Georges Laraque Update - Bringing Veganism to the Habs

George Laraque Habs Vegan Update
Big Georges has finally given us an update on his blog and is indeed still following the vegan diet. Georges is feeling awesome and the Montreal Canadiens are looking like they are going to be a strong contender in the 2009-10 NHL season.

I had planned on doing some spotlight posts on other 'famous' athletic vegans, but it's hockey season in Canada (actually, hockey season is 12 months a year in Canada...) and Georges is on the television at the moment taking on the Edmonton Oilers. So, I felt it was time for a follow-up to my previous post on the big man.

Just last week, Georges and the team were actually in my little town (Orangeville, ON, CA) for a few evenings. There is a christian sports camp just to the south of town that often hosts professional and international amateur hockey teams for mini-camps and retreats. Teen Ranch is also host to yours truly twice a week for shinny hockey that comes really close to the level of the Canadiens! I was sent a hazy cell phone picture of Georges from the local bowling alley, where the team went for some leisure activities on one of the evenings - the man was a block away from my house.

In his latest blog post, I was impressed to hear that the team caterers not only provide him with vegan food at the rink, but make extra for anyone else to consume. Apparently, the reception has been quite positive and teammates are surprised at how tasty the vegan options are. Teammate, Mike Cammalleri, is reportedly a yoga enthusiast and I predict with his open mind, will be the next to follow Georges' diet choice.

Big Georges is only in his 5th game of the gruelling 82 game schedule and has only engaged in one fight but I'm expecting big things this year on his and the team's march to the Stanley Cup - I already have them finishing first in the their division in my official 09-10 predictions posted here.

To read Georges latest blog entry, click here.

Vegan Friendly Restaurants: Karine's in Toronto

In my quest to seek out and inform the Vegan community about great Vegan-friendly restaurants, I believe I came across what possibly is one of the best there is as far as quality and value.

Karine's is a 100% Vegan restaurant in downtown Toronto, located at McCaul and Dundas. Run by Maggie and daughter Karine, the restaurant features gourmet food for cafeteria pricing. Everything they make is homemade and 100% free of dairy, gluten and animal products. They specialize in Mediterranean, European and Lebanese cuisine.

Taking their passion for the environment to a higher level, Karine's encourages all patrons to bring their own mugs and food containers.
The menu includes such exotic sounding (and tasting) delights like:

• Armenian Salad
• Fattoush Salad
• Potato Frittata
• Plaki
• Pesto Crushed Organic Tofu
• Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Their menu is listed in full on their website and explains the above dishes in every mouth-watering detail.

I was fortunate enough to have Maggie answer some questions about the restaurant. Some of my questions are pretty lame and need re-tuning, but, god bless her, she made the best of it.

Q. Since you serve meals containing animal products as well as vegan, what percentage of your customers would you say are vegan?

A. I guess we have 65% Vegan and Vegetarian.

Q. Have any customers ever claimed that your food was the reason they went vegan?

A. I have gotten the best compliments and great Thanks from my people but I don't think they went Vegan because of me. They find it FUN, Very Tasty and not Boring.

Q. What is the weirdest question you've had about vegan food from a non-vegan customer?

A. "Oh my God! These people are Vegan! What is Vegan by the way?

Q. Which gender of customer do you find more often orders vegan?

A. I guess the female gender is the winner so far but truly we do have lots of male Vegan patrons. Chapeau!!!

Q. Have any celebrities ever eaten from your vegan menu?

A. Over the years we have had many celebrities that we catered for in our Maggie's All Day restaurants in Toronto and London but I don't recall any of them being Vegan.

Q. Who is the most famous person to eat vegan at your restaurant?

A. The mayor of London Anne-Marie Decicco Best is Vegan and she truly supported my restaurant in London for years. Hi Anne-Marie! Missed u!!! (being a former Londoner and as big a London Knight fan as Anne-Marie - she's pretty famous in my books)

Q. What is the rarest, most exotic ingredient you use in your cooking?

A. I don't know how to answer to this question. I just can tell you that the most exotic ingredient in my cooking is Love and Passion.

Q. Is is a prerequisite for all your employees to be vegan?

A. The most important task for my employees is to learn the menu.
Not only the title but all the ingredients in every dish.
We do believe in serving our patrons with knowledge.
We care about their allergies and we make sure they get out from our restaurants Happy and Fully Satisfied.

Karine's is also a big supporter of ScotiaBank's Nuit Blanche in Toronto. This is a very unique cultural event that takes place this coming Saturday (October 3). What it is in a nutshell is a massive art exhibit that takes place throughout downtown Toronto, indoors and out. The really unique thing about Nuit Blanche is that it takes place from dusk Saturday until dawn Sunday morning. Last year, an estimated 1 million people took part. The TTC and city council co-operate so that selective transit lines stay open throughout the event.

I will be attending Nuit Blanche with my family and will be eating at Karine's! Thanks Maggie so much for helping me out with this post and all the best to you, your family and, of course, the restaurant!

Donald Watson: The Vegan World's Gandhi!

Unless you were vegan, you probably would have never heard of the name Donald Watson. I'm sure the name doesn't jump out at a lot of vegans either. In 1944, this is the man that created the Vegan Society in Britain and coined the term vegan by taking the first three and the last two letters of the word vegetarian.
Born on September 2, 1910, Watson became a vegetarian at the age of 14 because he became 'friends' with the animals on the family farm and realized that slaughtering these beings for food was simply barbaric.
In the 1940's Watson became vegan and in November of 1944 was instrumental in starting The Vegan Society. When approached much later about what date would be appropriate for World Vegan Day, he turned down the idea that it should be on his birthday. His logic was that he wasn't a vegan from birth and by no means did he singularly start the movement. Instead, he told them to celebrate the birth of The Vegan Society. He couldn't give the exact date but said it was sometime in November. Since 1994, World Vegan Day is celebrated around the world on or near November 1.
Watson lived to the ripe old age of 95 and attributed his longevity to his diet and having never taken medicine.
More information about Donald Watson can be found at these sites:
Wikipedia
Toronto Vegetarian Association
Visit The Vegan Society's official site here.

Bravo George Laraque!

As of June 1, 2009, hulking NHL hockey player, and fighter extraordinaire, Georges Laraque has made the move from vegetarian to vegan.





Weighing in at 255 lbs. on a 6'3" frame, Georges definitely is going to smash some of the evil vegan stereotypes. His NHL career began in 1997 with the Edmonton Oilers and after stops in Phoenix and Pittsburgh, he is now a Montreal Canadien.





For those who are not fans of hockey, Georges is one of the league's best tough guys who also brings leadership and can score on occasion as well.





Georges is a huge animal rights activist and does work with various animal rights organizations. More information is available through his personal website.





I would just like to wish Georges all the best in his latest commitment and to thank him for going public with his decision. Not that we need anyone's approval to be vegan, but when professional athletes become vegan, it brings veganism good press and the nay-sayers tend to accept the lifestyle a little bit more.