AlexBury.com

New Year's Eve Leafleting and Dinner

Overall Grade: A+++

Chris, Tammy, Sue, Sandrine, Oliver and I met at 1:00 at the Powell Street Cable car turnaround. Lyman joined us an hour later. We wandered up Powell, took a break at the St. Francis because of the fancy bathrooms, then covered Union Square. By 2:30 we had handed out 550 Vegetarian Starter Kits!

Oliver carried the heavy backpack full of VSK's and Chris pulled the cart and took pictures. Thanks, guys.

Then we walked up Geary and O'Farrell to Golden Era where we proceeded to order and wolf down enough yummy vegan food to last us for the rest of the night. We also had coffee. When the food was gone I pulled out the truffles and we feasted on XOX vegan truffles—the combination of a successful leafleting, good food, fabulous company, caffeine and sugar resulted in what was possibly too much fun. I kept expecting the restaurant to kick us out, but really, how could they? We were all dressed quite snazzily and while it's true we were laughing so much the other tables couldn't have a normal conversation we made up for it by tipping well.

San Francisco was gorgeous. After dinner we wandered down through Union Square to Maiden Lane to look at all the lights and decorations and walk off some of the truffles.

Detailed Report:
1150 down, 1850 to go by 12/15/07.
http://www.alexbury.com/index.php?m=20061217
Planning: A
I only get A+'s when I don't have to bother C and T. They made a great online RSVP for me and posted it several times to the group. Other than that, it only took a few minutes for me to look at a map, choose a route through a busy and pretty place, and arrange for the restaurant. One e-mail to PETA and the Veg Starter Kits were shipped to me. C and T made little fliers to put in each VSK, advertising the local veg scene (Bay Area Vegetarians) and the upcoming free cooking class. We stuffed some at the party last week, and I did the rest over coffee this morning.

Execution: A+
This time we used the open wheelie cart to carry the VSK's, which made it easier to grab them (instead of a closed suitcase). Everyone showed up on time and started leafleting right away. Chris had a camera so for once we'll have good pictures. My red glitter shoes, while looking ridiculous, are actually good walking shoes and this time I remembered to wear a slip (so my skirt wouldn't twist around my tights) and long underwear (so I wouldn't freeze). Remembered the truffles.
Effectiveness: A+
550 VSK's in 1.5 hours. Not bad. And we could have easily done another 200.
People Involved: A+
Best group ever. Sue and Oliver and Lyman did the professional yuppie costume. Gorgeous. Chris and Tammy dressed as casual, active San Francisco locals. Sandrine had the young/hip/fabulous thing going on. And my shimmery spakliness frightened people into taking a VSK, just so they could get safely away from me. Oli, Chris, Lyman and Tammy chose the pick-a-spot-and-let-people-come-to-you method. Sue and Sandrine and I walked a lot, checking out the window displays, searching out busy spots and attempting to burn off some of our spazziness. Everyone was in a goofy mood and the conversation, teasing, joking and coffee-fueled hyper-activity made the time fly by. In fact, as I was walking back much later, I felt like I had just attended a really great party—didn't seem like work or activism at all.

Meal: A
Yum. Golden Era did a great job with our large group and crazy mood. The only problem was that I failed in the ordering. It takes a lot of food to feed a table full of active vegans, but as I was ordering I got a little embarrassed in front of F and C, late-comers whom I didn't know very well, so I tried to act like a normal eater. This failed miserably and we ended up ordering two more entrees later. The drumsticks were better than ever, and we tried a couple of new dishes: Sandrine suggested a wide rice noodle dish with sauteed vegetables and Tammy/Oliver suggested the won ton soup. And of course we also ordered the caramelized “chicken,” teriyaki “salmon,” sweet and sour “chicken,” and the token veggie dishes. Everything was delicious, hot, fresh and served quickly. Icing on the cake: The bill was easily divided so no calculator was needed. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Lyman and Cem know how to eat—I had thought of them as lightweights.
One problem. I ordered a vegan iced coffee, forgetting that at Golden Era that means a Thai iced coffee which is heavily sweetened. I don't normally ingest that much sugar at once so I was bouncing off the frigging walls by the end of dinner. Not a problem for me, of course, but I owe everyone at the table a sincere apology, which I may someday give them but I may not.

