Wallets & grommets

Intended as a “one-stop vegan shop,” Pangea sells shoes, wallets, belts (some with grommets), vitamins, cosmetics, clothing, home and office products, meat-free treats for cats and dogs, and other things. Here is information from the company’s website:

When we opened our doors in 1995, we were the very first company to offer a comprehensive selection of high-quality, completely cruelty-free vegan (non-animal-derived) products. We began with a very small storefront and just two employees in Bethesda, Maryland, and about a year later we put together our first mail-order catalog. Since then we’ve grown steadily, but we remain true to our goal: to make it easier for people to follow a vegan lifestyle by offering the widest variety of quality vegan products all in one place. We’re the one-stop vegan shop!

We moved to our Rockville, Maryland, location in 2000–and not a moment too soon! As our range of products grew to include our own brands, such as No Bull footwear and VeganSweets food items, we found ourselves needing a lot more space. We now have as much storefront space as we did in Bethesda, but with three times as much space in the back warehouse area to keep stock and prepare mail orders.

We work hard to bring our customers the very latest and best in vegan products, searching out hard-to-find items and, in some cases, even manufacturing products ourselves when we can’t find a suitable option that’s already available. We meticulously investigate the derivation of all ingredients and components of the products we sell, and we do not offer goods from companies that test on animals. We are all vegans ourselves, and we can relate to our customers’ experiences in meeting the demands of a more compassionate lifestyle. In addition to our commitment to being animal-friendly, we strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in every other aspect of our business. We refuse to carry products manufactured under oppressive labor conditions, and we re-use and recycle boxes and other shipping materials for our mail orders.

We strive to bring convenience and ease to the vegan lifestyle by offering cruelty-free essentials and hard-to-find alternatives to animal-based products. Tired of reading labels or researching ingredients? We’ve done the work for you — so shop confidently and enjoy!

7 whole grains on a mission

I only had Kashi snack bars a couple of times, but those few were enough to make me want more. The company also makes cereals, pizzas, and other foods, and the website has recipes for things like pancakes made with Kashi oatmeal. Here is a bit of history from the website:

Wellness isn’t a race—it’s a journey. And every day is an opportunity to live life a little healthier than the day before. We truly believe when we eat well, we feel well.

The Kashi Company was created in 1984 with that heartfelt belief in mind. With much enthusiasm and optimism we introduced our special blend of Seven Whole Grains and Sesame in the form of Kashi Pilaf. The response was, well, lack luster. People weren’t motivated to stand over a stove cooking whole grains for 25 minutes. That only inspired us to work harder. And our determination paid off. It wasn’t long before Kashi’s whole grain mix began appearing around the country, including an appearance at the breakfast tables of the 1984 Olympic Athletes.

Two decades later Kashi’s founding principle is still our guiding light. And now we have over 50 products to show for it. And we’re not stopping here. We continue to search for new ingredients, exciting flavor combinations, and new ways to make great tasting naturally nutritious foods.

Noodles

Thai Kitchen’s rice noodle bowls are microwavable, and the food has no gluten or eggs in it, which means that you (and your vegan friends) can have a tasty, low-calorie meal in a few minutes. For lunch today, I made the delicious roasted garlic noodles (110 calories). Imported, the package says, by Epicurean International, of Berkeley, California.

Bumper wisdom

Seen on a bumper sticker on a white pick-up truck at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa campus:

Vegetarians
Taste Better

Fat, sick, and boring in bed?

From PETA’s Super Bowl page:

According to advertising professionals, the three most popular elements in winning television spots are sex, humor, and animals. Well, PETA’s newest pro-vegetarian ad has all three…the “animals” being those you save when you eat a vegetarian diet. Alas, despite the history of risqué Bowl ads, CBS won’t touch PETA’s funny impotence spot with a 10-foot pole.

Click here to see the spot.

Pillow Fight

Big Meat

Veggie Guy

The ad was created by the brilliant Philadelphia-based team of Dan Neri and Chris Carl of Crazy Dave’s House of Ads and directed by one of the hottest directors in New York, Russ Lamoreaux of Hungry Man Productions. CBS representatives’ rationale: The spot might offend viewers. Plus, they claim, “We don’t accept advocacy ads.”

“Not so!” says PETA, which, in a letter sent today (click here to read), reminds CBS that it does accept advocacy ads—including for Super Bowl airing—such as the Truth.com anti-smoking commercials. And CBS regularly runs “jiggly” ads, like the “Coors twins,” as well as ads for impotence medications, including a spot during the Super Bowl three years ago spoofing Bob Dole’s Viagra commercials.

“CBS has no problem airing commercial after commercial advocating the consumption of fried chicken, pork sausage, and fast-food burgers, even though eating these products is making Americans fat, sick, and boring in bed,” says Lisa Lange, PETA’s Vice President of Communications. “Considering that our ad has all three of advertising’s most popular elements—sex, humor, and animals—the network should jump on it.”