was heckled all the way through his July 4th speech (see here for the video).


















In the afternoon we decided to go hiking along the Rivanna Trail, a nature trail that follows the circumference of the city. Instead we got lost in the southern suburbs and walked around in circles for about three hours.

































In the evening, we joined the festivities in McIntire Park, where they had all sorts of goodies: turkey legs, funnel cakes, "Sunshine" (Christian?) rock music, and fireworks!

Virginia - Day 9

Today we went to Barracks Shopping Center, which is basically a colossal strip mall on the side of Highway 29. It's so big that the city bus stops at three different points inside.
The parking lot takes up more space than the actual stores, and being surrounded by so many cars got me very excited. Virginians really take car culture to a whole new level, as if their automobile were actually an extension of their home. Or perhaps, judging by the bumper stickers and vanity plates, the cars are actually extensions of themselves?

Virginia - Day 8

Did you know that Virginia is North America’s vanity license plate capital?

Below are a few of the gems I've found around town. There will be more to come. An opportunity like this only comes around once in a lifetime.

Click here for more fun facts about Virginia.