Gavin Newsom: B
Gavin, I knew you would have the city looking stunning for our event, and you didn't let me down. Thanks, buddy. Loved the Market Street Art Project, the Union Square tree, the entrance to Maiden Lane, the street cleaners and super handsome police officers. However, you won't get an A until we actually see you and give you a VSK.

Go to the store and buy 3 onions, 1 butternut squash, 2 yams, 2 sweet potatoes, 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 big beet and 1 head of garlic.

Turn your oven to 350 degrees. Place all the food on a cookie sheet just as it is—no peeling, chopping, hole-poking or anything else.
Wait 15 minutes, then turn everything over. Cook another 15 minutes. Poke things with a knife, take the soft things out and leave the hard things in until they're soft.
By this point your house will smell heavenly.

Once everything is baked, you have a stock of ready-to-eat sweet food. The squash can be peeled and pureed with a can of chickpeas for a sandwich spread or dip (yes, you need to season it). The sweet potatoes can be eaten drizzled with maple syrup or tamari, depending on your taste buds. The onion can be peeled and chopped into salads or salsa, it's now very sweet and creamy. The garlic and beets can go into the blender for a gorgeous, creamy red dressing.

Cook a big pot of brown rice, and/or have a lot of salad greens on hand, and you are so set.

Keep a couple of potatoes in the fridge for snack attacks. You can eat piles of this sort of food and not gain an ounce. You'll be eating fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids and great flavor from the roasting—but no fat, no cholesterol, and thus, no counting calories or stressing over how many quarter cups you're eating.

Look at it this way: You're faced with corn chips or baked butternut squash for dinner (admit it, you sometimes eat a bag of chips for dinner). You can have 7 oz of chips (less than one bag) and eat 1,067 calories, most of them fat calories, and gain nothing nutritious. And still be hungry when you're finished. Or you can eat 13 cups of baked squash for the same amount of calories and none of them from fat. You can salt and pepper the squash, use maple syrup or tamari, you can eat baked potatoes instead with salsa—and eat, and eat, and eat.

The chips leave you feeling hungry and gaining weight. The squash leaves you full, happy, healthy, and thin.

Black-eyed peas, collard greens, BBQ tempeh and cornbread

In the South, it's a tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's Day for good fortune. Some people believe you need to eat one bean for each day of the year, so you don't have any bad-luck days. They used to be cooked with ham, but now that veganism is taking over the world, there are many vegan versions out there. If you like faux meats, add vegan “ham” to your shopping list, chop it up, and throw it into the peas when they're done cooking.

(If you're eating McDougall, cook some brown rice and just eat beans, rice and collards. You can eat buckets of those three things and still lose weight and cure your heart disease).

Black-eyed Peas

If you don't like to cook, skip this recipe and use canned, cooked black-eyed peas instead.

1 pound dried black-eyed peas
water to cover them
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
salt to taste, about 2 tsp

--Place all ingredients except the salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, and cook gently for 2-3 hours. Add more water as you need it. When they're tender, add the salt and chopped vegan ham if you're using it.

--After you start the beans, start the BBQ right away:

BBQ Sauce
Again, if you don't like to cook—don't. Just buy 2 jars of your favorite BBQ sauce (try Annie's) and add the water and tempeh. Or hire me to do it for you.

3 small cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. liquid smoke
2 cups water
3 blocks tempeh, sliced

--Mix all ingredients except for water and tempeh, and you have your BBQ sauce. For this recipe, however, I also add water. The extra water steams the tempeh to tenderness right in the sauce as it bakes, which saves the hassle of first cooking the tempeh and then BBQ'ing it (tempeh likes to be steamed before its final use). So, add the water and tempeh, make sure the tempeh is covered, pour into casserole dishes and bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally. The water will both evaporate and soak into the tempeh, so you'll be left with a thick and rich BBQ sauce.

Be sure and taste this sauce before cooking. People have very different ideas about what BBQ sauce should be...don't hesitate to add more salt, more sweet, or more spiciness!

