Is it easy to live as a vegan in New Zealand?

[Kiwiveegie]

Has anyone tried Scheese? I tired that Cheezly and it was...ok.

[jessica*]

I should probably try it out - sounds great! I usually just make something in the food processor with nuts, flour, garlic powder and salt. Such a cheapskate.

[Aims]

I'd seen that Parmazano stuff and wondered what it was like. I haven't done the DIY thing with food processor yet either but have been meaning to for ages. There's a parmesan sub in Veganomicon I think.

[jodyk]

I tried cheezly about a year ago when I had only been vegan a month or so and swore off vegan cheese - tasted weird to me. Perhaps if I tried it again I'd be more into it. I got some of those parmesan sprinkles and amazingly haven't tried them yet! I guess my style of cooking and eating has changed. Perhaps I'll make pasta tonight though, now you all mention it

[Enchantress]

It might be worth giving vegan cheese another shot. I tried Cheezly and Tofutti slices when I first became vegan and thought they were disgusting, probably because I was looking for an exact replica of dairy cheese. After that I went two years without "cheese" before I decided to give vegan cheese another shot, now I really like the stuff. I think it was good for me to go a while without it though, as it got me out of the habit of putting cheese on everything, which is a rather expensive and unhealthy habit to have. Now I'm happy to have vegan cheese only occasionally.

[vava]

It might be worth giving vegan cheese another shot. I tried Cheezly and Tofutti slices when I first became vegan and thought they were disgusting, probably because I was looking for an exact replica of dairy cheese. After that I went two years without "cheese" before I decided to give vegan cheese another shot, now I really like the stuff. I think it was good for me to go a while without it though, as it got me out of the habit of putting cheese on everything, which is a rather expensive and unhealthy habit to have. Now I'm happy to have vegan cheese only occasionally.

same here - I wondered if they had changed the recipe - perhaps like you say it is me that has changed.

[jessica*]

This is not totally NZ related, but Farmers is having a sale on the Breville juice fountain, and I got it for my birthday. I had been given a cookbook that included some juice recipes and decided to give it a try. Yesterday I threw in an orange, an apple, some ginger, 1/2 a big carrot and a handful of blueberries. Only made about 8 oz, but OMG it was incredibly good!!

I begrudgingly switched from soda to store bought juice a while back, but this juice mix was out of this world!

[Kitteh]

Hi Kiwi-Vegans! On the weekend we went to a Burger Fuel here in Sydney, I had the Combustion Veg and we got some kumera and potato chips. The burger was yummo as were the kumera chips, I forgot to try the potato chips I want to go back really soon!

[HanNZ]

Scheese was horrible. Cheezley the best! I had some this evening and they seem to have changed it as it melted just by grating on hot pasta!

Seems like a few vegans in NZ, anyone in wellington?

[jodyk]

We've all been very quiet lately haven't we? I keep meaning to post something but never quite know what. I had a nice breakfast at Shaky Isles in Kingsland, Auckland the other day. They have something on their menu labeled vegan, and it was nice. I tried out the whipping cream at safe and it didn't do much for me - same issue as the cheese stuff I'm sure - in a couple of years I'll be really loving it no doubt. I'm going to Melbourne for a couple of weeks soon = yay!

[Aims]

^ aaahh jealous!! haha.. have a great time
someone at my work has just gone off to Melbourne too (although I doubt she'll be taking advantage of all the glorious vegan food).

I haven't tried that cream but was never into whipped cream anyway. Really want to try that parmesan though!! keep forgetting to order some and haven't been out in town for ages (in the daytime). Must pop out there sometime soon.

