Tea!

Every few months I always get obsessed with tea. Especially now that I am kicking a nasty diet soda/caffeine compulsion ( I’m a programmer dam it! ). So, this video on the health benefits of tea by Sasha Clark, daughter of local vegan chef Mimi Clark ( when is that cookbook coming out Mimi?! ) was a welcome find.

My current favorite tea is green “gunpowder” tea made with a bit of mint

Here Be Dragons

This has to be one of the most useful free videos I have watched on the internet in a long time. Usually learning about critical thinking skills involves dry reading or listening to lectures by abrasive self important people with poor social skills. Not so here. This free 42 minute video is entertaining, easy to understand, and draws from popular culture for examples. It is educational, fun and useful

You can even download your own copy and freely make a DVD out of it by going here

or just watch it online:

Vegan Hot Dog Eating Contest

Compassion Over Killing teamed up with Sticky Fingers Bakery this past weekend to honor National Veggie Hot Dog Month, which also happens to coincide with the industry declared National Hot Dog Month by holding their own vegan ( tofurkey ) hot dog eating contest.

I was a judge in the contest and I thought the event was a great success.

There were 38 contestants and 9 judges. The contest was held outside on the public plaza on the corner of 14th & Park in Washington D.C. about ten steps from Sticky Fingers Bakery. It was a beautiful day out. Bright and sunny. A huge fun loving crowd came. Many locals passing by stopped to see what it was all about and stayed to watch. Many of them left with vegetarian ( vegan ) starter guides. Everybody had fun. All in all a day well spent.

Kudos to Compassion Over Killing for organizing the event, and to Turtle Island Foods for donating all of those tofurkey dogs. Kudos to Sticky Fingers Bakery( vegan ) for cooking those many, many tofurkey dogs — all while doing their normal BUSY, business.

Pictured above are the first, second and third place winners.

http://newcolumbiaheights.blogspot.com/2008/07/veggie-hot-dog-eating-contest-photos.html

http://shawgarden.blogspot.com/2008/07/and-winner-is.html

http://www.princeofpetworth.com/?p=3372

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lettucetomato/sets/72157606406616542/

http://flickr.com/photos/bearshapedsphere/

http://eatfeats.com/ian-hickman-wins-dc-veggie-dogs.html

http://flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/

http://flickr.com/photos/bullneck/2706183331/