Tender Collard Greens
Collards have a bad rap for being tough, and the poor things get cooked to death. Some recipes suggest 45 minutes! That is wrong. All the flavor and nutrients are gone by then.
2 large bunches collards, washed very well and chopped or torn into pieces
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
salt to taste

--Put the washed greens into a pot large enough to hold them, with the garlic. They'll have enough water from washing to start. Turn the heat to high and when they start to wilt, turn the to low.
--Add the balsamic and salt (the vinegar tenderizes the greens and adds a wonderful, mild sweetness) and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes—until they're wilted down and tender. Add a tablespoon or two of water if you need it. That's it!

Cornbread
Make this the day before and then heat it to toasty golden brown before serving.

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup plus 1 Tb water
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tb maple syrup or agave nectar
1 tsp salt
1 can sweet corn, drained well, or 1 bag frozen, well thawed and drained
Optional: 1 jalapeño, chopped finely. 1 bunch green onions, chopped. 1 Tb dried chopped dill.
--Heat the oven to 350 and grease a large round cast-iron skillet or a pie pan.
--Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in a another (the corn goes in the wet).
--Gently fold the wet into the dry. Use a rubber spatula instead of a spoon and mix only until it's barely combined.
--Pour into the pan, bake for 25 or 30 minutes, until pale gold on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Another option: Omit the corn, don't use the other seasonings, and instead add ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ chopped walnuts. This makes it more of a breakfast item.

Holiday Leafleting

Monday, December 25. Choices for the holiday:
1.Spend hours and hours cooking and eating and cleaning up for some big holiday gorge-fest
2.Sit around a lot, maybe watch some sports on TV
3.Obsess over presents

4.Eat delicious food with great company—food someone else cooks
5.Get out and walk around a gorgeous city with people I adore
6.Do something that makes a positive impact on animal suffering

I chose the last 3 options. We parked in downtown Oakland at noon on Christmas Day and walked through downtown, around Lake Merritt, and over to the Grand Lake Theater. I had Veg Starter Kits to hand out on the way, not expecting a huge response—figuring people would be inside for the holiday, or too grumpy to take one. To our surprise, the streets were busy—people were out and about, walking and hiking, going out to eat. And almost every single person took a VSK! They didn't just take it, they said, “Oh, thank you! How nice!”

Who knew Oakland was so great? I don't go to the East Bay as often b/c the Treasure Island bus only goes to San Francisco. And because Gavin isn't mayor of Oakland. I wonder if he could run for Mayor of the Bay Area?

(Not that I don't love Jerry Brown! No offense, Mayor Brown! Love you!)

I used my “free recipes” line exclusively today. “Hi there! Would you like some free recipes for the holidays?” That's my favorite line now.

I am also now convinced that a slightly colorful outfit helps. It's a fine line between “slightly colorful” and “total freak,” and I know I cross it at times, but I seem to be getting better. I think—and I can't prove this so don't bother debating me—I think that a fun outfit with something colorful or sparkly helps break the ice almost as much a huge smile (which I always have on my face when I approach someone). People can't help but smile back at a person wearing red glitter shoes or Christmas wrapping-paper bows on their head. Not that I was wearing my bows on my head (in case my boss is reading this).

Listen, Oh Boss, my closet is divided in two: Half is gray and black and beige, work outfits, business suits, sensible shoes. And the other half is my Drag Queen half. Never the two shall meet, I promise.

I think only 3 people refused a VSK, and they were friendly about it. Not a single negative comment the entire day! CM handed out vegan Clif bars to the homeless people we saw while I handed out the VSK's and OJ carried everything.

Oakland has some amazing old buildings. Perhaps b/c it wasn't as damaged in the 1906 earthquake? I don't know if the buildings we were admiring were built b4 the quake. But they were stunning, and the Paramount Theater is really a work of art. Best appreciated from the other side of the street.

After the movie, we walked the long way back around Lake Merritt, ending up at New World Vegetarian Restaurant for a yummy vegan holiday dinner. Bay Area Veg had a huge table of 15 and our table was 7, and there were other guests, but the restaurant did a great job and service was quick. Love that teriyaki tofu dish. As usual, I won the eating competition and cleaned up any food left on the platters after everyone else had given up. I also had dessert, vegan German chocolate cake from Black China Bakery.