Yeah I can't think of anything interesting to post about either. Not a lot of exciting vegan-related things happen here eh? Or maybe they do... dunno.. I get invites to movie nights and such from SAFE on facebook but am too tired to go all the way out there on a weeknight, what a nana

[jodyk]

New Zealand! We are getting slack! No posts since Aims in March...!
Ok, I'll get the ball rolling. I have just been up to the bookshop and ordered Vegan Cupcakes takeover the World with a voucher I was given for my birthday in January. I have Veganomicon by the same authors and it's been great. I love the cashew and tofu ricotta recipe - it has inspired me to make lasagna again, having given it up along with cheese 18 months ago. I was in Melbourne recently and enjoyed various vegan food, but even more so visiting Vegan Wares and buying some boots. My 09 new years resolution was to not buy any new clothes for the year - only to sew or get secondhand, as a way of trying to think twice before exploiting workers in places like China. The boots were made on site in Melbourne so (hopefully!) no little slave kids involved. I heard the tail end of an interview on national radio this morning with the owner of the pig farm that SAFE did some undercover investigation on, so I think will go and read up on that now. Wishing you all a happy vegan Wednesday

[jessica*]

Hi JodyK - yes the thing with Mike King and the pig farms has turned out to be big. Hope it at least helps to create some better legislation or causes some people to rethink their eating habits.

How do you like Vegan Cupcakes Take...? I love the peanut butter cupcakes. And have also made some of the cupcake recipes as cakes instead. I just got The Vegan Table by the author of The Joy of Vegan Baking. A little different the way it's set up for entertaining by season and by size of the party you're cooking for, but terrific recipes.

My OH and I are going to be in Melbourne for the Vegan Festival (which sadly is also the Melbourne Cup weekend, so hotels have been filling quickly) Can't wait to visit! The Veg Society mag had some good reviews of different veg restaurants in Melbourne in the last issue, but if you have any tips, I'd love to hear.

[jessica*]

Oh also - was down in Nelson a while back and had a nice lunch at Zippy's Vegetarian Cafe. All the vegan items are clearly marked. We had lattes, little veg pot pies and a ginger slice.

[pat sommer]

How about getting on with omnis and vegetarians?

I haven't been back in over 20 yrs. Not eating meat was strange then but I had lapsed back into dairy consumption which was ubiquitous.

So, how is it as a guest in someone's home trying to get a black tea? A cake without a slab of butter?

Pot luck dinners, do they all resemble fondue parties or has little NZ found ethnic food?

Will other kids poke fun at my child or just reply 'Johnny is gluten-free'?

What level of 'alternative' does vegan rate these days on a scale from bizarre to atypical?

[jodyk]

I think eating at people's houses is the hardest thing about being vegan. Some people want to be helpful but still find it hard to think of something to feed you! Others react with negativity and defensiveness to veganism. Would certainly depend on the circles you socialise in. Particular eating is definitely becoming more common (eg gluten free, fair trade, organic) so probably less hassles for your kid than there would have been 20 years ago...?

[Aims]

The thingy at the top of the page is telling me I haven't visited since the 23rd of August. Sad!!

I hope things have been going well for all of you. It was my 4th "veganiversary" on Thursday. I had to work that night so didn't make myself a nice dinner, got burger fuel though hehe..

When does the Vegan Cookies book come out? I love those guys. I got the brunch book from amazon recently, there's a YUUUUUUM coffee cake in there.. have only made the jam swirl variation so far, it's brilliant.

[DiaShel]

There's a decent chance I'll be moving to New Zealand next year. There's a huge demand for my field there so I probably have a better chance at a job there then here. Since I would prefer it to, it works out great! Always up for an adventure.

[jodyk]

Well, NZ is a great place Do you have a region in mind?

[DiaShel]

Nope! They have offices all over the country so I have no idea where I'd end up.

[jodyk]

Well, DiaShel I was trying to think of places in NZ to warn you against but every place has its charm... (plus I don't want to upset anyone from the Waikato!!! I was born in Hamilton so I say that with some affection!).

Aims my mum has one of their books (sorry, that is SO vague) and there is a great corn fritter recipe in there. So yes, roll out the cookie book, I agree! Congratulations on 4 years! Will you do anything special for world vegan day??

I went to Revel (krd) on Tuesday and had a very nice cupcake with peppermint icing. Nice coffee too.

As you can tell I don't really have anything to say - just keeping the NZ forum ball rolling

[DiaShel]

I'm sure I'll have a million questions when I figure out where they'd put me. I want to be near mountains though. I'm so ready to be out of NY!

[sharkbait]

How about getting on with omnis and vegetarians?

