Just a reminder for all food enthusiasts that the Montreal 9th Vegan Festival will be held at the Palais des Congrès (1001, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Métro Place d’Armes) next week-end on October 8 & 9 (10h00 – 18h00). Tickets are $9 per day or $15 for both days (available at the doors or online).

The Montreal vegan festival offers live cooking shows and lectures, as well as many exhibitors’ booths to discover new and delicious products. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to share knowledge about veganism and vegan lifestyle which is against animal cruelty, for promoting better health and environmental protection. I am looking forward to see the latest trend in health food and, above all, to listen to the lecture of a guy I met in a previous vegan fest: Jimmy Videle. He is an American organic farmer, activist and consultant who moved to Quebec and started with his wife, Mélanie Bernier, a veganic market farm and artisanal seed company, La Ferme de l’Aube located in Boileau. He will speak about “Veganic growing, homesteading and farming” Sunday October 9 at 15h15.

If I do not share some of the vegan politics and extreme positions (as I do enjoy my honey, cheese and yogurt), I agree with most of their ideas on agriculture, health and environment. We do have to care for the Earth (and in return it will eventually care for us…). I guess I am rather a semi-vegetarian — since I am eating eggs, milk produces, fishes and seafoods as well as chicken’s meat I am more a Flexitarian, the most versatile of the vegetarian variations as it is a mix between Lacto-ovo vegetarianism, Pollotarianism and Pescetarianism [actually it is also quite similar to the Buddhist vegetarianism which avoids eating all creatures walking on four legs]. 

In previous years (I’ve talked several times about the fest on the blog) the entrance to the Vegan Fest was free but, unfortunately this year due to a lack of exhibitor participation (they had planned for 130 exhibitors but only 95 registered), they have to charge entry in order to make the event possible. So please go visit the festival to encourage them and, more importantly, enjoy and discover all sorts of healthy foods and habits that are much better for both us and the planet. It is quite important to insure the sustainability of our civilisation…