Report card:
600 down, 2400 to go by 12/15/07.
http://www.alexbury.com/index.php?m=20061217

Planning: A+
CM had last minute changes but I didn't let that slow me down. A couple of last-minute phone calls and the plans were successfully changed. Didn't have to bother anyone else about posting to the list or anything. Planning always goes well when CM is involved in an event.

Execution: A
The parking, the movie, the walk route, the restaurant—everything ran smoothly and on time. In fact, we were 10 minutes ahead of schedule the entire day, which always happens when CM is around. She's the best.

Effectiveness: B
Damn, I keep making this mistake—not enough leaflets! I was pleasantly surprised by the people on the streets and the positive reception and hadn't planned for it. I could have given out twice as many VSK's.

People Involved: A+
CM and OJ were perfect company during the leafleting, excellent gossip was shared, buildings were admired, cute people were appreciated, and we were all walking at about the same speed. Dinner companions were sarcastic, ridiculous, goofy, interesting, and altogether enjoyable. One “I heart PETA” t-shirt which made our table the most attractive in the restaurant.

Meal: A
Would say A+ except for the price. New World is a good deal for what you get, but it's always a little more than I expect—I go in expecting Golden Era prices, but NW is a little higher. Not the end of the world, however: Food was good, plentiful, and quick; service was very friendly and fast even with the other large table ordering at the same time. BK chose a new dish, garlic eggplant something-or-other, it was very good and I wouldn't have tried it w/o his ordering it.

Gavin Newsom: D
Sure, it was a great day, but how sad to be in a non-Gavin city. I was still keeping an eye out for him, though—maybe he likes to visit other cities to get ideas, compare, critique? He really should have joined us all for dinner. To his credit, though—the reason he's not getting an F—San Francisco was just stunning as we drove back from Oakland onto Treasure Island.

Jerry Brown, thanks for a great day, your city was so gracious and pretty that we've decided to go back next month.

On December 14th Becky and I attended the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Holiday Concert, Home for the Holidays. Amazing. Those guys are brilliant. I loved every minute. As we were standing in line, Becky joked that I should be leafleting. Well, she was right, so I organized a leafleting for the 12/24 concert.

Ari, Lidia, Sue, Oliver and I had a great time admiring holiday decorations, holiday outfits, and handing out Veg Starter Kits. AT first we handed out a bunch, to the people in line, but once the show started the streets got a little quiet. So not the most productive leafleting event but very fun and a great way to celebrate the season, instead of stress, over-eating, credit card injuries and painful travel.

We handed out 200. I can't count Ari. Not because he doesn't matter, but because he's such an amazing leafleter and he would have been leafleting somewhere with or without my Castro event so I feel a little guilty adding his count to mine.

Those red sparkly shoes Dorothy has in the Wizard of Oz—I have a pair. Of course I wore them, with some great jewelry and a stunning sparkly silver evening gown. I had several people look at the VSK, consider saying no, then look at me and say, “With those shoes, how can I say no?” Exactly.

Fine line between dressing up and dressing like a total freak, and I often cross it, but I notice that when I wear something colorful and just slightly silly I get more takers. Perhaps I look less threatening, or they can't keep up their usual defensiveness in the face of all the glitter. But I think those shoes are made for leafleting.

500 down, 2500 to go by 12/15/07.

Report card:

Planning: B+
I wasn't clear enough about where we were meeting first (Samavor Tea House, don't bother unless you can afford to pay $8 for one cup of tea).

Execution: A
Everyone showed up. Leaflets handed out. Great outfits. Sue was brilliant in getting people to accept a flier.

Effectiveness: B
The neighborhood wasn't quite as busy as I thought it would be.

People Involved: A++
Lots of joking around between pedestrians which kept things fun and positive.

Meal: N/A
Tea House too expensive, although the beer at Amnesia was nice. Mostly for the conversation, not the beer.

Gavin Newsom: B
Gavin, where were you? How could you possibly not attend the SFGMC Holiday Show? Are you crazy? I'm giving you more than a D, though, because the Castro was gorgeous and fun and bright. You had public transport up and running on Christmas Eve and the city looked nice with all the holiday lights.