I haven't been back in over 20 yrs. Not eating meat was strange then but I had lapsed back into dairy consumption which was ubiquitous.

So, how is it as a guest in someone's home trying to get a black tea? A cake without a slab of butter?

Pot luck dinners, do they all resemble fondue parties or has little NZ found ethnic food?

Will other kids poke fun at my child or just reply 'Johnny is gluten-free'?

What level of 'alternative' does vegan rate these days on a scale from bizarre to atypical?

I think you will find that 'little NZ' has 'found ethnic food', and a very broad range at that. I'm surprised that this wasn't your experience 20 years ago.

'Vegan' and 'Gluten free' are not unusual at all in NZ; for example , you will find that at the New Zealand founded fast-food Pizza and Burger chains, clearly labelled vegan options and Gluten Free options are ubiquitous . I love being able to order a delivery Vegan pizza for me and gluten free pizza for my brother at midnight when we want a snack.

Supermarkets are a trove of delicious vegetarian items, and I am yet to go to a BBQ where there are no veggie-sausages or someones amazing home made vegetable kebabs or marinated tofu/tempeh on offer.

I have travelled, i have lived in a few countries (australia at present), and I have found that for freshness and variety, New Zealand has most of the best cuisine on offer.

Your attitude about 'little New Zealand' saddens me, and I hope you can visit soon and get an updated impression!

[andrewNZ]

'Vegan' and 'Gluten free' are not unusual at all in NZ; for example , you will find that at the New Zealand founded fast-food Pizza and Burger chains, clearly labelled vegan options and Gluten Free options are ubiquitous . I love being able to order a delivery Vegan pizza for me and gluten free pizza for my brother at midnight when we want a snack.

Hi Sharkbait

Too bad the staff at Hell Pizza don't change their gloves when making the pizzas. They also use just one pizza cutter for everything. Burger Fuel is pretty good, but keep an eye on them. My girlfriend manages the one here in Rotorua and tells me of some pretty hairy stories with the vege/vegan stuff. She's a vege so is strict with her staff, but the previous manager wasn't so careful.

I was at a party recently and a friend was making some vegan cream of mushroom buns. They were vegan until I read the ingredients of the breadcrumbs he used!

I guess it's different in the bigger (less backward) cities, but it's rare that I meet someone who doesn't question or ridicule me being vegan. I wouldn't eat bread at a cafe recently. It's just easier that way. Eating at other peoples houses is really hard, I try to avoid it, which I know isn't helping our cause

[Kitteh]

We just watched the first episode of MasterChef New Zealand and a vegan contestant got through! They asked her if she'd cook meat and she said yes and they seemed to love her dish, which you can see here! I wonder how she'll go, the vego in Aussie MasterChef got kicked out pretty quickly.

[charmed_phi]

Hi i was just wandering if someone could tell me if the white or wheat bread at subway was vegan?
thanx

[DiaShel]

The white bread is, the wheat has honey. Where do you live in NZ?

[Bearshark]

Hi! I'm new and I'm from Wellington, New Zealand!! Sorry for the crazy enthusiasm and butting into your thread, I know no-one in NZ who is vegan so I have nobody to discuss products and general vegan things with, so this is pretty exciting for me
So, hi everyone!!

[DiaShel]

Hi Bearshark! I just moved to Nelson from the states. I'm trying really hard to meet vegans here. I'm in Auckland right now for a training and just went to a meetup there and I'm trying to start a group in Nelson but I only have 3 members so for! I was in Wellington a few weeks ago, nice place! Just to let you know there aren't that many "active" New Zealand members on the board at the moment. I've heard there is the occasional potluck type thing in Wellington. I'm on the vegan chat line for NZ which is kind of like an email based forum. Here it is:http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/Ve...sec=dir&slk=48

[Bearshark]

Thanks heaps!! I've joined it Nelson is lovely, my boyfriend used to stay there over summer so I'd go and stay with him and it's absolutely gorgeous!! Hopefully we'll both be able to find more vegans near us on here all of my friends are really into their meat so it can get a bit tough to be around them sometimes, especially with the constant criticisms. Hope you find more people for your group!!