Where have all the vegans gone?

I am back in the Real World (tm). A world where I have to cook. A world where I have to read labels. A world where everything needs to be viewed with suspect before consumption. A world where there are people who eat animals. A world where people don´t give a damn about themselves, the earth or our non human animal friends.

On the upside I now know other people who aren´t like this and also have to live in the Real World (tm). I have names and addresses. And I have invited lots of them to visit Australia.

The 36th International Vegetarian Union Congress was absolutely wonderful. I cannot describe how much fun I had. The food was excellent, the talks were informative, the cooking workshops were great (I may inflict some of you with my cooking skills when I get home) and the people were beautiful. Of course there were things that needed to be run a little smoother, but that happens with any convention. The organising committee and Marly in particular need to be congratulated on a job well done.

Some more highlights (becauase I can´t write down everything that happened):

* Cooking demos (which involved alot of love in the cooking process).
* T shirts made out of recycled PET bottles.
* Dancing (we had demonstrations of Brazillian and Latin American dancing, as well as everyone dancing).
* People jumping in the pool fully clothed after the Gala Dinner and then hugging everyone who wasn´t wet.
* The birds.
* Seeing dolphins in the harbour.
* The beach on a good day (which didn´t happen as often as I would have liked).
* The beach on a clear night (star gazing vegans).
* Watching people try to convert the tour guide to plant based food.
* Chatting and working and hanging and socialising with heaps of other veg*ans.
* Different activist/vegie t-shirts that people were waring.
* Having the full intention to go to 7am yoga, only to party late every night so that you sleep in.
* Meeting and bonding with like minded souls.
* Finding out lots of cool stuff people have done for vegetarianism and why they have worked, thereby having ideas for heaps of stuff for home when I get there.
* Chocolate crepes for dessert.

Some quotes (attributed to many people):

"So what do vegans eat?" (said at any meal where everyone had huge plates piled high with yummy food)

"Tofu is scary." (why one group won´t promote tofu to meat eaters)

"If you want to get osteoperosis, remember, drink at least 2 litres of milk a day!" (said loudly, in a German accent on the bus to the non vegan tour guide- it was funny at the time okay!)

"Go vegan, you cow sucking pervert." (a button)

"The great vegan in the sky will send people to you." (how the great vegan in the sky will help when you are doing vegan friendly work)

"They´re GMO´s you know." (on the really thin and good looking models at the fashion show)

"There is nothing vegan food can´t fix." (because it will, you know)

"Peixe enosso amigo nao e comida" (fish are friends, not food)

There are people in this world who have open eyes and hearts and they actually get it.

See you in Goa, 2006!